Journalistic Ethics - the Short Version

Someone on Freelance Success pointed out the story of a WMAQ reporter in Chicago who didn't step over the journalistic line - she swam over it. On her day off, she accepted an invitation to take her two sons swimming in the pool of "the estranged husband of a missing Plainfield woman.":

Sources said Jacobson told her bosses that she was on her way to the East Bank Club in River North to go swimming with her sons Friday when she received a call from Craig Stebic's sister, asking her to come to his house to talk about the case.

And then a competing station that had a camera man staked out in a neighboring house caught her on tape. Uh oh. And now she's resigned from her position.

I've seen many freelance reporters ask about what is ethical and not. I know a few who are hyper-vigilent willing to go to extremes to avoid anything that would smack of a conflict, and I know others that often look for ways to get yet another freebie. To stay on the right side of the line doesn't mean memorizing a list of rules, just understanding a few principles:

• Avoid appearance of conflict. It may be that you can actually get close to a source and still write in a reasonably fair and unbiased manner, but it's not just a question about what you can do. The issue is what impression you'd give by doing it. Assume that anything will come to be known by the public. If a third party would be suspicious of your motives, then don't do it. And if you find yourself trying to argue that the person really wouldn't mind, then assume that the person actually would. This is a case where the reporter doth protest too much.


• Avoid freebies. This can be tough, particularly if you review products, performances, or music. You shouldn't be paying for such items unless you're getting reimbursement from the publication. But if the freebie is not necessary to conduct the review, or if the ultimate subject of the review can directly influence and control your experience (as with a restaurant meal), don't take it.


• Don't be beholding. If you find that you want to moderate your story because the company or PR person may not give you the same type of access to people, products, or situations in the future, you shouldn't be writing the piece. Bite the hand that feeds you and watch yourself in the future, because you are displaying the inclination to tilt coverage for personal reasons.


• Don't use friends and acquaintances as sources. It's convenient to interview people that you know, because you have no fear of them and it's likely that you will get cooperation. But unless the person is a real expert in the area and you may not find someone as qualified, keep on moving. You are unlikely to want to present someone in a bad light, which means subconsciously you will probably censor the questions you ask and conclusions you draw. This gets particularly bad - and dangerous - when you use fellow writers as sources, because editors may well recognize the names and decide, rightly or wrongly, that you are slacking. Keep on your toes and find other sources. (And you can check here for some pointers on finding people.)

It comes down to common sense - and applying it when you're in the middle. The biggest tool you have is when you find yourself asking the question, "Is this ethical?" The answer is probably, "No."