►Journalists who take active roles in politics risk losing their credibility and effectiveness in serving the public, this SPJ position paper explains.
Source: https://www.spj.org/ethics-papers-politics.asp
►Tony Rogers writes that “avoiding conflicts of interest requires a conscious effort on the part of the reporter,” and he provides a list of how to identify and avoid those conflicts.
Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/avoid-conflicts-of-interest-2073885
►Pioneering National Public Radio reporter Nina Totenberg earned fame and awards for her coverage of the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court. She was particularly close to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Politico argued that the relationship posed a conflict of interest, and NPR’s public editor Elizabeth Jensen cited this part of the Code in her discussion of the concerns.
Sources:
- https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/23/nina-totenberg-dinners-with-ruth-bader-ginsburg-00058467
- https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2016/02/26/467813499/when-is-a-friendship-a-conflict-of-interest
►National Public Radio updated its ethics code in the 2021, and one change raised questions among some in the journalism community. “The new policy eliminates the blanket prohibition from participating in ‘marches, rallies and public events’,” writes NPR Public Editor Kelly McBride, “as well as vague language that directed NPR journalists to avoid personally advocating for ‘controversial’ or ‘polarizing’ issues.”