Ethics

Our ethics section examines the professional standards that guide responsible journalism. Explore principles of impartiality, fairness, accuracy, and journalistic integrity while also learning to navigate challenging ethical dilemmas journalists face in their daily work. All our material is free to download, adapt and use. Scroll down our site map for all the content in this and other sections.

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Journalism trauma: why cultural context matters

Culture and community can have a significant impact on how journalists process and cope with trauma and stress when covering news.

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Moving to cloud-based publishing

Discover how a media house in Slovakia slashed costs, increased productivity, and introduced newsroom efficiencies by publishing in the cloud.

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Secondary trauma in the newsroom

Up to 50% of newsroom staff viewing graphic footage face secondary trauma. Discover who is most at risk and how organisations can provide essential support.

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Is your journalism ethical?

Reliable journalism is based on applying strict editorial ethics to all we do so that we can examine the issues that have the most impact on the lives of our audience.

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Why editorial ethics are important

The Media Helping Media ethics section is designed to help journalists navigate some of the challenges they might face as they go about their work.

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Conflicts of interest

In journalism, public trust is essential for credibility. One of the most significant threats to that trust are the many possible conflicts of interest that might confront journalists.

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Unconscious bias and journalism

Bias is a prejudice for or against a group, often leading to unfair judgements. While it's a normal human trait, understanding our biases is vital for fairness.

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Respecting privacy as a journalist

Journalists must balance privacy rights with the need for rigorous, robust investigation into matters of public interest.

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Photojournalism and ethics

The following are commonly accepted ethical guidelines for photojournalists adopted by most mainstream media.

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Offence and journalism

Rigorous journalism inevitably offends some audiences. Global broadcasters must cover all aspects of human experience to reflect world affairs accurately.