News Integrity & Code of Ethics

Community Radio

MEMO

Public Radio News Directors Incorporated Code of Ethics:

Whereas Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI) was formed in December 1984 to enhance news and information programming, and;

Whereas PRNDI was formed to encourage professional development, and;

Whereas PRNDI is to foster events to pursue developmental goals of journalists, producers, editors and independent contractors, students, and volunteer news and public information aides, and;

Whereas PRNDI members serve many communities and interest that deserve news programs of the highest standards of honesty, fairness, integrity, balance, compassion, and technical quality;

Now, therefore Public Radio News Directors Incorporated does advance and call upon members to follow this code of ethical conduct...

1.  Prepare and deliver news programs accurately to maintain public trust.  All errors of fact, bias, or omission must be corrected immediately.

2.  Strive to eliminate personal, station, or community bias and balance matters of race, creed, religion, ethnic original, gender and sexual preference.

3.  Recognize, understand, and vigorously pursue our public’s right-to-know laws.  Members must evaluate merit and news value of materials provided by anonymous sources.  After deliberation, members must insure the sanctity of those sources based upon right to privacy and guard against its violation.

4.  Make efforts to name those who provide newsworthy information and avoid all sound presentations not generated at the news site.

5.  Responsibly evaluate the newsworthiness of all broadcast items and guard against undue pressure from non-news personnel.

6.  Honor legitimate requests to hold or embargo newsworthy material provided in advance.

7.  Avoid making false representations to obtain materials from those who might otherwise object to discussing matters with reporters, editors, producers, independent contractors, student aides, or volunteers under your direction.

8.  Inform news sources when conversations are being recorded.

9.  Make no promises or guarantees to report, promote, or advance materials without true news value.

10.  Avoid the reality of perception of all conflicts of professional and personal interests.  These include rejection of gifts, favors, commissions, privileges, or special access which cloud perception.

11.  In every case possible, maintain a separation of duty during station pledge drives and other fund-raising efforts.  If possible, this separation should include all news-related personnel.

12.  Reconsider the associations with community events, service projects, boards, councils, or commissions when conflicts of interest arise and to work to assign stories on those organizations to reporters.

13.  Avoid employment that involves work for politicians, corporations, companies, sponsors, underwriters, or stations donors which strain professional obligation and public trust.

14.  Avoid participating in any event (marches, demonstrations, picketing, rallies) that compromises professional integrity and future news or public information assignments.

15.  Maintain and upgrade these standards as circumstances require.

16.  Require all news employees, independent contractors, producers, editors, talent, aides, and volunteers under member direction to adhere to these standards.

And, upon acceptance of these standards, members should advance them by personal action.  By doing so, members maintain a standard of excellence which enhances the value of the news delivered.  Members doing so provide worth to their stations, their communities, and the employees under their direction.  This provides the public with a trustworthy product that is beyond reproach.