"Liberal Media" ?...Contiued
The second in a series
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The traditionally high place held for the news media has been diminishing of late. A Pew Research Center (PRC) polls found that in July of 2003 only 52% of those polled believe that the press protects democracy, 20% thought it did neither or they didn’t know, and 28% believe that it actually hurts democracy. This concern could be linked to popular belief that the media is increasingly biased. In the same PRC poll, even though 62% agreed that news organizations were “highly professional”, 53% also agreed that they were “politically biased”, with 51% overall believing they have a liberal ideological tilt.[i] Oliver Willis, a progressive political blogger of note, attributes this to the “republican noise machine” of conservative pundits continually decrying the “liberal elite” media for being biased

This perceived news media bias runs contrary to the professional code of ethics outline by the SPJ. It clearly states, “conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility.”[ii] They put forward four imperative ethical areas for journalist.

First journalist must seek truth and report it. Specifically “journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information”. Next is the aim to minimize harm. Elaborating SPJ explains “ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect”. The last two guidelines are perhaps most important in the battle for objective accuracy. The third guideline calls for journalist to act independently, “journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know”. Lastly PSJ directs journalist to be accountable. “Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other. Journalists should: clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct, encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media, admit mistakes and correct them promptly, expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media, and abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.”[iii]

While not mandatory, the SPJ Code of Ethics is voluntarily embraced by thousands of
writers, editors and other news professionals. The present version of the code was adopted by the 1996 SPJ National Convention, after months of study and debate among the Society's members.

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[i] Strong Opposition to Media Cross-Ownership Emerges: Public Wants Neutrality and Pro-American Point of View. (July 13, 2003) Pew Research Center. Retrieved April 26, 2005, from http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=188.

[ii] Code of Ethics. Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved April 25, 2005, from http://www.spj.org/ethics_code.asp

[iii] Ibid