Code of Ethics Telling the truth La Jornada Filipina should strive to be honest, accurate, truthful and fair. We should not distort or fabricate facts, imagery, sound or data.We should provide accurate context for all reporting.We should seek out diverse voices that can contribute important perspectives on the subject we’re writing.We should ensure that sources are reliable. To the maximum extent possible, we should make clear to our audience who and what our sources are, what motivations our sources may have and any conditions people have set for giving us information. When unsure of information, we should leave it out or make clear it has not been corroborated.We should correct errors quickly, completely and visibly. We should make it easy for our audience to bring errors to our attention.If a report includes criticism of people or organizations, we should give them the opportunity to respond.We should clearly distinguish fact from opinion in all content. Conflicts of interest We should avoid any conflict of interest that undermines our ability to report fairly. We should disclose to our audience any unavoidable conflicts or other situational factors that may validly affect their judgment of our credibility.We should not allow people to make us dishonestly skew our reporting. We should not offer to skew our reporting under any circumstances.We should not allow the interests of advertisers or others funding our work to affect the integrity of our journalism. Community We should respect our audience and those we write about. We should consider how our work and its permanence may affect the subjects of our reporting, our community and since the Internet knows no boundaries, the larger world. Professional Conduct We should not plagiarize or violate copyrights.We should keep promises to sources, readers and the community. Policies and Standards Nature of Our Journalism We want our news coverage to be fact-based, without expression of opinions, but reporters are encouraged to provide commentary in related opinion pieces or columns, being transparent about their opinions.Our restrictions on expression of opinions apply to all forms of communication: reporting, private conversation, talk shows, social media, emails, etc.Our journalists, salespeople and executives work to ensure that advertisers, sponsors and contributors have no influence over editorial content.Our journalists should avoid political involvement such as running for or holding office, joining political parties, volunteering in campaigns, serving on community boards, donating to campaigns or displaying campaign materials on their property or persons.If a family member’s political involvement would call into question the integrity of a journalist’s coverage, the journalist should avoid coverage of that issue or campaign. If avoiding such a family conflict is impossible, the family member’s involvement should be disclosed in related coverage.Our journalists may not serve publicity in roles for community organizations.Despite our organization’s involvement in the issues we cover, we should provide factual coverage in a neutral voice. We should disclose our affiliation for transparency reasons, but the affiliation should not be evident from a promotional voice or content. Bombs and Other Threats We will consult with local officials to determine whether a bomb threat is credible before we publish a story, but we will reserve the right to publish regardless of what officials say. Concealing Identity We permit undercover reporting only when we feel a story is important enough to justify doing so, and we have exhausted all other reasonable methods. Confidential Sources We do not publish information from sources we cannot name. Reporters may grant confidentiality only in an effort to find named sources for the information.We will disclose to readers the reasons for granting confidentiality, such as fear for the source’s safety or job, when we use unnamed sources.We recognize that many sources cannot talk to us freely. We grant confidentiality if we think the source has a good reason. We will use information and quotes from unnamed sources we consider reliable.We always assume that government snoops, law enforcement or hackers might access our regular communication channels when we grant confidentiality to a source. We should use technology such as encryption software or “burner” cell phones to protect confidentiality. Children: Coverage, Images and Interviews We avoid identifying — by name or photo — children who are connected with a crime as perpetrators, victims or witnesses.Our journalists always obtain a parent’s permission before interviewing or photographing a child.Our journalists seek permission from a parent to interview or photograph a child when it relates to all but simple matters (e.g. asking about a favorite video game).We consider granting confidentiality if we’re covering a story about a sensitive issue that could cause a child to be stereotyped, judged unfairly or put in harm’s way, even if the child doesn’t request it. Hostage Situations We will cooperate with authorities’ recommendations in covering hostage situations.We will take authorities’ recommendations into account but use our own judgment.We believe our primary responsibility in covering hostage situations is to our readers; we will carry any statements and imagery that we consider newsworthy and within our general guidelines (on gory material, etc.), whatever effect it has on the situation. Interviewing Our organization never pays for interviews.Our organization will pay for rights to photographs and video in conjunction with an interview.Our organization never permits interview subjects to review or revise their comments.Our organization never provides interview subjects with lists of questions in advance.Our organization will provide interview subjects with a general idea of our questions in advance.Articles and reports must state the method of interviewing (i.e., whether it was in person, by telephone, video, Skype or email) if doing so enhances the context of the interview and article. Sources: Reliability and Attribution We refrain from quoting sources who have a conflict of interest relating to the story (e.g. a scientist who conducted a study about a drug’s effectiveness when the study was funded by the manufacturer). These sources may be used for background information, but their voices should not be included in stories.We use links, if available, for source attribution.We include source attribution in stories themselves as well as links, if available, that provide additional information.We consistently include clear attributions throughout a story, even if something has been established as fact. Accuracy Our staff members must take responsibility for the accuracy of all information that we publish, using an accuracy checklist before publication.Our staff members should take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of information that we publish and note our sources.We should not publish rumors or other information we have not verified.If we are unsure of the accuracy of information, we should cite our sources, word stories carefully to avoid spreading false rumors, acknowledge what we don’t know and ask the community’s help in confirming or correcting our information.When possible, reporters should read stories to sources before publication to ensure accuracy. The reporters should make clear to sources that this is only a fact-checking call, not an opportunity to change the writing or approach to the story. Balance and Fairness To ensure fairness, we believe in covering not only the most powerful voices on an issue, but also those who are not normally heard (e.g. in election coverage, mainstream and non-mainstream candidates). Commenting We only allow comments on our social media accounts.Comments that are not related to the subject matter of this website, including defamation, insults, personal attacks or disrespect in general to our staff or other community members, will not be admitted.Comments that contain information that is obviously misleading or false will also be deleted, as will comments that contain personal information, such as private addresses or telephone numbers, and that violate our data protection policy.Comments created only for promotional purposes of a website, person or group and everything that can be considered spam in general will also be deleted.Anonymous comments, as well as those made by the same person under different nicknames, are not allowed.Comments that attempt to force a debate or a position by another user will not be considered either. Quotations We will not alter quotes in any way.We will allow separate phrases of a quote separated by ellipsis. (“I will go to war … but only if necessary,” the president said.) Withholding Names Unless we have a compelling reason to withhold a name, we always publish names of people involved in the stories we cover.We do not publish names of sexual assault victims unless they agree to speak on the record.In breaking news stories, we do not publish the names of dead people until authorities have notified their families and released the names, unless compelling circumstances justify publication as soon as we have verified the names.We should always be careful about identifying kidnap victims if the person may be in danger.We will consider potential harm to sources facing intolerance in their societies before naming them in stories. Financial Interests We will consider a disclosure page on our website that lists our financial interests if we cover business or finance regularly. Community Activities Our journalists may not serve in publicity roles for community organizations.Our journalists should disclose community involvements, particularly those involving topics they might cover, both in general statements we will publish on our website and in stories relating to their involvements.We will provide factual coverage in a neutral voice despite our organization’s involvement in the issues we cover. We will disclose our affiliation for transparency reasons, but the affiliation should not be evident from a promotional voice or content. Gifts, Free Travel and Other Perks Our journalists should accept no gifts from subjects or potential subjects of our coverage. If gifts sent to journalists cannot be returned, we should donate them to charity.Our journalists may accept tickets or press passes to events we are covering or reviewing, but should not accept extra tickets for family or friends.Our journalists should pay their own way to all events we cover, including entertainment and sporting events, though we can accept, for our admission price, access to media areas such as a press box.Our journalists should disclose any gifts they receive to their supervisors and discuss whether something needs to be returned, disclosed, paid for, donated to charity or handled in some other way that protects our integrity.Our journalists should universally follow our policies on gifts even on international assignments when we’re told that refusing gifts can be viewed as offensive. Personal Ethics Statements by Staff Our journalists should work precisely to our company ethics and standards; personal ethics statements are, therefore, not necessary.Our organization’s policy prevails if personal ethics codes and organizational policy conflict. Plagiarism and Attribution We believe a link to a digital source is sometimes sufficient attribution; we need not always name the source in the text if the information is routine.When we are using someone else’s exact words, we should use quotation marks and attribution.We should always cite news releases if they are our sources, and should quote them if using their exact words.Even when taking basic facts from another source — “World War II ended in Allied victories over Germany and Japan” — we should vary the wording from the phrasing used in source materials. Political Activities by Staff Our journalists should avoid political involvement such as running for or holding office, joining political parties, volunteering in campaigns, serving on community boards, donating to campaigns or displaying campaign materials on their property or persons.Our journalists should disclose community and political involvements, particularly those involving topics they might cover, both in general statements we will publish on our website and in stories relating to their involvement.Our journalists should be aware of personal biases that can skew their reporting, even if journalists conduct no public activity indicating a political bias. They will consider publishing personal ethics statements, or making colleagues aware of their beliefs to help backstop the objectivity of their work. Social Networks Our journalists should not express opinions on social media about politics, but are free to express opinions on cultural areas such as sports, entertainment or technology if they do not cover those areas and are not likely to cover them.We encourage staff members to retweet, reblog, share and otherwise pass along things they find interesting on social media. We trust them to provide context where appropriate.Staff members should note in their social media profiles that retweets or shares are not endorsements.Staff members should always identify themselves in social media profiles, and, if they are using the profile for professional purposes, they should identify themselves as working for our organization.We should edit or delete inaccurate social media posts, so people who haven’t seen the corrections will not spread them on social media. We should note that we have edited or deleted inaccurate posts. Awards and Contests We will accept awards only from journalistic organizations, with judges who are journalists.We will accept awards from advocacy organizations, if we are transparent about favoring that point of view.We will accept awards from corporations if we feel such awards will not skew our reporting.We will assess the nature of the contest and make a decision consistent with our overall contest principles if we win a contest we did not enter. Corrections If a mistake is made in a social media post, we will delete the original post and publish a corrected version with an indication that the new post is a correction.We will show all changes that have been made to stories if they involve corrections or rephrasing to fix unclear material.We will show all corrections in the place the incorrect material originally appeared (e.g., put corrections related to a story at the bottom of that same story). Freelance Work by Employees We permit freelancing by full-time employees, but they must receive explicit permission to do so from their direct manager before undertaking such work. Handling and protection of freelancers and “fixers” We will pay reasonable fees to freelancers, fixers and translators for their services but not for contributing as sources on a story. Removing Archived Work We will update a story in our archives, including the headline, if the story would damage someone’s reputation and is outdated.We will note when the post was updated.We will correct any errors we learn of in our archived content and note the corrections.We will consider exceptions to our policy in extreme cases, such as abuse or danger to someone’s personal safety.We will delete inaccurate social media posts but acknowledge the deletions in subsequent posts. Reporting On Our Organization We will avoid all potential conflicts of loyalty by refraining from covering the story when our organization has done something newsworthy. We will let others cover our organization. If an issue is particularly newsworthy, we will limit ourselves to publishing official company statements. Diversity We will set goals in hiring and promotions to increase diversity in our staff and management.We encourage staffers to seek diverse sources, both in specific stories and in routine beat coverage.We require staffers to include at least one subject or source from an underrepresented group in each story, even if the story does not specify anything about that person’s demographic identity. Hate Speech We report on hate speech and actions but include original offensive expressions only when specifically necessary for our readers understanding of the case. Mental Health and Suicide We will cover mental health and suicide as broad public health issues as consistently as we cover other health matters.We will cover individual events of suicide as news stories if they involve prominent figures or public means.We will not use sensational headlines on stories about suicide.We will not use graphic images on stories about suicide.We will opt for everyday images of a person who dies by suicide (such as a school photo) instead of images of people grieving.We will include contact information for resources for people in mental health crises.We will include the method used in a suicide when it is important for audience understanding but not specific details (e.g., noting that a victim shot himself but not covering the type of weapon). Naming suspects We will name criminal suspects if we have their identifications confirmed by sources we trust.We will not name juvenile suspects in criminal cases unless extraordinary circumstances justify use of the names.If a criminal suspect is at large and believed to be dangerous, we will identify the suspect, including a photo or sketch. Obscenities We will replace obscenities, vulgarities and slurs with something that implies the word rather than stating it directly (e.g. “f—”).We will place obscenities, vulgarities and slurs behind a warning. Privacy We respect individuals’ right to privacy and do not use content we discover online from private individuals without receiving their permission.We do not believe that everything celebrities and public officials say and do should be made public, even though they cede a great deal of privacy when they enter the public eye. We analyze cases on an individual basis, taking into account the news value of the public figure’s action. Race and Gender We will use racial, ethnic, gender and sexuality identifiers when specifically germane to a story but not otherwise.We will identify transgender people by the gender they express publicly.We will use plural references to avoid gender-specific pronouns when possible. Sensational Material We will run sensitive material that might be offensive to specific members of the audience after internal debate has demonstrated a clear public interest in and value from the publication.We will refrain from running sensitive material specifically or solely for the revenue purposes, such as increased digital traffic.We will run sensitive material with stories with notes of warning. Data Journalism We will never pay for data, as it may be tainted by financial motives.In collaborative projects, we may not be able to insist on shared ethical values with partners, but we will disclose to our readers that we have separate policies from our partners.We will secure data to the best extent possible to prevent hacking.We will pay reasonable technical costs (copying, transmission, etc.) for providing data to us. Interactives We will organize and internally link our interactives in a way that users entering and navigating in different ways will be able to grasp the essential points of the story. Photo and Video When documenting private or traumatic moments, we will seek permission from subjects before shooting photos or video.We will use drones to capture images in public areas only.We will clearly label posed or re-enacted photos/video.We will refrain from intentionally becoming an active participant in a news story (e.g. taking part in a rescue operation or using our camera to influence a situation).We will not manipulate images through Photoshop or other means.We will obscure or pixellate images only when the intent is to protect the identify of someone in the image or to protect viewers from gory or graphic material.When using generic photos, we will make sure they are clearly labeled as such. User-Generated Content We consider UGC an extension of our own journalism. We don’t run such material unless we’re sure it’s authentic.We will not distribute UGC content unless we’re certain we have the rights to do so. The only exception might be an urgent situation where a rights-holder cannot be found. Virtual Reality Journalism Photos and video may never be manipulated. Accepting money Our funder(s) will not be able to see our stories before publication.Our funder(s) will have no say in topics to be covered or specific stories.Our funder(s) will not be used as sources in stories they fund. Clickbait and Metrics We are encouraged to write clever, creative headlines and social media posts that will entice readers to click on our stories, but headlines will not make promises that our stories don’t deliver.We will accurately reflect the content of related stories in headlines and social media posts.We may aggressively court audiences who would be interested in our content, but we will not try to deceive people in headlines, social media posts or marketing.We will use metric considerations as the primary factor in determining what we cover and how we place stories. News and Advertising We do not allow advertisers to have a say in the selection or content of stories and photos.We require news-like content produced by advertisers to be clearly identified as advertising.We have specific, consistent definitions of terms like “Advertisement,” “Sponsored Content” and “Message from …” and disclose them to our readers.We will require that items that look too much like news stories be accompanied by a clear statement that the article was prepared by the advertiser and did not involve our editorial staff.We make it clear when tweets or posts on our social media accounts are linked to advertiser-prepared material.
