Society of Professional Journalist chapters criticize award to Miller./.

[MnFats]

from: www.editorandpublisher.com


Now the Northern California and the Mid-Florida Pro Chapters
of SPJ have criticized the Miller award in an open letter written by Peter Y. Sussman, a former president of the Northern California group, and Linda Jue, current vice president. "We hope to set the record straight on behalf of conscientious journalists around the country who support journalists' First Amendment responsibilities but are deeply troubled by Miller's earlier unprofessional conduct and SPJ's failure to fully apply its own Code of Ethics to this case," they write.

They observe that while SPJ was attempting to laud journalists' attempts to protect their sources, "in this case, the message has been sullied by the ethical misdeeds of the messenger....We deplore the careless and deceptive use of confidential sources, as exemplified in Judith Miller's reporting. We urge journalists to hold each other accountable before the government claims even more sweeping rights to interfere in the editorial process, eroding still further this country's noble ideal of a free press."

Here is the text of their letter:

*

The New York Times has admitted putting its legal support for reporter Judith Miller above its responsibility to inform readers about an issue of pre-eminent national importance. Similarly, the Society of Professional Journ-alists, at its recent convention, chose to put its
commendable support of a journalists' shield law above its ethical responsibility to "clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over
journalistic conduct."

[Erika]

1. Judith should be given the bimbo award

Maybe Bush will offer her lunch with the twins.

[fooj]

2. Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics

https://www.spj.org/ethics_code.asp

<snip>

Code of Ethics
SPJ Code of Ethics

Preamble
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Seek Truth and Report It

Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.

Journalists should:

*Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
*Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
*Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
*Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. *Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
*Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
*Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
*Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.
*Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story
*Never plagiarize.
*Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
*Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
*Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
*Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
*Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
*Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
*Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
*Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.
<snip>

Read the entire thing. IMO, WE HAVE BEEN BETRAYED. It's painfully clear.

Peace.