Before offering feedback, please:
► read the committee's Code revision report for explanations and rationales for the committee's proposed language.
► bear in mind a blue-ribbon panel was assembled to offer Code revisions, including America's leading media ethicists, decorated journalists and leaders of the largest professional journalism associations.
► judiciously propose only demonstrably better language (i.e. only what you think the Code needs, not what you want or wish).
► remember the Code focuses on "first-order ideas" -- simple, actionable guidance and normative judgments (e.g. "never plagiarize"). "Second-order" journalism ethics grapples with big-picture issues and the consequences of actions, (e.g. "When should a reporter go off the record, and what are the potential negative consequences of granting anonymity?") Pending SPJ Board and member approval, the SPJ Ethics Committee will include second-order guidance on journalism ethics by creating a new version of SPJ's popular online Code, including explanatory guidance and helpful outside resources.
► consider that the Code is generally not designed to "solve" ethical issues. More often, the Code is meant to ensure that various issues are understood as having ethical implications. For example, the Code passage, "Consider the long-term implications of the extended reach and permanence of publication" does not prescriptively say whether and when a journalist should remove old news stories that could embarrass someone for years.
► remember the Code is a set of guidelines, not a legally enforceable document, due to the First Amendment and other legal reasons. This reality fundamentally affects the Code and is why it does not, for example, seek to define journalists or include an enforeement mechanism.
► remember it's easy to add language and much harder to remove it, and the goal is to keep the Code on one page. Additions can also upset the Code's balance between offering minimum ethical standards (e.g. "Avoid conflicts of interest") and articulating high aspirations for ethical journalism.