.01
Code of Principles and Practices for Undergraduate Media of American
University
American
University is dedicated to freedom of inquiry and freedom of expression.
It encourages the student media to practice the fullest possible freedom
of expression commensurate with university policies and accepted standards
for professional integrity and ethical behavior.
The
university is both an academic community and legal corporation. As a
corporation, it includes the student media, which are not separately
incorporated. Therefore, both as a matter of educational obligation
and legal necessity the university has an interest in the student media’s
practices and performance. Following the 1996 Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists, American
University anticipates the student media will be guided by these principles:
A.
To be “honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting
information.”
B.
To treat “subjects and colleagues [as] human beings deserving of respect.”
C.
To “avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.”
D.
To be free of obligation to any interest other than the campus community’s
right to know the truth.
E.
To be “accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.”
F.
To “abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.”
G.
To provide clear and accessible procedures for addressing “grievances
against the news media.”
Senate
action, March 2000. Provost approval, April 2000.
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