Ethics Statement

Christopher Howell Independent Audio Producer Ethics Statement

A strong ethics policy separates good journalists from bad. In this age of misinformation an ethics policy is a robust defense against charges of fake news. I firmly believe in journalistic and personal ethics. I pledge to follow this policy as closely as possible. I may stray and I may make mistakes but this written policy will remind me to always strive to behave in an ethical manner. I wrote this based on the ethics codes from selected public media outlets, The Society of Professional Journalists and others.

I consider myself a journalist. I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism and I have worked as a professional (salaried) reporter. It’s a new day for journalists. I consider myself an ethical journalist but also an advocate. All journalism, if it’s good, advocates for the well being of people. I’m not going to pretend to be objective. No journalist can be truly objective. For me, it’s more ethical to reveal my biases rather then hide them.

Accuracy

I will make every effort to ensure the stories I produce are factually accurate. Facts are not disputable. The news sources I interview may make statements that are not factually correct. If particularly egregious, l’ll try to point out non-factual statements and let the audience decide for themselves.

If I make a significant factual error that requires correction, I’ll issue that on my website and perhaps in a subsequent episode.

Generative Artificial Intelligence that’s available to the public is built, for the most part, from the words, drawings, photographs and other creations that were stolen from their creators. At this time I'm taking a "no AI stance" in my work. I will always be the person generating the words, audio and other elements of my work product.

Independence

I define myself as an independent journalist. That’s independent of a specific newsroom or media outlet but also independent in my thinking, who I am and how I write a story. There will be no outside political or economic influence.

I may collaborate with other reporters or public media outlets but that relationship will be governed by a written agreement that details the relationship. My independence will remain despite those relationships.

There will always be a firewall between me and any funders or sponsors. I will never pay for an interview.

My first responsibility is to my audience.

Fairness

I’ll always make sure actualities, quotations, or paraphrases are accurate and used in context. I’ll always provide attribution from my sources and also if I paraphrase the work of others.

I’m going to avoid using anonymous sources. If I agree to an “off the record” interview I’ll respect that but I have NEVER agreed to anything being off the record. I’m a journalist. If you talk to me assume everything you say is on the record.

I’m always going to ask permission to record you prior to our first interview. I’m going to assume that permission is ongoing unless you say otherwise.

I’m going to be respectful of those who are less fortunate and who may be experiencing trauma. I’m going to show compassion. I’ll be especially careful with children and will never use their voices in a story without their parent’s or guardian’s permission.

I will never take the work of others, repeat it and portray that as my own work. That’s plagiarism and it’s forbidden. However, rewriting a story and putting it into your own words is not plagiarism.

Balance and Objectivity

Balance in journalism is practiced when balance is appropriate. Not simply for the sake of balance alone. And not to simply appear non-biased. For me, the days of presenting opposing sides of an issue because that’s always how it’s been done are gone. It’s lazy journalism and it’s often not in the interest of the audience.

Diverse viewpoints are good and I’ll make attempts to present them. A “diverse viewpoint” does not extend to any opinion that advocates for the harm of others. I’ll not be a party to platforming hate under the guise of “diverse viewpoints”.

I started in the 1980s but over the years, journalism has changed for me. I think it’s much more important to show my biases then to hide them. To try and appear unbiased is disingenuous and it erodes trust in my work. If you want to see my bias, read my mission statement.

The powerful can spend billions of dollars to reach an audience. They have no responsibility to behave in a fair, balanced or ethical manner. Often their objective is to distort and mislead. Corruption is part of what I’m fighting and I won’t fight with one hand tied behind my back. The greatest journalists in history, Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, Edward R. Murrow and many others had biases. I aspire to be like them.

Trust

Trust is the entire foundation on which journalism is built. Journalists must be trustworthy, but you must also appear trustworthy. If a journalist is untrustworthy, they might as well quit the profession and go into Public Relations.

Living Document

This statement is not set in stone. If necessary, ethics statements may be added, changed or removed.