Last Updated: February 17, 1999
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Standards of Professional Conduct for news employees
of The Journal News, White Plains, N.Y. (formerly Gannett Suburban Newspapers)
(June 1998)
To warrant the public's trust, a newspaper must be free of governmental
control and official coercion, outside influence and conflicts of interest.
The news must be presented accurately, fairly, impartially and completely.
A newspaper's most important asset is its integrity. Lose it,
and the newspaper loses the very power that makes it a community force.
Every full- and part-time newsroom professional has the responsibility
to help ensure the newspaper's integrity.
Because a newspaper and its staff are subject to close public scrutiny,
newsroom employees must avoid any situation that gives even the appearance
of impropriety and partiality.
The following principles do not encompass every possibility. Nor
can these guidelines be considered absolute. Situations differ.
In this business, unique circumstances may require exceptions, which should
always be discussed with and approved by your immediate editor and/or the
editor. Ultimately, each individual's own judgment and integrity
are the cornerstones of high ethical conduct.
However, one rule always applies: When in doubt, ask. "I didn't
know it was wrong" at best implies insensitivity to ethical questions.
Employees who violate the principles outlined below may be subject to
discipline; depending on severity, this can range from a reprimand to dismissal.
OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES
Free-lancing and other outside work
1. These newspapers, as your prime employer, have first call on your
services. Before agreeing to do any outside work, whether related
to journalism or not, you must consult your supervisor to ensure there
is no conflict of interest, either journalistically or with regard to your
availability or ability to perform work here. Outside employment
of a continuing nature must be approved in advance by the editor.
2. Accepting money for work from an outside source disqualifies you
from handling any stories, photos or illustrations involving that source,
and it could affect employment.
3. You may not work for a competitor - a daily or weekly newspaper or
magazine, radio station, television station or cable station within the
circulation area. Free-lance writing for any New York City newspaper
is strictly prohibited.. Paid tryouts for a competitor raise a number of
possible conflicts and should be discussed in advance with the editor.
4. Subject to the approval of the editor, you may work as a stringer
or free-lance correspondent for a newspaper, news service, magazine, radio
or television station provided it is not in direct competition for news
with Gannett Suburban Newspapers, and provided there are no adverse effects
on your work here.
5. Work performed for Gannett Suburban Newspapers is the property of
the newspapers and may not be sold to another publication without permission
from the editor.
6. You may participate as an occasional panelist or commentator on a
radio or television show, provided your position with our newspapers is
stated on the program and a senior editor (department head or above) is
notified in advance. You may not go further in voicing an opinion
on the air than you would be permitted to do in print (e.g., an editorial
writer or columnist may be quite opinionated, but a beat reporter may not
be.)
7. You may not do media or public relations work, publicity writing,
promotional photography, sports promotion, advertising or similar work.
8. You may not accept speaker fees or honoraria from organizations within
our circulation area. You may not accept such payments from any special-interest
group. Nominal honoraria from professional journalism organizations,
such as the American Press Institute, pose no problem and are acceptable.
Large payments of any kind from any group should be discussed in advance
with the editor.
9. Free-lance writers and free-lance photographers are not bound by
the same standards of outside work as employees. However, we encourage
their understanding of our standards.
Political activities
1. Because politics and government are staples of our news coverage,
you may not hold office or work for a political party, candidate or government
agency.
2. You may not affix bumper stickers and other political or special-interest
labels to your personal vehicle or to newspaper property, nor wear political
or special-interest buttons that may identify you with a cause.
3. You may not march in special-interest or political demonstrations;
participate in rallies; speak out at public meetings; make monetary contributions
to political candidates, PACs or special-interest groups; or engage in
other activities in support of a cause or group that would raise questions
about the newspaper's impartiality.
4. You are encouraged to vote in all general elections and free to enroll
in a political party for purposes of voting in a primary. However,
be aware that party affiliations are matters of public record and could
be used to challenge your impartiality.
Volunteer and other activities
1. You are encouraged to be active in your community and in local charitable
organizations to the extent that you can do so without participating in
the news and compromising the newspaper.
2. The holding of office in groups that generate little news (e.g.,
an alumni chapter, tennis club, local church) is permissible so long as
these activities do not conflict with your specific assignment. Writing
or editing an internal newspaper for such a group poses no problem, but
writing press releases or other communications aimed at the general public
is not permitted.
3. You may not report or edit stories involving an organization in which
you are a member. If an organization in which you play a leadership
role is thrust into the news, you must step down.
4. You may not run for office or be involved in policy-making positions
in major outside organizations that fall within the newspaper's normal
range of coverage (e.g., local school boards, governmental bodies, local
business or art groups, neighborhood action groups, etc.), or any organization
that is likely to produce important news.
5. You may not seek or accept awards from controversial or special-interest
groups. In many cases, these groups attempt to influence coverage
through awards, and acceptance of such awards may lead the public to believe
a news employee has been compromised or shares the group's agenda.
6. Awards from many charitable organizations reflect well on the newspaper,
and acceptance is permitted. However, to avoid problems, consult
the editor before accepting.
Relationships
1. You may not write or photograph or make news judgments about a relative
by blood or marriage or with whom you have a close personal relationship.
In the event of a conflict or where one is likely, you must advise your
editor of the relationship. Exceptions will be permitted; with a
supervising editor's approval, in certain cases where no harm can be expected,
such as writing a parent's obituary.
2. Employees must be careful of social friendships with news makers
and other people identified with public issues. Friendships are an
individual's personal business; they are the newspaper's business when
they influence - or appear to influence - coverage and affect the newspaper's
credibility.
3. Never offer advice on policy to a public official or anyone else
you cover. It betrays partiality and, if accepted, puts you in a
news-making role. Editorial writers and columnists, of course, are
supposed to offer advice - but only in what they write, not in behind-the-scenes
lobbying efforts.
Investments
1. A business relationship between a staff member and a news source
is not permitted, without approval of the editor. Examples that would
be conflicts of interest include helping a news source write a book or
investing in a news maker's business enterprise.
2. Financial or business investments that might conflict with the newspaper's
ability to report the news or with your ability to handle the news - or
those that leave an impression of conflict - are prohibited.
3.If you are assigned to handle a story about a company in which you
hold a sizable investment ($5,000 or more), you must disclose the investment
to the editor.
4. News employees may not take advantage in their personal investing
of unpublished information. Investment decisions based on unpublished
news may be considered "insider trading" and are prohibited by the Securities
and Exchange Commission's rules.
5. Business writers and editors have a special obligation to be sensitive
to any investment or business practice that might compromise or appear
to compromise their objectivity. They should familiarize themselves
with the Society of American Business and Economic Writers' Code of Ethics,
available from the editor, managing editors or business editor.
GIFTS AND FAVORS
Gratuities
1. News employees may not accept gratuities or gifts of value ($5 or
more). These include, but are not limited to:
- Food and liquor.
- Flowers.
- Free rooms.
- Travel (if it is worth covering, the newspaper will pay).
- Sample merchandise.
- Promotional merchandise at sporting and other events.
- Funds provided by racetracks or gambling establishments.
- Any other low- or no-pay arrangement.
2. Token gifts may be accepted if it would be awkward to send them back;
e.g., a pencil, key chain, calendar, a single book or a similar item.
3. Other gifts should be returned to the donor with a polite note explaining
that it is the newspaper's policy not to accept gifts. When that
is impractical, a gift may be donated to a charity or non-profit institution,
with the donor so advised. Most people who send such gifts do so
innocently, and nothing we say to them should come across as self-righteous
or critical.
4. It may be impractical to arrange to return or donate perishable gifts
of little value, such as small bouquets or a box of candy. Consult
with your editor about disposing of these in the newsroom or in some other
way that does not compromise you as an individual.
5. You may take advantage of the same travel and other discounts available
to the general public and to other businesses. Discounts specifically
for the press are not permitted.
6. You may not accept a door prize or raffle at an event you are covering.
Tickets
1. Free-admission to public events - i.e., sports, entertainment and
other events for which the public pays admission - is prohibited for staff
members who are not on assignment.
2. Working staff members at sporting events may use only press facilities.
If a staff member uses a regular seat while attending an event for background,
he/she should buy a ticket and submit an expense voucher.
3. Critics and reviewers on assignment may accept press passes and press
tickets; special film screenings and theater previews for critics also
are allowed, provided the event is private and no tickets are sold to the
general public. These exceptions ensure that our reviewers and critics
are not put in the position of paying for news and are not at a competitive
disadvantage with other media.
4. Attending free promotional screenings or other events to which the
press is invited wholesale is prohibited. If free passes or tickets
are received and you are not specifically assigned to cover the event,
return them with a polite note.
Travel
1. You may not accept free trips or reduced-rate travel or accommodations
or meals if offered only to the press. Junkets of any sort are prohibited.
2. If news coverage is enhanced by accepting special travel arrangements,
such as covering a sports team or political campaign, the newspaper will
pay on a pro rata basis or at prevailing commercial rates
3. When free travel is the only means of transportation available to
cover the news, such as during a natural disaster or emergency, staff members
should have the advance approval of their supervising editor. If
circumstances do not permit that, staffers must report the travel. as soon
as possible thereafter.
4. Travel on most military airplanes is prohibited for safety and insurance
reasons, unless an exception is approved by the president of the Gannett
Newspaper Division.
Business entertainment
1. You should not routinely accept free drinks or free meals from news
figures or sources. Common sense should prevail. Occasional
acceptance is a social courtesy, so long as you attempt to pick up the
check and repay the courtesy on another occasion.
2. You should not attend press parties designed to curry favor.
Attending parties, luncheons or dinners directly related to news events
or those functions at which news leads might well surface is permitted.
3. The newspaper will pay actual per plate meal costs at political or
partisan fund-raising affairs if news gathering requires dining with those
attending.
Review copies
1. We should pay for all products - books, records, tapes, food stuffs,
cosmetics and such that we solicit as props or for review or testing.
2. It is permissible to borrow certain products for testing, review
or as props, so long as they can be returned to the manufacturer or retailer
in saleable condition.
3. Unsolicited products received for promotional purposes or review
should be disposed of through these channels:
- Given to or sold for charity. (The newsroom conducts such sales periodically
to benefit Lend-a-Hand.)
- Books may be sent to the News Library or a -news department for reference
by the staff, or loaned to a specialty reporter or editor for background.
These remain the property of the newspaper.
4. A reviewer may retain books or recordings actually reviewed, but
may not sell them for personal gain.
5. Products purchased as props or for review or testing are the property
of the newspaper.
Staff members may not sell such products.
VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW
1. News people operate in the public domain. Your conduct can
influence public opinion and affect the credibility of the newspaper.
Adherence to the law, both in the news-gathering process and in one's private
life, is expected.
2. Minor domestic or traffic violations pose no embarrassment to the
newspaper and no action by the company is required, so long as they do
not interfere with your ability to do your job.
3. Intentional violation of the law to obtain news may be cause for
dismissal.
4. In the case of an allegation of a serious crime on or off the job,
a change in your assignment or a leave of absence may be necessary.
Decisions affecting continued employment will be deferred pending legal
disposition.
5. Normal policies on crime reporting - no more, no less - will be observed
in publishing charges and court action involving employees of Gannett Suburban
Newspapers.
Gambling
1. News employees should recognize that even legal gambling under certain
circumstances can effect the credibility of the newspaper. Therefore,
staff members should not bet with news sources and should not bet on teams
or any other activity they are covering.
2. Small office pools are permissible so long as no one makes a profit.
Betting in which someone makes a profit is illegal.
REPORTING STANDARDS
Respect for the reader
1. News employees must be tactful and courteous in dealing with the
public.
2. Telephones in the newsroom must be answered promptly and a message
taken or a transfer made to a party who will help the caller.
3. Complaints and inquiries from readers must be treated swiftly and
seriously. Editors should be notified of all complaints concerning
the news sections; complaints about circulation, advertising, production
or other areas of the newspaper should be directed to the appropriate vice
president's office. Consult a supervising editor or the editor if
you are unsure how to handle a complaint, or if it seems serious.
4. Every effort should be made to satisfy readers' complaints or otherwise
assist !hem without unnecessarily sending them to others at the newspaper.
5. Arguing with or hanging up the telephone on a reader reflects poorly
on you and the newspaper, and it usually backfires - the reader adds this
to his or her list of complaints and calls the editor or publisher.
6. Errors will be corrected promptly and prominently. The newspaper's
policy is to run all corrections on Page 2A as soon as possible.
Exceptions may be made in specific cases to give greater - but never less
- prominence.
7. Reporters and editors should never hide behind their privileges.
They should be accessible to the public, available by phone or in person.
Fairness
1. News stories must be fair, honest, accurate, unopinionated and complete.
Intentionally distorting information or editorializing is a serious offense.
2. Do everything possible to get all sides of the story. There
may be more than two sides to a story; be sensitive to differing opinions
and try to reflect them all.
3. Allegations against an individual often require a response.
If the person cannot be reached, say so - but only after a serious effort
to get to the person has been made. Consider delaying publication,
if possible, to reach the other side; if that is not possible, consider
continuing to try to get to the person for an insert for later editions
or for a follow-up story. If publication of a story has been delayed,
additional efforts to get to persons unavailable at the time of writing
should be considered.
4. Don't constantly dwell on the "bad" in a community or organization
when there is also a "good" side to be told. Only finding fault is
as bad as boosterism. Be aware of the trend of coverage and seek
balance when appropriate.
5. Editors should be generous and prompt in providing space for rebuttal
to a news story or editorial. Reporters should encourage news makers
who are unhappy with a story about them to write a letter to the editor
or to discuss it with an editor.
Conduct
1. Lying, cheating, stealing or otherwise breaking the law to obtain
news is strictly prohibited.
2. Rudeness toward news makers is unacceptable. It needlessly
antagonizes people, leads them to believe the newspaper will not deal with
them objectively, and gives them ammunition to discredit the newspaper's
report. Be respectful toward them, even if they are not respectful
toward you.
3. Reporters and editors should have a healthy skepticism of information
from officials, but should not cross the line into cynicism. The
skeptic asks questions; the cynic thinks he or she already knows the answers.
4. Public criticism of the people you cover damages the newspaper's
and your credibility. Avoid excessive criticism or gossip even in
social situations or in the newsroom; it can get back to the news maker
and have the same effect as if you had said it publicly.
5. You should also avoid public criticism of the newspaper, newspaper
personnel or the newspaper's editorial policies. It can damage our
credibility and hamper our legitimate interests.
6. Members of the staff who deal with the public - those on assignment
or who expect to be visited by the public in the office - should dress
in appropriate business or field attire.
7. Staff members are expected to become knowledgeable about the communities,
people and beats they cover, and to be open-minded about them. Reporters
and editors who naively ask the most fundamental questions of officials
and do not know major streets, schools and prominent people in our circulation
area create an impression that we are a newspaper of novices with little
interest in the communities we cover. Staff members who bad-mouth
the institutions and communities we cover damage the newspaper's standing.
Deception
1. Posing as someone you are not is deceptive and is prohibited.
2. Going "undercover," so long as there is no active deception, must
be approved in advance by the editor.
3. Those who are unaccustomed to dealing with the press deserve special
consideration. You may need to tell them if they are being interviewed
on the record, or when a conversation is being taped on the telephone.
4. A tape recorder has become a basic reporting tool and is used in
the interest of accuracy. In a face-to-face interview, you need not
announce it, but avoid concealing it.
Attribution
1. Statements that are not self-evident and could be disputed must be
attributed. Attribution is not necessary when the reporter is an
eyewitness, but this should be indicated in the story to avoid questions.
2. Certain statements in a story are proved by the story itself Generally,
there is no need for further attribution, except to make sure the story
is written in such a way that it is clear the evidence will be detailed
further down.
3. Do not obscure the true source of a statement with such phantom constructions
as:
- It is expected that ... expected by whom?
- It appears to be ... appears to whom?
- It is believed to be ... believed by whom?
- It is known that... known by whom?
- Who is said to be... said by whom?
4. If there are conditions on attribution, or any possibility of misunderstanding
about what will or will not be used for publication, be sure the source
understands them. These are the generally accepted definitions of
the conditions of attribution:
- On the record: All statements and opinions can be quoted and paraphrased
at will, and are attributed directly to the source. This is the preferred
manner.
- For background: All statements and opinions can be quoted and paraphrased
at will, without direct attribution to the source. However, the newspaper
has strict guidelines on the use of unnamed sources (see the following
section), so this may be of little actual value.
- Off the record: Anything said off the record cannot be quoted or paraphrased
at all. The reporter should make it clear to the source that he or
she will attempt to learn the information from other sources without implicating
the original source.
5. Be wary of going "off the record." News makers who go "off the record"
can maneuver you into the position of not being able to report or pursue
what they have told you. What good is information if we cannot publish
it? In the vast majority of cases, a hard-nosed attitude against
going off the record prods the news maker to go ahead and say what he wanted
to say anyway, or it at least leaves you free to seek the information without
restriction elsewhere.
6. Information should be attributed to the best possible source.
Just because someone tells you something doesn't mean they know or that
you should use it. The source should be an appropriate one to provide
the information sought and should be in a position to know. For example,
a cop directing traffic at a crime scene is not necessarily the best possible
source for information about the crime (though he may help steer you to
information).
7. Avoid blanket attribution such as "experts" or "observers," unless
they are clearly named later in the story. If they are not named,
they constitute anonymous sources and must meet the tests outlined below.
8. Using someone else's wording, quotes or illustrations as your own
is plagiarism, and it is prohibited.
9. Unless there is a compelling reason to do so, do not quote or otherwise
write about employees of Gannett Suburban Newspapers. It looks parochial
and self-serving, and it weakens the story. Work harder to find outside
sources of information.
Unnamed sources
1. The use of anonymous sources is discouraged and should be avoided
except as a last resort. Legitimate efforts must be made to get sources
on the record. Only when those efforts have been exhausted will the
use of anonymous sources be permitted.
2. The identities of all sources must be verified and disclosed to the
editor or managing editor and, if requested, to the newspaper's attorney.
3. Needless to say, the identities of anonymous sources should never
be disclosed to others, and certainly not in casual newsroom conversations.
Editors who are informed of sources' identities are bound by the same rules
of confidentiality as are reporters.
4. Misleading information about the true identity of a source may not
be used in a story, even to "throw off' suspicion. This violates
the newspaper's compact with readers, that we will always tell them the
truth. Examples that are prohibited include:
- Pluralizing the source as "sources" when there is really only one.
- Reporting that an individual had no comment when in fact he or she
was the unnamed source of the information.
- Allowing an individual to lie on the record while giving you contrary
information for anonymous attribution.
5. Information supplied by an anonymous source should be verified independently
or confirmed by at least one other source. An exception may be made
(albeit with risk) for individuals who are the sole possessors of the information
or whose integrity is unassailable.
6. The motive of the anonymous source should be fully examined to prevent
our being used unwittingly to grind someone's ax.
7. We should avoid using anonymous sources on information that calls
someone's judgment into question or on statements that are a matter of
opinion. For example, it would be wrong to quote an anonymous source
saying someone is "dumb" -- how could a reader evaluate such a comment
without knowing who said it? There maybe exceptions, such as in cases
where a subordinate who criticizes his boss fears losing his job.
But even such exceptions require that the comment be backed up with evidence
or examples. But ordinarily, someone who wants to take a jab at someone
else should be compelled to put his or her name behind it.
8. Information attributed to an anonymous source must be factual and
important to the story. Peripheral information or "just a good quote"
aren't good enough reasons for anonymity.
9. As with on-the-record sources, the Rule of the Best Source should
prevail. Reporters and editors should satisfy themselves that the
source is appropriate to provide the information sought and that he or
she is in a position to know.
10. When an unnamed source must be used, the story should explain why
his or her identity is being withheld, and enough information should be
given about the source to establish his or her authority to speak on the
subject.
11. Unless logistics make it impractical, reporters may not promise
anonymity without first consulting with their editors.
12. Stories containing unnamed sources may not be published without
the approval of the editor or a managing editor.
13. Whenever possible, spokespeople for organizations should be identified
by name and position. At many places, however, such spokesmen are
required to keep their names out of the story, and a request to do so may
be honored if there will be no problems in going back to them later should
there be questions. And in certain situations, the spokesman is doing
nothing more than reading an official company announcement that can be
described as such. Be aware that information from a spokesman usually
is second hand and is never better than getting first hand information
from the person closest to it.
14. The Associated Press' policy on unnamed sources is similar to the
above. Other wire services' policies are far more lenient.
Whether to use such stories from wire services is a judgment call.
Apply the tests above and consult a senior editor.
Public meetings
1. At public meetings, everything said is on the record by law unless
the governmental or quasi-governmental body votes to go into closed executive
session. Reporters should never permit an individual to declare a
statement off the record and should so advise the person at the time or
as soon as possible afterward. Reporters may not be singled out for
exclusion from public meetings if other members of the public are allowed
in.
2. Our policy is to aggressively protect the public's access to governmental
business under the state's Open Meetings and Freedom of Information laws.
Reporters and editors are expected to be familiar with both laws and to
know what to do if information is denied or a meeting is closed in violation
of the law.
3. In general, this is what to do if a public meeting is closed in violation
of the law:
- Stand up and object that you believe the meeting is being closed in
violation of the state Open Meetings Law.
- Insist that the legally required vote be taken, so those in favor
of the closed meeting are on record.
- Consult with your editor. A story about the closure itself may
be newsworthy, or the editor may have some ideas or counsel to offer.
- Try to find out what happened at the closed meeting. A good
place to start is by questioning members of the board; those who opposed
the closed meeting may prove to be most helpful.
- Examine the record afterwards. The law requires that minutes
of closed meetings must be taken and, in most cases, are open to public
inspection.
4. If a judge orders a courtroom closed and the press evicted, you should
stand up and identify yourself as a reporter. Ask for a recess or
adjournment so you can obtain counsel to argue against the closure, as
provided for under rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. Then, call
your editor as quickly as possible so a lawyer can be contacted.
Disclosing unpublished information
1. Unpublished information obtained as part of the news-gathering process
- stories, photographs, notes, etc. - is strictly confidential. In
most cases its confidentiality is protected by law.
2. Release of such information to private investigators, lawyers, governmental
officials, law enforcement agencies, competitors or any other individual
is not permitted.
3. Do not disclose information about stories in progress, except what
is necessary to gather it.
4. For the sake of accuracy, there is nothing wrong with reading back
a quote to the individual who said it to make sure you have it straight.
5. Reading back an entire story or the gist of it to a source or an
authority is perilous and ordinarily should be avoided. Any exceptions
should be discussed in advance with a supervising editor and should be
done only to ensure accuracy. In such cases, reporters should make
clear to the source in advance that, whatever the objections, the newspaper
will have ultimate control over the final wording and publication.
6. Sharing information with other reporters or media is discouraged,
unless there is a clear mutual benefit and no competitive disadvantage.
7. Trading information with law enforcement or regulatory officials
is prohibited. Reporters should not become an arm of the law.
8. Pooling of information or quotes with other reporters should be approved
in advance by a supervising editor, and in most cases should be disclosed
in the story.
9. Outside of a news-gathering context, news staff members have the
same responsibilities as any private citizen if they witness a crime.
However, information gathered in the course of reporting the event is protected
under the Shield law and should not be disclosed voluntarily.
Use of quotes
1. Quotation marks are understood to mean that everything enclosed within
them is what the person said. Anything else should be paraphrased.
2. People sometimes have different recollections of what was said.
Be faithful to your own ear, but use a direct quotation only if you are
confident that it was what the person said.
3. Do not "clean up" quotations to make them grammatical. (Don't make
the person look stupid, either. Paraphrase, or substitute words in
parentheses.)
4. Do not attempt to capture dialect or mangled pronunciations unless
it is an essential part of the story. If someone pronounces them
as dem, it's OK to write them, because that is the actual word.
5. Ellipses should be used to indicate missing words or phrases (three
periods) or missing sentences (four periods). Ellipses can be distracting
and awkward, and should be used sparingly.
6. Avoid fragmentary quotes -- one or a few words enclosed in quotation
marks, "like so" - except when it is important that the reader know the
actual word or phrase used.
Ethnic, racial and religious references
1. Do not describe a person by race, religion or ethnic background unless
it is pertinent to the story. Do not quote racial, ethnic or religious
jokes or slurs unless essential to the story (they rarely will be).
2. In descriptions of crime suspects, do not use racial or ethnic characterizations
unless they are part of a fairly complete description of a fugitive suspect
that could reasonably assist the public in helping the police.
3. Be especially sensitive to the nuances of using any references that
may be offensive to a minority group. If there are inoffensive alternatives,
use them.
4. Stories, illustrations and photographs should be mainstreamed; that
is, an effort should be made to include minority representation in routine
ways so that our news coverage more accurately reflects the makeup of the
communities we cover.
5. Be wary of racial stereotyping in photographs.
Obscenities, profanities
1. The newspaper's goal is to write in conversational English, but not
in vulgar street talk.
2. Obscenities, profanities and other coarse language may be printed
only in extraordinary circumstances when the expression is vital to the
story. The editor or a managing editor must approve such use.
3. There is never cause or justification for such language to be used
in a writer's own words (i.e., outside quoted discourse).
4. In most cases, the same information can be conveyed by paraphrasing
the vulgarity or by the use of ellipses.
5. Ellipses in which some letters are used (such as f..k) may have similar
impact as the word itself and should also be avoided unless approved by
the editor or a managing editor.
6. Some minor vulgarities (such as it sucks) are harmless but debase
the tone of the newspaper and usually should be avoided.
Altering or faking photos
1. The content of a photograph may never be changed or manipulated in
any way.
2. Only the established norms of standard photo printing methods, such
as burning, dodging, black-and-white toning and cropping, are acceptable.
Retouching is limited to removal of normal scratches and dust spots.
3. Color may be corrected only to ensure honest reproduction of the
original. Cases of abnormal color tonality will be clearly stated
in the caption. Color adjustments always should be minimal.
4. Any deceptive presentation of information in a news photograph (e.g.,
arranging debris at an accident scene) is prohibited.
5. Posed situations or the use of models for illustrative purposes should
be specifically identified to the reader when there is the possibility
that someone will believe the picture portrays a spontaneous event.
Withholding information
1. You have an obligation to report any breaking news you observe on
or off the job, within or beyond your assigned areas of responsibility.
This obligation may require nothing more than telling an editor about something
you saw in your neighborhood or on your way to work. Within reason,
if you are at the scene of a breaking news story, you should phone the
newspaper to make sure the editors know about it, and you should be prepared
to gather information if necessary.
2. Newspapers exist to publish news. Reporters and editors should
be the last people to withhold news. Nevertheless, for reasons of
compassion or dire consequences, it may be necessary to withhold some information.
In the case of breaking news for which there are no specific guidelines,
such decisions may be made only by the highest ranking editors available.
3. For reasons of compassion or safety, we may withhold information
in these situations: - Witnesses to crimes should not be identified in
full, and in certain cases not by name or address.
- Victims of physical crimes when the assailant is still at large should
not be identified by address.
- Victims of rapes and other sexual crimes, regardless of sex, should
not be identified by name or address.
- Children 12 years of age or younger who are arrested should not be
identified by name or address.
- Youths 18 years of age or younger who are adjudicated as juvenile
offenders should not be identified by name or address. However, this
designation is made by a judge at a hearing, not by the police.
- Do not identify parties in Family Courts without the judge's permission
(it is a condition of our admittance).
- Except for newsworthy public figures, do not identify suicide victims
by name or address when the suicide would not otherwise gain public notice.
Attempted suicides should be handled similarly.
- Do not report bomb threats unless a building is evacuated or some
other visible public event takes place.
- Under certain circumstances, news may be withheld when the editor
or a managing editor concludes that publication clearly threatens physical
or extreme psychological harm to an individual or when it can be demonstrated
convincingly that publication would have some other calamitous public effect.
4. There may be exceptions to the above, which must be approved by the
editor or a managing editor:
- Newsworthy public officials.
- Notorious crimes involving youths.
- Victims of sexual crimes or suicide attempts who agree to be identified
for purposes of a larger story.
5. We do not suppress reports of arrests or other unfavorable news about
individuals simply because of their connections or appeals to the newspaper.
6. Many news judgments offer troubling choices. You should always
consider the consequences of your decisions and leave room for compassion
in unusual circumstances. Bear in mind that a free flow of information
in an open society is an important value, but it is not the only value.
The editor and managing editor always should be consulted about difficult
judgments that may require an exception to customary procedures.
News embargoes
1. An embargo means we have agreed to hold certain information for release
at a predetermined time and date. Embargoes are a fact of life.
We respect customary embargoes and those to which we or one of our wire
services is a party.
2. We consider an embargo lifted at any point the news becomes public,
whether by other announcement or by another news organization breaking
the embargo.
3. We reserve the right to make our own decision about respecting an
embargo that is unilaterally handed to us. Those that have been traditionally
honored (such as release dates on press releases from public agencies with
which we routinely do business) should be honored, unless we give advance
notice to the contrary.
4. Only senior editors (department heads or above), or their designees,
may negotiate or agree to embargoes. Our posture should be to avoid
embargoes when possible.
Taste
1. Stories, illustrations, comic strips or photographs that are in questionable
taste should be shown to the editor or a managing editor, who will decide
if they should be published.
2. Photographs showing dead bodies, other gruesome subjects or highly
emotional content should be shown to the editor or managing editor, who
will decide if they should be published. Ordinarily, we do not publish
such photographs unless geographical distance, camera angle or extraordinary
news circumstances reduce the risk of offending readers.
3. We do not publish photographs that hold people up to ridicule.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Writing about the company
1. Any story involving the Gannett Co. Inc. Or these newspapers
should be shown in advance to the editor or a managing editor.
Private use of newspaper property
1. Unauthorized use of newspaper property for private use or gain is
theft. It is prohibited.
2. Staff members may not use the newsroom front-end system or other
electronic equipment for jokes or other messages which, if published, could
embarrass the newspaper.
3. "Going away" pages and other parodies to be set in type but not intended
for publication must be approved in advance by a senior editor (department
head or above).
4. The personal messaging function of the SII system is restricted to
newspaper business.
5. Unauthorized tampering with stories, files, queues or other information
stored electronically is prohibited.
6. Overriding or bypassing assigned SII access levels without permission
is prohibited.
Reprints
1. The editor, or in Rockland the managing editor of the Journal-News,
must approve all requests to reprint stories, photographs, or illustrations.
2. A fee may be charged to provide copies of photographs and illustrations.
A fee may also be charged for any content reprinted by a commercial publication.
3. Generally, permission to reprinted will be granted under the following
conditions:
- Republication will not damage the newspaper or its credibility, a
decision to be made
by the editor or the managing editor of the Journal-News.
- The newspaper and writer are properly credited.
- The date of the original publication is noted.
- Nothing is edited, reduced or changed in any way.
4. There is no requirement for permission to quote relatively short
excerpts from the newspaper, so long as the quotation is in context and
properly attributed.
