Post Ethics Policy

Preamble

The Connecticut Post is committed to working every day to earn and maintain the readers' trust. That means we will work to ensure our paper is fair and thorough in its reporting and presentation. It means we will vigorously pursue the truth, without regard to special interests.

It means sources of information should be disclosed whenever possible; that every staff member must disclose to a supervisor or senior editor any possible conflicts of interest when writing or editing a story.

It means staff members must act, at all times, with the highest ethical standards and work to maintain the newspaper's integrity. Even our personal lives must be conducted in a manner that averts the appearance of a conflict of interest or misuse of the power of the press.

The guidelines that follow are rooted in a simple premise: that we, as journalists, are obligated to act as independent watchdogs and deliver truthful, accurate, timely and relevant news that tells the intimate stories of our readers and the communities they live in. We do not take this responsibility lightly.

Transparency is key to what we do. Our own actions should withstand the same level of intense scrutiny that we apply to the people, politicians and government institutions we cover.

As professionals, we subscribe to the statement of principals promulgated by the American Society of Newspapers Editors.

We believe in the First Amendment and the rights of a free press guaranteed by the Constitution.
We believe in fair play and impartiality.
We believe in respecting the rights of those involved in the news and minimizing harm, so long as those considerations do not conflict with the overriding right of the public to be informed.
We believe in independence. Our staffers should neither accept anything nor pursue any activity that might compromise or seem to compromise their integrity. Above all, we will not acquiesce to prior restraint and will protect the rights of staff members' work.

Among our core values are truth and accuracy. Our allegiance is to our readers and to the newspa-per, not to any special or vested interest seeking to influence coverage. The readers' trust in our work - our most important asset - depends on our meeting this high standard.

The code that follows is intended to offer a set of guideposts; it is a living document meant to be up-dated when needed. Not every ethical situation is covered here; it would be impractical to do. Individual situations should be handled on a case-by-case basis between staff members and their editor.

Basic Principles
Fairness: We must strive to report the news fairly. The language and tone of stories must not reflect bias, and should present all sides of an issue.

Honesty and Integrity: Each story must be a true representation of the facts. We must present all the facts relevant to our stories, not just those that suit our purposes or desires. We do not represent fiction as fact, nor represent ourselves to the public as other than working journalists, unless there is no other way to get an important story in the public interest.

Impartiality: The newspaper should be impartial in its coverage of controversial issues and subjects and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions. The Connecticut Post welcomes comment and criticism, especially when such comment is opposed to the newspaper's editorial positions. Editorials and ex-pressions of opinion should be clearly labeled. Advertising should be differentiated from news.

Editorial Policies
Plagiarism: In a word: don't. Plagiarism is defined as the act of taking the ideas, writings, and photographs of another and pass-ing them off as one's own. Plagiarism in all its forms, from the wholesale copying of another's work to the publication of a press release without attribution - except in the context of short announcements of events - will not be tolerated. Plagiarism ruins the credibility of the newspaper and undermines its essential role as a vehicle for truth. If you borrow someone else's words, attribute them properly.

Use of quotes:Quotes should accurately reflect what a person said; however, it is acceptable to clarify obviously unintentional grammatical errors or stray utterances. Care must be taken to present quotations in context, without altering the original meaning.

Anonymous sources: Every effort should be made to use on-the-record information as the basis of stories. Reporters should grant anonymity only if there is a compelling, articulable reason - fear for the source's per-sonal safety or livelihood - and only after making an effort to convince the source to remain on the record.

In general, stories based solely on information from anonymous sources should be avoided except when that information is vital to the public interest and is not available through other channels. In such cases, reporters are required to tell their editor who a source is before using the material. The reporter should strive to disclose as much as possible about the nature of the source, and the reason heor she sought anonymity.

Use of profanity: We do not print profanities or obscenities. Use of the first letter of a word followed by dashes is permissible if the utterance is important to the truth and context of the story.

Misrepresentation: Reporters and photographers should never lie about their identities or profession. However, under certain circumstances it is acceptable for journalists not to volunteer their profession if it would make it difficult to obtain information that's otherwise available to the general public (for example, finding out the price of an item at Wal-Mart). The editor or managing editor must approve any proposal to"go undercover" to obtain a story.

Paying for the news: We do not pay sources for news.

Corrections: Errors should be acknowledged and corrected, or clarified, as soon as they are discovered. Correc-tions and clarifications should specify the source of the mistake and should always clarify, rather than obscure, any misconception the error might have caused.

Bylines and datelines: Bylines and photo credits should identify the person or people who were primarily responsible for the published work. Others who had significant input should be named as contributors. Bylines are assigned by editors using both quality and volume of work as criteria. A dateline should reflect where most of the reporting originated or where a reporter physically gath-ered the information. A dateline means a reporter was there. Stories on towns we cover regularly can take a dateline even though the reporter may have gathered the information by phone in the office.

Use of reruns of syndicate features and columns: Any reuse of any syndicated feature or column that has appeared in the newspaper previously must be noted as such.

Use of non-peer-reviewed "science" stories: Any science news story or feature, syndicated or otherwise, that relies on scientific research that hasn't been peer-reviewed should disclose that fact.

Visual accuracy/ photo illustrations: Our news photographs should be the truth. News photographs should not be altered, although tra-ditional editing such as cropping and toning are acceptable. If anything else is done to alter a photo-graph, it must be labeled as a photo illustration. We do not pose news photos.

Crime victims and suspects

Identifying crime suspects and victims: It is the Connecticut Post's policy to name both the accused and the accuser in criminal cases, re-gardless of age, stature or favor. However, names may be withheld in exceptional cases; for example, if there is reasonable concern for the safety of an accuser or a witness because the perpetrator remains at large. While Connecticut law forbids authorities from releasing the name of juveniles - those younger than 18 - accused in crimes, that law does not apply to press. Depending on the seriousness of the alleged crime the Connecticut Post will seek the suspect's identity through other channels.

Identifying sexual assault victims: It has been the practice of the Connecticut Post to withhold the names and addresses of victims of sexual assault because of the stigma that surrounds such crimes. In keeping with this practice, however, the age, gender and town of the victim may be used when such information is available. Exceptions may be made when a victim chooses to come forward and identify him/herself; or when a victim is an especially prominent or well-known person. In such cases, the public interest is served by raising awareness of the toll of sexual violence. That said, the Post recognizes that many in journalism seek to reevaluate the usefulness of withholding the names of alleged rape victims and accusers. Proponents argue that newspapers have a commitment to tell the whole story, and when they depart from this commitment, they do their readers a disservice. There is a concern, too, that some could make false accusations and hide behind anonymity.

Naming suicide victims: Suicide victims should not be identified by name in news stories, except when they are public or prominent figures, or when the suicide occurs in a public setting.

Integrity, conflicts and "freebies"

Conflicts of interest: The Connecticut Post's ethical guidelines rely heavily on personal responsibility. In general, avoid conflicts of interest that could cast doubt on your integrity or the newspaper's independence. When in doubt, ask.

Outside work: Staff members may work for outside entities but that work should not infringe on or conflict with our work for the Connecticut Post. Outside work must be approved by your editor, or in some cases, the managing editor or editor.

We should not freelance for competing publications or for organizations we cover regularly. Exceptions require approval from the managing editor or editor.

Bylines or credits in non-competing publications can be beneficial to both the employee and the newspaper, i.e.: the higher education beat reporter writing for "The Journal of Higher Education," provided the reporting relevant to the Connecticut Post appeared first in the Post. Staff members authoring a book should follow the same guidelines.

Meals: When dining with news sources, staffers should pay their share of the bill. If that is impractical, ar-range to pay the whole bill next time. For charity events and meetings where a meal is served, staffers should estimate - realistically - the cost of the meal and reimburse the hosts. The simplest solution is to just not eat. Also, use common sense and remember most non-journalists see an offer of coffee or food as a courtesy, not a bribe.

Freebies: Staffers should not accept free travel, free merchandise, discounts or any other perk that is available because of their position. Staffers may accept gifts of nominal value that come into the newsroom or donate such gifts to a charity of the newspaper's choice. Gifts of more than nominal value must be re-turned to the sender with a note explaining our policy. Exceptions include flowers sent as a thank-you to a reporter, or anything else that comes via a third party, where returning the item is virtually impos-sible. Perishable goods can be donated to soup kitchens.

Tickets, discounts, passes: Editorial staff members should not accept or request for their own use tickets, passes, discounts for plays, concerts, sporting events, etc., that are not available to the general public or the newsroom at large, e.g. Connecticut Post night at the Sound Tigers. Staffers should only accept passes, free tickets and credentials to events they are covering for the newspaper.

Outside activities

Community involvement: Editorial staff members should avoid any outside activities, paid or otherwise, that could conflict with their credibility as impartial news gatherers. It is not the intention of the Connecticut Post to dissuade participation in nonpartisan civic, charitable, social or residential organizations in their own communities, provided they do not cover these groups.

However, they should avoid public participation in partisan or political activities. They should not seek elected office or work for political campaigns, and should avoid participating publicly in potentially controversial activities - for example, abortion-rights or anti-abortion protests. Staff members should avoid advertising or publicly advocating partisan or controversial viewpoints, particularly while on the job.

Journalists also should avoid signing petitions or advocating causes relating to controversial issues, particularly those that they are likely to be expected to cover.

Speaking engagements, broadcast appearances and honoraria: Connecticut Post editorial staff members are encouraged to speak by invitation before trade groups, community organizations, etc., provided those appearances do not imply endorsement by the newspaper of their viewpoints or activities.

When representing the newspaper, travel costs and other expenses should be noted and submitted to the newspaper for reimbursement.

Instances where a staff member will be permitted to accept expenses as part of a speaking engagement will be decided on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the staff member's editor.

Staff members should remember that they are representing the newspaper and always behave ap-propriately.

Similar guidelines apply to appearances on broadcast talk and news shows, when staffers are invited to speak about issues that they cover. Staffers must realize that they are representing the Post when they're on the air, and should be clearly identified as newsroom employees. (Example: "Pedro Sanchez covers transportation matters for the Connecticut Post.") Broadcast appearances should be discussed with your editor beforehand.

The above does not apply if you're asked to appear on the air, or you're asked to speak before a gathering, and the subject matter has nothing to do with your job at the Post. (Example: "Jack Samson is here with us in the studio today to talk about his collection of comic books.") Staff members should neither seek nor accept honoraria (e.g. "speaking fees" or "monetary awards") from groups that they regularly cover.

Financial holdings:
Newsroom employees should not actively trade stock in companies or corporations they regularly cover. Also, employees and their spouses should not benefit financially from the news decisions that they make, nor should they use any information gleaned in the course of their work to gain a financial advantage.

Personal relationships:
Employees should not write, photograph or make news judgments about people related to them, or with whom they have a close relationship. This does not apply to first-person columns or stories in which such relationships are spelled out. (Example: "My boyfriend spends far too much time in front of the TV set watching football…") If the conflict is unavoidable, it should be disclosed.

Journalism contests:
Newsroom employees can enter their work in contests that are sponsored by professional journalism or-ganizations. Check with your editor before entering other journalism contests.

External raffles, contests:
Newsroom employees should not enter contests or raffles sponsored by groups with clear partisan goals or political agendas. Winning a significant prize in such an event could create the appearance of a conflict of interest.