Monday April 24, 2006

Contact:
Beth King, APR, Communications Manager (317) 927-8000, ext. 211, bking@spj.org

Indianapolis – Dealing with confidential sources, individual privacy issues and sensitive content are a few examples of the ethical dilemmas newsrooms across the country face every day.

When these situations occur, journalists have a responsibility and an obligation to present the news in a fair and balanced manner.

To assist journalists in making ethical decisions, the Society of Professional Journalists, the nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism advocacy organization with nearly 10,000 members, has dedicated a portion of its Web site to highlight Ethics in Journalism Week, April 24-28.

The Web site features case studies, an online version of the Society’s Code of Ethics in seven languages, information about the Society’s ethics hotline, suggestions for ethics programs, and a listing of Ethics In Journalism Week activities that are funded by grants from the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

“As the lines between news, information, commercial messages and entertainment continue to blur, ethical behavior becomes even more important,” said David E. Carlson, SPJ’s national president. “It is central to journalistic credibility, and that credibility is vital to the public trust of journalists.”

The SPJ Ethics Web site is located at http://www.spj.org/ethics. For Ethics Week activities and programs happening during Ethics in Journalism Week, visit http://www.spj.org/ethicsweek.

The Society of Professional Journalists works to improve and protect journalism. The organization is dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generations of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

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