03.01 Code of Ethics

1. Be completely truthful and thorough when presenting the information that you obtain.
2. Avoid mixing fact with opinion, unless you are stating that you are doing so.
3. Do not sabotage another journalist or his/her work.
4. Do not stretch the truth to make a story more interesting, use only truthful information.
5. Be respectful when interviewing others, and never be innapropriate.

Explanation of these rules:
1) To be a good journalist, you must be trusted by your readers. If your readers are constantly unsure if you are telling the truth, then they will no longer want to read your articles if they are potentially made up.
2) When you are writing a factual article, it is not a good idea to throw in your opinion unless you have  noted that you are doing so. The last thing a journalist wants to do is confuse his/her reader.
3) Blackmail is frowned upon in every case, by doing so you are risking your reputation in the writing community.
4) Stick to the facts when you are presenting your story, no matter how blunt the story  turns out. You are there to present the public with  information, not to put polluted and diluted versions of the truth into their head.
5) As a journalist, you are constantly around the public. It is important to always  be courteous and respectful when conducting interviews and interacting with others. You are not only representing yourself, but also the paper/magazine/company that you work for.


I believe that the five rules listed above are the most crucial to follow as a journalist. By abiding by the rules listed above, a journalist has the ability to be respected and popular in the community.

03.00 Introduction to Ethics

 To be ethical is to follow the rules of society and demonstrate the traits of a good person. Being an ethical person goes along the lines of being morally correct. In a situation such as the one reviewed, the decision that I ultimately make pertaining to my friend could be the difference between life and death. On one hand, I would risk my friends trust, but on the other, I am risking her life completely. If I choose to tell an adult about her foolish choice of leaking her address, then I am risking the chance of her never trusting me again. Although this seems terrible, it pales in comparison to the alternative result. Because my friend has given her address to a complete stranger, she has put her entire family in danger. Although my friend might be upset with me for telling an adult, she will eventually get over it. I could never forgive myself if something happened to her that could've been easily avoided. If the scenario occured where my friend gets stolen and killed, and I had previous knowledge of her leaking her private information, then I am able to be accused of withholding relevant information. Either my friend becomes temporarily upset with me over sharing her information with my parents, or she remains at risk of being taken from her home, and even killed.