Journalists must resolve ethical dilemmas, often in the rush to deadline. Their choices can have powerful enduring effects on individuals and institutions.
The Australian Journalists' Association Code of Ethics has been the leading guide since its adoption in 1944. Fifty years later, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, which now incorporates the AJA, asked a committee of journalists and non-journalists to review the code and its enforcement procedures.
Ethics in Journalism is the report. The committee draws on submissions and local and international sources to recommend a new code, better enforcement and more openness. A detailed commentary examines some of the difficult recurring ethical dilemmas, offering some fresh and practical responses. The report reaffirms journalism's role in democratic society but insists that all in the media, from journalists to managers and owners, must be accountable for the power they wield.
A landmark document in Australian media ethics, this report will be a focus while journalists debate its recommendations, a day-to-day reference for those resolving ethical dilemmas, a resource for lecturers and students and a standard against which the public can measure media performance.