New NPR Ethics Policy: It's OK For Journalists To Demonstrate

New NPR Ethics Policy: It's OK For Journalists To Demonstrate : NPR Public Editor NPR opens the door for journalists to publicly advocate for fairness, justice and other human values.

NPR rolled out a substantial update to its ethics policy earlier this month, expressly stating that journalists may participate in activities that advocate for "The freedom and dignity of human beings" on both social media and in real life.

The new policy eliminates the blanket prohibition from participating in "Marches, rallies and public events," as well as vague language that directed NPR journalists to avoid personally advocating for "Controversial" or "Polarizing" issues.

The new NPR policy reads, "NPR editorial staff may express support for democratic, civic values that are core to NPR's work, such as, but not limited to: the freedom and dignity of human beings, the rights of a free and independent press, the right to thrive in society without facing discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, disability, or religion."

Even when NPR journalists can legitimately participate in a civic event, the new policy asks them to consider how their participation will impact their colleagues.

NPR didn't have high-profile conflicts with its journalists in recent years, and that may have made the news organization more prepared to usher in a new policy.

Journalism traditions etched into longtime NPR ethics handbooks left some NPR journalists wary of expressing any statements about their deepest-held beliefs for fear of crossing into territory that would jeopardize their jobs.

https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2021/07/29/1021802098/new-npr-ethics-policy-its-ok-for-journalists-to-demonstrate-sometimes