Ethics policy
10/3/2016
I love podcasts. I believe they bring voices to the table we wouldn't hear otherwise. It feels like a wild frontier. The downside of this is it's a wild frontier. Meaning, people like me, who have no journalism experience, present you with episodes that are reported from the gut. We might have standards, lines we won't cross, but damned if you know what goes on behind the scenes.
That's why I created this page. To let you know what my standards are. Many of these I adapted from the Society of Professional Journalists, some I have borrowed from elsewhere. The meat of it is this: I am not an expert or an authority, but I will always strive to be accurate and fair. This is a work in progress. If you feel that it should be amended in the name of fairness, please don't hesitate to reach out.
I love podcasts. I believe they bring voices to the table we wouldn't hear otherwise. It feels like a wild frontier. The downside of this is it's a wild frontier. Meaning, people like me, who have no journalism experience, present you with episodes that are reported from the gut. We might have standards, lines we won't cross, but damned if you know what goes on behind the scenes.
That's why I created this page. To let you know what my standards are. Many of these I adapted from the Society of Professional Journalists, some I have borrowed from elsewhere. The meat of it is this: I am not an expert or an authority, but I will always strive to be accurate and fair. This is a work in progress. If you feel that it should be amended in the name of fairness, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Accuracy
Man-ish will:
- Verify information before releasing it. Use original sources whenever possible.
- Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly.
- Identify sources clearly.
- Consider sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Reserve anonymity for sources who may face danger, retribution or other harm, and have information that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Explain why anonymity was granted.
- Label advocacy and commentary.
- Never deliberately distort facts or context, including visual information. Clearly label illustrations and re-enactments.
- Distinguish news from advertising by prominently labeling sponsored content.
Fairness
Man-ish will:
- Never plagiarize. Always attribute.
- Support the open and civil exchange of views, even views we find repugnant.
- Diligently seek subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism or allegations of wrongdoing.
- Refrain from undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information.
Independence
Man-ish will:
- Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment.
- Will not pay for interviews or unpublished documents (see NYT Handbook, item 19).
- Will not preview scripts or stories in advance of their broadcast with sources or subjects of coverage.
- Deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage.