Editing Journalism (section)

==Ethics and standards==
{{main|Journalism ethics and standards|Journalistic objectivity|Media reform}}

[[File:News photographers and reporters wait outside Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' apartment.jpg|thumb|News photographers and reporters waiting behind a police line in New York City, in May 1994]]
While various existing codes have some differences, most share common elements including the principles of – [[truth]]fulness, [[accuracy]], [[Journalistic objectivity|objectivity]], [[nonpartisanship|impartiality]], [[Justice|fairness]] and public [[accountability]] – as these apply to the acquisition of newsworthy information and its subsequent dissemination to the public.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fourth Estate – Core Journalism Principles, Standards and Practices|url=https://www.fourthestate.org/core-journalism-principles/|publisher=Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation|access-date=2 December 2016|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325004218/https://www.fourthestate.org/core-journalism-principles/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ifj.org/en/articles/status-of-journalists-and-journalism-ethics-ifj-principles IFJ (International Federation of Journalists) – Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114075747/http://www.ifj.org/en/articles/status-of-journalists-and-journalism-ethics-ifj-principles |date=14 November 2012 }} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20081130181610/http://www.ifj.org/assets/docs/060/151/2bcb53c-c641f97.doc DOC version)]
</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asne.org/kiosk/archive/principl.htm |title=ASNE (American Society of Newspapers Editors) – Statement of Principles |access-date=2013-03-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605161914/http://www.asne.org/kiosk/archive/principl.htm |archive-date=5 June 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apme.com/ethics/ |title=APME (Associated Press Managing Editors) – Statement of Ethical Principles |date=2008-06-22 |access-date=2013-03-01 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622123407/http://www.apme.com/ethics/ |archive-date=22 June 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp |title=(Society of Professional Journalists) – Code of Ethics |publisher=SPJ |access-date=2013-03-01 |archive-date=20 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320184606/http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Bill Kovach]] and Tom Rosenstiel propose several guidelines for journalists in their book ''The Elements of Journalism''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://journalism.org/node/72|title=The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect – Introduction &#124; Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ)|date=2006-06-19|publisher=Journalism.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002000433/http://www.journalism.org/node/72|archive-date=2 October 2013|access-date=2013-02-23}}
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Their view is that journalism's first loyalty is to the citizenry and that journalists are thus obliged to tell the truth and must serve as an independent monitor of powerful individuals and institutions within society. In this view, the essence of journalism is to provide citizens with reliable information through the discipline of verification.

Some journalistic Codes of Ethics, notably the European ones,<ref>[http://assembly.coe.int//main.asp?link=http://assembly.coe.int/documents/adoptedtext/ta93/ERES1003.HTM Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – Resolution 1003 (1993) on the ethics of journalism] (see clause 33) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626122000/http://assembly.coe.int//Main.asp?link=http%3A%2F%2Fassembly.coe.int%2FDocuments%2FAdoptedText%2Fta93%2Feres1003.htm |date=26 June 2009 }}</ref> also include a concern with [[discrimination|discriminatory]] references in news based on [[Race (classification of human beings)|race]], religion, [[sexual orientation]], and physical or mental [[disability|disabilities]].<ref>[http://www.pcc.org.uk/cop/practice.html UK – Press Complaints Commission – Codes of Practice] (see item 12, "Discrimination") {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214011756/http://www.pcc.org.uk/cop/practice.html |date=14 December 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fnsi.it/Contenuto/Documentazione/CarteDeontologiche/Carta_dei_Doveri.htm |title=Italy – FNSI's La Carta dei Doveri (The Chart of Duties) |access-date=2012-12-24 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412103717/http://www.fnsi.it/Contenuto/Documentazione/CarteDeontologiche/Carta_dei_Doveri.htm |archive-date=12 April 2008 |language=it}} (section "Principi")</ref><ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.fape.es/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=101&Itemid=120 Spain – FAPE's Código Deontológico (Deontological Code)] (see ''Principios Generales'', item 7, "a")</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fenaj.org.br/federacao/cometica/codigo_de_etica_dos_jornalistas_brasileiros.pdf |title= Brazil – FENAJ's Code of Ethics |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091003115513/http://www.fenaj.org.br/federacao/cometica/codigo_de_etica_dos_jornalistas_brasileiros.pdf |archive-date= 3 October 2009|language=pt}}&nbsp;{{small|(20.8&nbsp;KB)}} (see Article 6, item XIV)</ref> The [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]] approved in 1993 Resolution 1003 on the Ethics of Journalism which recommends journalists to respect the [[presumption of innocence]], in particular in cases that are still ''[[sub judice]]''.<ref>[http://assembly.coe.int//main.asp?link=http://assembly.coe.int/documents/adoptedtext/ta93/ERES1003.HTM PACE Resolution 1003 (1993) on the Ethics of Journalism] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626122000/http://assembly.coe.int//Main.asp?link=http%3A%2F%2Fassembly.coe.int%2FDocuments%2FAdoptedText%2Fta93%2Feres1003.htm |date=26 June 2009 }} (see clause 22)</ref>

In the UK, all newspapers are bound by the Code of Practice of the [[Independent Press Standards Organisation]]. This includes points like respecting people's privacy and ensuring accuracy. However, the Media Standards Trust has criticized the PCC, claiming it needs to be radically changed to secure the public trust of newspapers.

This is in stark contrast to the media climate prior to the 20th century, where the media market was dominated by smaller newspapers and pamphleteers who usually had an overt and often radical agenda, with no presumption of balance or objectivity.

[[File:Dmitry Muratov, 2012.JPG|thumb|{{lang|ru-latn|[[Novaya Gazeta]]}}{{'s}} editor-in-chief [[Dmitry Muratov]] was awarded the [[2021 Nobel Peace Prize]] for his "efforts to safeguard freedom of expression" in Russia.]]
Because of the pressure on journalists to report news promptly and before their competitors, factual errors occur more frequently than in writing produced and edited under less time pressure. Thus a typical issue of a major daily newspaper may contain several corrections of articles published the previous day. Perhaps the most famous journalistic mistake caused by time pressure was the [[Dewey Defeats Truman]] edition of the [[Chicago Daily Tribune]], based on early election returns that failed to anticipate the actual result of the 1948 US presidential election.

=== Codes of ethics ===
There are over 242 codes of ethics in journalism that vary across various regions of the world.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|date=2016-03-01|title=Ethical convergence, divergence or communitas? An examination of public relations and journalism codes of ethics|journal=Public Relations Review|language=en|volume=42|issue=1|pages=146–60|doi=10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.08.001|issn=0363-8111|last1=Yang|first1=Aimei|last2=Taylor|first2=Maureen|last3=Saffer|first3=Adam J}}</ref> The codes of ethics are created through an interaction of different groups of people such as the public and journalists themselves. Most of the codes of ethics serve as a representation of the economic and political beliefs of the society where the code was written.<ref name=":02" /> Despite the fact that there are a variety of codes of ethics, some of the core elements present in all codes are: remaining objective, providing the truth, and being honest.<ref name=":02" />

Journalism does not have a universal [[code of conduct]]; individuals are not legally obliged to follow a certain set of rules like a doctor or a lawyer does.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wilson-Smith|first=Anthony|date=3 August 1998|title=The Conflict of Journalists|url=http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=a001e71b-a816-42a1-8f25-61e48b50fcf4%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=911611&db=a9h|journal=Maclean's|pages=11|via=Academic Search Complete}}</ref> There have been discussions for creating a universal code of conduct in journalism. One suggestion centers on having three claims for [[credibility]], justifiable consequence, and the claim of [[humanity (virtue)|humanity]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Ward|first=Stephen|date=5 March 2018|title=Philosophical Foundations for Global Journalism Ethics|journal=Journal of Mass Media Ethics|volume=20|pages=3–21|doi=10.1207/s15327728jmme2001_2|s2cid=144636048}}</ref> Within the claim of credibility, journalists are expected to provide the public with reliable and trustworthy information, and allowing the public to question the nature of the information and its acquisition. The second claim of justifiable consequences centers on weighing the benefits and detriments of a potentially harmful story and acting accordingly. An example of justifiable consequence is exposing a professional with dubious practices; on the other hand, acting within justifiable consequence means writing compassionately about a family in mourning. The third claim is the claim of humanity which states that journalists are writing for a global population and therefore must serve everyone globally in their work, avoiding smaller loyalties to country, city, etc.<ref name=":1" />