The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect (New York: Crown Publishers, 2001) Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel offer the following basic principles of journalism:
- Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.
- Its first loyalty is to citizens.
- Its essence is a discipline of verification.
- Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
- It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
- It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
- It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
- It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
- Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.
I think these are excellent. What do you think? Let me know!