As politics has become increasingly more partisan, it is vitally important our news organizations report without bias. Every decision, from selection of news stories to how the story is being told, will be heavily scrutinized and is why newsroom personnel should avoid expressing political opinions anywhere, particularly on social media. Each organization will risk credibility when these rules are not followed.
Be sure to visit our Political Advertising Resource Center.
Here are excerpts from The Associated Press Statement of News Values and Principles that relate to conflicts of interest and political reporting and published in The AP Stylebook.
Independent news organizations are a key source of credible news and information regarding elections and political candidates. As political discourse has become increasingly partisan, and as mis- and disinformation has flourished, it is vitally important news organizations report without bias. Every decision from selection of news stories to word choice to how the story is being told will be heavily scrutinized by people seeking evidence of bias they can use to undermine the credibility of news reports. For that reason, newsroom personnel should avoid expressing personal political opinions in any public context – in conversation with news sources, in print, on air, online and on social media. Journalists who do not maintain these principles put their reputations and the credibility of their organizations in jeopardy. The following guidelines are adapted from The Associated Press Statement of News Values and Principles.
Expressions of opinion
Journalists should refrain from declaring their views on contentious public issues in any public forum, whether through blogs, social networks, comment pages, petitions, bumper stickers or lapel buttons. They should not take part in demonstrations in support of causes or movements — or contribute to them in any way.
Political activities
Editorial employees are expected to be scrupulous in avoiding any political activity, whether they cover politics regularly or not. They may not run for political office or accept political appointment; nor may they perform public relations work for politicians or groups formed to support politicians or issues. Under no circumstances should they donate money to political organizations or political campaigns. They should use great discretion in joining or making contributions to other organizations that may take political stands. Non-editorial employees should refrain from political activity and contributions unless they obtain approval from a manager. A supervisor should be informed when a spouse or other members of a newsroom employee’s household have any ongoing involvement in political causes, either professionally or personally.
Facts and context
A journalist who encounters a factual error, or mis- or disinformation from a public official or advocacy group, should provide clearly sourced facts that correct the error or misleading information. It is a disservice to readers and listeners to allow mis- or disinformation to go uncorrected.
Here is a downloadable copy of the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Additionally, this link offers a position paper on political involvement.
The New York Times Ethical Journalism handbook is also a great resource. Excerpts are available here.