NPR’s Stronger Ethics Guidebook Doesn’t Silence Some Critics

NPR intends the handbook to be a resource for its journalists and “to help them in their work,” said Matt Thompson, NPR’s editorial product manager. The previous news code of ethics was essentially a list of policies, he said. The handbook “fleshes out those policies with explanations of how they reflect our values, questions and considerations journalists can use to help them make decisions, and case studies to help illustrate it all,” he said.

The handbook is made up of guiding principles, like accuracy, independence and accountability, intended to “guide our journalism, both as it is performed and as it is perceived, to help us earn and keep the confidence of the public,” the handbook said (http://xrl.us/bmx2am). NPR affirms its allegiance is to the public. “Decisions about what we cover and how we do our work are made by our journalists, not by those who provide NPR with financial support.” The public “deserves factual reporting and informed analysis without our opinions influencing what they hear or see,” the handbook said concerning impartiality. Occasions will arise where a journalist’s actions may conflict with the guidelines, the handbook said. It said such situations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, “and we will not pre-judge the outcome of those evaluations."

It serves more of an internal purpose rather than trying to change the perception of critics, said Dale Spear, program director at WFAE(FM) Charlotte, N.C. “I feel that it’s an ongoing, living, breathing document that they've had there for some time. I think all it does is clarify what the expectations are inside the building at NPR.” WFAE uses the guidebook issued by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, but NPR’s handbook has some significance for member stations, he said: “It’s good for us to see the internal guidelines that NPR is using with all the news program we air.” But “there’s no impact on us in terms of how we operate,” he added.

While the handbook was created for journalists, Thompson said the public also may find it useful. NPR hopes “it will be useful to the public as well in articulating how we strive to approach our work, as well as to NPR member stations and journalists elsewhere in crafting their own ethics guidelines,” he said. Spear agreed that the document is more than for internal purposes: “It’s what we use to explain to listeners why we did something a certain way or determine whether we were fair in our reporting.” WFAE, whose president is on the NPR board, “uses those filters when we try to put together stories,” added Spear.

The handbook coupled with NPR hiring a new CEO in Gary Knell are best understood as an exercise in crisis management, said Kevin Howley, media studies professor at DePauw University. “Put another way, these moves do more to bolster NPR’s brand than improve its actual performance.” Howley urged NPR to have a more strategic approach to responding to attacks: “Rather than trying to appease these critics -- whose ultimate goal is less a matter of defunding NPR than watering down the news organization’s editorial sensibilities and journalistic values -- NPR ought to stop playing defense and challenge its critics in earnest.”

NPR must go further than changing its ethics code, Howley said. It “needs to change its ‘inside baseball’ approach to hard news, especially its political reporting.” High-caliber journalism requires equally high ethical standards, he added. “But the focus on ethics is moot if NPR abdicates its responsibility to be straight with its listeners.”

A new handbook won’t be enough to satisfy some lawmakers, like Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. (CD Oct 25/10 p3) or (PBR Oct 22/10 p6), and others who were critical of NPR, Spear said. “The listeners that support us will continue to support us,” he said. “The ones who think we're left-wing biased usually come from the extreme right and it will be more difficult to persuade them to support us."

An update of ethics doesn’t trump the need for the government to stop funding public broadcasting, said Americans for Limited Government. “No matter if such entities are impartial or not, the government should not have control over the airwaves,” President Bill Wilson said. The fact that NPR “had to clean house and issue new guidelines to their journalists reminding them to be impartial implicitly shows they were biased all along -- and taxpayers should not be forced to pay for an agenda they find to be repugnant,” he said.

Regardless of disturbing incidents, “every news organization needs a compass to navigate ethical issues and those issues are becoming more and more challenging because of technology,” said Chris Worthington, managing news director at Minnesota Public Radio. There are multiple media outlets and multiple audiences reviewing the work and monitoring the behavior of news organizations, he said. “It’s never been more important to try to codify appropriate behavior and appropriate journalistic practices for your newsroom.” MPR plans to update its code of ethics, he said. The updated guidelines “will give all of us an opportunity to refresh our understanding and to bring forward questions,” said Marita Rivero, general manager at WGBH TV and radio Boston. Rivero serves on NPR’s board.

NPR said it plans to keep the handbook relevant and updated. It will be reviewed and revised as necessary by an ethics advisory group twice a year, NPR said.