In 1923, the American Society of Newspaper Editors adopted an ethical code known as the canons of journalism in response to the growing amount of in newspapers. There are seven canons of journalism: Responsibility, Freedom of the press, Independence, Sincerity/ truthfulness/ accuracy, Fair play and Decency. They let the world of the press have their wide range of journalistic freedom, but they help to set limits and regulations more along the lines of what is right and what is wrong.
The first Canon is Responsibility. A Journalist must always consider the public’s welfare. This means that journalists must use great care when publishing information. They can ultimately say anything about anyone and put it in the press. By considering the public’s welfare, journalists must maintain accuracy with what information they are given. This is the responsibility of the journalist to only publish what is true, which will also be of the public’s trust. A journalist who uses his power for any selfish or otherwise unworthy purpose cannot be trusted.
The second Canon is Freedom of the Press. Freedom of the press can be found in chapter 12 of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana. It protects the journalist’s right to say what he has to say. As long as it is the truth, they cannot get in trouble for what they write or say in the article. The person has the right to say what he believes the public has the right to know. This can help readers find out things that they may not normally know about someone or something.
The third Canon is Independence. Journalists are supposed to be independent from sources, politics, and advertisers. Being independent means no one can tell you how to write something, when to write it, or what to write about. There are a lot of companies and advertisers that want journalists to write propaganda to either make them look good or make their opponents look bad. A true journalist will not give in to these types of people, but will ensure that the truth is told about everyone.
The fourth Canon is sincerity, truthfulness, accuracy. Journalists should show good faith with the reader and that the journalism is worthy of the name. They should not write something just to slander another or hurt someone’s feelings. When being truthful, journalists need to always produce the truth in everything they write. Being known as a journalist who only lies about one’s works does not give a good reputation. Also, being known for publishing the truth will make readers trust you the journalist and want to read your works. Journalists must be accurate, too. When getting information, a journalist needs to confirm one’s sources and make sure everything that is written is correct. No one is perfect, though, and there will always be some mistakes. That is why it is good to learn from them and move on.
The fifth Canon is Impartiality. News reports should be free from opinion or bias of any kind. There are always two sides to every story. It is the job of a journalist to publish the full story, with both sides, so the public can read it and make a fair opinion for themselves. Everyone has an opinion, but when it comes to being a journalist it is not right to express one’s opinion in a news story.
The sixth Canon is Fair play. This canon says that journalists should not write any slander or negativity towards anyone without them having a chance to state their side as well. As mentioned earlier, there are two sides to every story. It would not be fair to the side that is getting accused if the public believes any slander or negativity without knowing both sides of the story. If a journalist makes an error, it is that person’s responsibility to correct the error at once to avoid conflicts.
The last Canon is Decency. This canon says that journalists should not write something just because they do not like someone or something, and also everyone deserves equal treatment. This canon is about following morals and what is right and wrong. It is not right to write or say something negative about another just because a journalist’s opinion of that person might not be positive.
These are the seven canons of journalism. Each plays a huge part in the world of journalism when it comes down to morals and ethics. Without these canons, journalism would not be what it is today.
Sources:
ambermubeen.files.wordpress.com
theblogitor.wordpress.com
Jessel’s blog 