Editing Journalism (section)

=== 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" />