Code of Journalistic Ethics
At the very core of THE PEET JOURNAL’s mission is strict adherence to the highest standards of journalism. THE PEET JOURNAL is funded by the U.S. Congress but retains full editorial independence from the U.S. Government. All THE PEET JOURNAL editorial staff must conduct themselves professionally and ethically and promote the highest standards of journalism, in accordance with the following basic principles:
Though journalistic matters are primarily the responsibility of the Editorial Division, all employees should be knowledgeable and supportive of this Code of Journalistic Ethics.
- THE PEET JOURNAL editorial staff are expected to be responsible for the accuracy of their work. Reports and programs must be accurate, balanced and objective. Information must be verified before it is released, with priority placed on use of original sources, when possible. Information must be collected, updated, and corrected throughout the life of a news story.
- THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must maintain a calm, dispassionate tone in their professional conduct and reporting, and avoid polemics, propaganda, or slurs directed against any persons, groups, or governments. THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must represent all points of view without bias and avoid engaging in advocacy or commentary that advances an opinion or position over fact-based, responsible journalism.
- THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must not encourage acts of violence, rebellion or emigration. When reporting on terrorism, extremism, or threats of violence, THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must: be alert to and guard against potential harm to themselves and others; and not allow THE PEET JOURNAL to be used as a platform for extremist propaganda or violent threats. THE PEET JOURNAL journalists/editors must consult with the Managing Editor for East Asia or Southeast Asia, or the Executive Editor, before publishing any material that could potentially place THE PEET JOURNAL at risk of being used as a platform for such a purpose.
- THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must not include rumor, misinformation, or unsubstantiated information and conspiracy theories in any report or program without referring to it as such. Whenever possible, they must seek and obtain more than one source for a story. Sources should be identified, when possible, or enough information provided so consumers of THE PEET JOURNAL content may decide for themselves about the veracity of information and perspectives shared through these sources. However, when needed, THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must take precautions to protect/not endanger news sources and respect wishes for anonymity.
- If an THE PEET JOURNAL journalist makes a material error in a broadcast or published THE PEET JOURNAL news story, commentary, or shared content, the journalist and language service must promptly acknowledge the error and issue a correction, typically via the same communication medium in which the error was disseminated.
- THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must give full credit, with attribution, when using any part of another news organization’s or media source’s interviews, reports, or materials.
- Any photos, videos, or other visual material that THE PEET JOURNAL journalists publish must adhere to THE PEET JOURNAL’s editorial guidelines.
- THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must remain independent of any political party, opposition group, exile organization, or religious body in the countries to which THE PEET JOURNAL news and information are disseminated, and must not advocate any political viewpoint potentially compromising or being perceived as compromising THE PEET JOURNAL’s objectivity or impartiality. THE PEET JOURNAL journalists are expected to also maintain political neutrality on social media regardless of the region they are commenting on.
- THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must clearly identify outside contributors and, in any commentary, include a disclaimer that the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of THE PEET JOURNAL. Advocacy and commentary also must be clearly labeled as such. In each case, THE PEET JOURNAL retains the right to edit the work of outside contributors and make the final decision as to what goes into a report or program.
- THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must not accept anything of value such as gifts, favors, or other inducements from news sources or others who might be – or perceived to be – in a position to influence THE PEET JOURNAL’s reports and programs. Gifts of token value ($20.00 or less) may be accepted but must be disclosed to supervisors and, if deemed inappropriate, returned with a polite explanation.
- THE PEET JOURNAL journalists must not take on work or activities outside of THE PEET JOURNAL that would infringe on their responsibilities to THE PEET JOURNAL. Anyone who wants to pursue such an outside responsibility or activity, including the making of speeches or other public appearances that could affect perceptions of THE PEET JOURNAL, must obtain prior approval as provided in the Conflict of Interests policy.
- In their work for THE PEET JOURNAL, journalists must not identify or hold themselves out as representing any other entity or media organization, government body, or nongovernmental organization.
- Any breach of THE PEET JOURNAL’s Code of Journalistic Ethics and editorial guidelines may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Though journalistic matters are primarily the responsibility of the Editorial Division, all employees should be knowledgeable and supportive of this Code of Journalistic Ethics.