One of the most common ethical guidelines of a journalist is truthfulness.

It is the journalist’s duty to sift out truth from behind assumptions and rumours. A journalist must not leave unpublished or otherwise keep secret information that is crucial to the news, even if this might water down a juicy article, or take the edge off a story.

In many cases, a news topic that at a glance seems meaningful, interesting and surprising flattens out to be boring and ordinary, or even turns out to be downright wrong when it is examined in greater depth. This feels frustrating, but it is an essential part of journalistic work.

A journalist must not leave unpublished or otherwise keep secret information that is crucial to the news, even if this might water down a juicy article, or take the edge off a story.

Despite the temptation, a journalist must not make news out of information that has proven to be false, even if this might serve a good cause and even if the reporter knows that they will not get caught.

A second important value is honesty, which is most often realised by using only direct methods in gathering and presenting information. It is recommended that a journalist announce their occupation while conducting their work and otherwise remain open in their work.

It is possible, however, to deviate from this if there is no other way to obtain significant information. For example, it would be hard to get information about a closed community if the reporter had no access to the community. If a journalist sees that something is happening within the community that should be published, they may keep their occupation a secret.

If a journalist sees that something is happening within the community that should be published, they may keep their occupation a secret.

A lively discussion was raised in Finland in 2012 when a journalist from the country’s biggest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, infiltrated the camp of a Christian society, which organised courses aiming at changing sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual.

The newspaper justified its actions by stating that, without such infiltration, it would not have been possible to find out what actually happens during the courses: previously journalists had been unable to gain access to the camps.

Nevertheless, guidelines on such a topic vary individually. The Washington Post’s guidelines regarding this matter are strict: “Reporters should make every effort to remain in the audience, to stay off the stage, to report the news, not to make the news. In gathering news, reporters will not misrepresent their identity. They will not identify themselves as police officers, physicians or anything other than journalists.”

A journalist must also differentiate between facts and opinions. The reader should be able to tell which parts of a text express a personal opinion, and which strive for the objective conveying of information.

According to the Austrian code: “Readers shall be left in no doubt as to whether a newspaper item is a factual report, the reproduction of the views of a third party or third parties, or a comment.”

The same applies to the use of illustrations and sound. Also, within a single article, it should be clear which part is the journalist’s own description of the event, and which part comprises quotes by the interviewee. In practice this is often done by using quotation marks to signify the interviewee’s utterances.

The difference between truth and opinion also applies to advertising. The division between announcements and edited content should be clear. This differentiation has been made more difficult, for example by the emergence of advertorials.

A journalist must also differentiate between facts and opinions. The reader should be able to tell which parts of a text express a personal opinion, and which strive for the objective conveying of information.

Remaining critical is an important value that guides a journalist’s work and acts on many levels. First of all, sources of information should be scrutinised with a critical eye.

The Finnish guidelines for journalists highlight that “[being critical] is most important in controversial topics, as the source of information may have a will to benefit or to harm”.

Many kinds of parties contact editorial offices, and journalists should always stay alert as to why. Does the person contacting the press want positive publicity for themselves or their company, negative publicity for someone else, or publicity for a cause that they think is important for some other reason? The article should primarily benefit its reader and society, not the object of the article.

In addition to a single source of information, some of the guidelines highlight the critical mindset in a broader way.

According to the guidelines of the international news agency Associated Press (AP): “A newspaper should provide constructive criticism for all groups in society”. The paper, the TV channel or the radio station should thus remain critical in relation to what it covers, so that the entirety of its offerings convey a critical image of society.

The US-based Society of Professional Journalists (SJP) especially stresses criticism towards decision-makers.

A journalist should “give a voice to the voiceless” and “seek sources whose voices we seldom hear”.

Additionally, according to the guidelines, a journalist should “give a voice to the voiceless” and “seek sources whose voices we seldom hear”. Journalists should therefore pay attention to which parties get to provide their voices. SJP’s guidelines thus take a stand on a common phenomenon according to which the more societal power you hold, the easier it is for you to get your voice heard through the media.

A journalist should also be critical of themselves. A journalist must pay attention to how their own values and experiences affect their work. Even if a news article seems impartial and the journalist lets the voices of opposing parties be heard, a strong opinion of the journalist can influence the tone of the article. A way for a reporter to remain critical of themselves is to publish a comment or a column alongside the article, where their opinions are laid bare.

Nearly all ethical code publications of journalists stress the accuracy and validity of published information and the meticulousness that must be used to check it. Even though work is in practice often done in a hurry, this must not be a reason why facts remain unchecked. A journalist and at least the editor of the publication are responsible for the correctness of the information they have presented. All information must be checked thoroughly, even when it has previously been published elsewhere. In the case of errors, journalists must correct them without delay.

In online publications, it is not enough to remove the false information or to delete the article. The audience must be informed of the error and the fact that it has been corrected.

The principle of openness also applies to correcting errors. It is good to tell the audience in a straightforward way what kinds of practices and principles the media has regarding errors and corrections.

The source of the information used should be published. Only when this is done does the audience have an opportunity to assess the trustworthiness of the sources. Facts that have already been published must be checked as carefully as new ones. The fact that a piece of information has been published in another paper does not make it correct. This is how journalists avoid circulating mistakes made by others.