McClatchy newsrooms publish first-ever shared ethics code

News today is delivered — posted, broadcast, emailed, printed — in more ways than we could have imagined just a few years ago. Information moves in seconds, placing a greater premium than ever on accuracy and ethical decision-making when events are unfolding rapidly.

While methods and the speed of transmitting news have evolved enormously in a short time, what hasn’t changed for McClatchy’s journalists are the underlying values for the journalism itself.

Today, McClatchy is introducing a shared code of ethics for its newsrooms, demonstrating our commitment to clearly and openly articulating our fundamental values -- to our journalists and to the readers who hold us accountable.

These guidelines give our journalists context to steer smart judgment and ethical decision-making. And they offer readers a clear view of the principles that shape our journalism, from the smallest news updates to the deepest reporting.

This ethics code will be published on the sites of all McClatchy news organizations. It applies to every journalist in our company, including reporters, editors, visual journalists, social media editors, data journalists, designers and interns.

Our commitment to our communities is to aggressively and independently report the truth, and this ethics code is our road map. Each news organization’s reputation rests squarely on its integrity – and on its readers’ perceptions of that integrity. We’re accountable to the communities we serve and the citizens in our communities. Being transparent with our readers about our guidelines is one important step in delivering that accountability.

These guidelines were shaped by a team of McClatchy journalists from across the country. We considered all existing ethics policies in our newsrooms, as well as the policies of other news organizations. No policy could anticipate every questionable situation that can arise. McClatchy’s ethics code is based on the principle that disclosure and open discussion with news managers is the key to ethical decision-making.

We expect all of our journalists to become familiar with this ethics code, and we hope our readers will as well.

Sherry Chisenhall is the executive editor of The Charlotte Observer and a member of the team that wrote this policy.

This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 10:12 AM with the headline "McClatchy newsrooms publish first-ever shared ethics code."