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= Ethics of Media (Journalists) in the U.S. =

Why is Media Ethics Important?
News media journalists play a key role in informing American citizens about health, policies, scandals, and more. Inadvertently, news media journalist shape or influence the public perception of events and issues. In a democratic country like the United States, it is important to have information about issues that impact one's life quality, because citizens have the power to change them through voting. Additionally, news media can highlight injustices going on in the country or on smaller scales (states, cities, counties). Change from the people relies on information from the news media companies, which is why in the constitution the First Amendment protects this practice.

History of Media Ethics
As the government and the public began to realize the importance of journalistic influence, several organizations established a code of ethics. It first appeared in the United States in 1923 under the direction and approval of The American Society of Newspaper Editors. Soon after, the Society of Professional Journalists and Associated Press Managing Editor endorsed these ethics. Each of these organizations are still in practice today and still teach the same code of ethics produced nearly a hundred years ago.

The American Society of Newspaper Editors: Code of Ethics
The American Society of Newspaper Editors or ASNE follows six principles in the organizations code of ethics.


 * In ASNE's first principle, they encourage all journalists to act responsibly. According to them, responsible journalists do not abuse the trust given to them by the public.
 * In their second principle, ASNE believes journalists should understand the importance of the Freedom of the Press. The Freedom of the Press is the voice of the people, and journalists should be vigilant to make sure it is heard.
 * In ASNE's third principle, the organization encourages journalists to act independently. For journalists, independence looks like avoiding conflicts of interest or anything that may influence their integrity.
 * ASNE's fourth principle wants journalists to uphold truth and accuracy. Journalists can uphold truth and accuracy by represent both sides of the event, remain unbiased, and refrain from substantial fact errors.
 * In the organization's fifth principle, ASNE believes that journalists should remain impartial. For journalists, impartiality means refraining from adding personal biases into their work.
 * In their sixth principle, ASNE wants journalists to incorporate fair play into their work. Journalists should honor confidentiality and allow persons to respond to accusations.

Society of Professional Journalists: Code of Ethics
The Society of Professional Journalists or SPJ follows four principles in their code of ethics.


 * In their first principle, SPJ believes journalists should seek and report the truth, which means journalists should prioritize the accuracy of their work over being the first to break the latest news story.
 * The second principle emphasizes that journalists should not cause harm to others. SPJ believes journalists should show compassion for others and consider other people's perspectives or situations.
 * In the third principle, SPJ encourages journalists to act independently, which means they should avoid conflicts of interest. Additionally, they should not accept anything for personal gain while reporting a short.
 * The last SPJ principle encourages journalists to be accountable and transparent to their audience. For SPJ, accountability and transparency are answering the audience's questions and acknowledging mistakes.