Journalism Ethics Policy
Introduction and Purpose
1. The Core Purpose of The Boston Globe, and its parent, The New York Times Company, is to "enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment." The central place of The Globe in fulfilling that promise is underscored by the No. 1 statement in our Core Values: "Content of the highest quality and integrity: This is the basis for our reputation and the means by which we fulfill the public trust and our customers' expectations."
2. At The Boston Globe, our goal is to cover the news impartially and to treat readers, news sources, advertisers and all parts of our society fairly and openly, and to be seen as doing so. The reputation of The Globe rests upon that perception, and so do the professional reputations of our staff members. Thus The Globe and members of its newsroom and editorial page share an interest in avoiding conflicts of interest or any appearance of conflict.
3. Conflicts of interest, real or apparent, may arise in many areas. They may involve tensions between journalists' professional obligations to our audience and their relationships with news sources, advocacy groups, advertisers, or competitors; with one another; or with The Globe. And at a time when two-career families are the norm, the civic and professional activities of spouses, household members and other relatives can create conflicts or the appearance of them.
3A. We must avoid any perception that The Globe's impartiality is in doubt. In practical terms, that means that staff members may not use their positions in any way to obtain special privileges, from people or institutions in the news, that are not equally available to the general public. Nor can they use their positions to obtain favorable coverage from – or even special access to – the newspaper for family or friends who do not on their own merits warrant such coverage.
4. In keeping with its solemn responsibilities under the First Amendment, The Globe strives to maintain the highest standard of journalistic ethics. We are confident that our staff members share that goal. We also recognize that staff members should be free to do creative, civic and personal work and to earn extra income in ways separate from their work in our organization. Before engaging in such outside activities, though, staff members should exercise mature professional judgment and consider the stake we all have in the irreplaceable good name of The Globe.
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