SPJ Ethics Committee proposes revisions to Code of Ethics to address emerging challenges in journalism

/ Colorado SPJ

The Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee on Monday proposed revisions to the SPJ Code of Ethics, opening a public review and feedback period on the first proposed changes to the Code since 2014.  

The proposed revisions and resources explaining the draft are available on the SPJ Code of Ethics Revision Project webpage.  

The SPJ Ethics Committee retained the current Code’s four core principles – Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently and Be Accountable and Transparent – while updating and expanding guidance on issues including verification, artificial intelligence, misinformation and disinformation, source transparency and the personal accountability of individual journalists. The Code has guided journalists for more than a century and is used by journalists, news organizations, educators and students worldwide. 

Fred Brown, a longtime leader of SPJ and its Colorado Pro Chapter who died April 1, was a former chair of the SPJ Ethics Committee, helped rewrite its Code of Ethics for journalists, and wrote and edited SPJ’s ethics book. National SPJ has renamed its national award for ethics in journalism in recognition of Fred, and the Colorado chapter has created a new ethics award, named, “The Ethical Fred,” to be presented for the first time in 2027.

The SPJ Ethics Committee will gather feedback through an online form, question-and-answer sessions with SPJ chapters, office hours and email at ethics@spj.org. SPJ members and the public are also invited to register to participate in three online listening sessions: 

The SPJ Ethics Committee will accept and incorporate feedback, as appropriate, until Sept. 14 in anticipation of a late-September SPJ Board of Directors vote and, pending the board’s approval, an online member vote from Oct. 1-4.  

The SPJ Ethics Committee includes many of America’s leading media ethicists, decorated journalists and the leaders of SPJ and other professional journalism societies. Its members sought to preserve the structure and spirit of the current Code, while emphasizing traditional journalistic values such as fairness and verification.  

Among the areas addressed in the proposed revisions are:

  • the character and responsibilities of ethical journalists, including curiosity, conscientiousness, compassion and humility;
  • verification, accuracy, accountability and transparency, regardless of the technology used to produce journalism;
  • challenging misinformation, disinformation and demonstrably false information;
  • recognizing how power and marginalization can affect whose voices are represented in journalism;
  • making diligent efforts to reach people accused of wrongdoing, respecting the presumption of innocence in criminal cases and reporting sensitively about victims of sexual crimes;
  • relying on facts and good-faith arguments in news and opinion journalism;
  • representing viewpoints journalists may find objectionable while avoiding the uncritical amplification of hateful content;
  • avoiding fabricated content that could reasonably be mistaken for reality;
  • identifying sources whenever possible, using anonymity and confidentiality judiciously, and providing audiences with information that helps them assess sources’ motives; and
  • examining how journalists’ personal values and experiences can influence their work.

Watch a video about the proposed revisions below. (If a video viewer does not appear on your screen, visit https://youtu.be/zclmnqzirMw?si=IcxPp9GeCTAjfdjX)

If approved by the SPJ Board of Directors and membership, the changes would mark the sixth revision in the Code’s 100-year history. The review comes as journalism confronts changes in technology, news consumption and public trust.

The proposed revisions address the growing use of artificial intelligence and other technologies in journalism, misinformation and disinformation, changes in the definition of who produces journalism and other ethical questions facing the profession.

An increasing number of people are receiving news from online creators who may not identify as journalists or have no formal journalism training. Misinformation and disinformation continue to spread rapidly. Public trust in the media is at a record low, and fewer reporters and news outlets are spotlighting corruption.

“Journalists have relied on the SPJ Code of Ethics for generations as a framework for navigating difficult decisions,” said SPJ National President Chris R. Vaccaro. “This review is designed to be careful, transparent and inclusive so the Code can continue to provide useful guidance as journalism evolves.”

“Journalism needs the best possible media ethics code, at a time when lies are more pervasive and powerful than ever, technology increasingly makes telling fact from fiction impossible and there aren’t enough journalists to seek the truth,” said Dan Axelrod, SPJ Ethics Committee chair and co-leader of the Code revision effort.

“This draft is a proposal, not a finished product,” said Chris Roberts, SPJ Ethics Committee vice chair and co-leader of the Code revision effort. “We want journalists, SPJ members and the public to examine it closely, tell us what works, tell us what doesn’t and help us identify where the language can be strengthened or clarified.”

In November 2025, the SPJ Board of Directors voted to endorse the SPJ Ethics Committee’s plan to review the Code. Since then, the committee has met for more than 40 hours, conducted two surveys of more than 700 journalists and members of the public, and hosted two public discussions on the Code that drew nearly 350 live and recorded viewers.

Discover more from Society of Professional Journalists | Colorado Professional Chapter

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply