As a journalist, I believe having a code of ethics is just as important as the stories I tell.
*Below are the three principles of my code of ethics as a journalist. As I work as a journalist and begin to serve my community, it’s important to have a code of ethics to fall back on whenever tough decisions come my way. As journalism transitions into new forms of telling stories and reporting the facts, it’s important that the foundations of great journalism don’t change. Every great journalist must have some form of ethics guiding them in their work and these three ideas are what will guide me in the professional world.
1. There is nothing more important than the truth
Journalism is at a crossroads.
The truth is what matters most in journalism, but with talking heads and commentary coming into the sector of journalism, many are wondering if finding facts and reporting the truth matters to get ahead in the 21st century.
Some journalists value building ‘buddy-buddy’ relationships with sources, coaches, players or corporations rather than giving the public the truth on the matter at hand.
But the truth matters to me.
In every story I write, every interview I conduct and in every relationship I build, I will make it clear that finding the truth will always be my top priority.
2. Respect others
Journalism may have the reputation of being a competitive field where reporters and news organizations fight one another for the best stories and to be the first ones with breaking news, but at the end of the day, we are all human.
I believe good journalists demand respect, while treating others with respect.
And while the competitive nature of the business is what drives journalists to work their hardest, I believe having respect for my colleagues, whether they are working with me or for another organization, will always be a top priority for me.
I promise to always respect those I work with, no matter if they are fellow or “rival” reporters, sources, strangers or my editor.
Respect is what builds trust and a good journalist can’t have one without the other.
3. There is always another story out there
I have had the pleasure of learning from some of the best journalism teachers in my young journalism career. And no matter who it was, they always would tell me to never stop looking for stories to tell.
There are always fresh angles and interesting stories out there, someone just has to do the extra work to find them.
Journalism is about finding the real story, searching around for leads, sources, doing research or anything else that could give your community another angle into a key political issue or a big win for Iowa State football.
There is always another way to look at a story and there is always another angle to tell.
As a journalist, I pledge to always find the story no one else has. I pledge to dig deeper.