For a century, journalists have had a voluntary ethics code. Editors are giving it an AI-era reboot
NEW YORK (AP) — Walk into a corner of a newsroom somewhere and you can often find it affixed to a bulletin board, perhaps peeking out from behind the coffee pot: the Society of…
Standing on a bulletin board in a newsroom, the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics typically occupies a modest space. Composed of fewer than a thousand words, this concise document outlines four crucial journalistic principles. Yet, according to Dan Axelrod, chairman of the SPJ Ethics Committee and a veteran Gannett business reporter, this compact set of guidelines holds immense power.
"This is the way to protect democracy. This is to protect society," Axelrod asserts, emphasizing the vital role journalists play in society. While the code's existence is well-established, there is an ongoing need to update it. This process is laborious, taking roughly a year and involving numerous meetings and feedback, both virtual and in person.
However, with the media landscape constantly evolving and new technologies emerging, the SPJ has decided that the time has come to update the code for the first time in 12 years, and only the sixth time in its 100-year history. A committee and other media ethics experts convened for a conclave to revise the code in Indianapolis after extensive virtual meetings.
The atmosphere was far from relaxing, with Axelrod noting heated passions and Chris Roberts, SPJ's vice chairman and a journalism professor at the University of Alabama, quipping that there were "no fistfights" but "a lot of smithing of the words." The revised draft code, consisting of 967 words, is 73 words longer than the original.
Yet, the motivation for updating the code is primarily driven by the rapid advancement of AI technology.
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