Principles of Good Journalism

NewsCloud will strive to uphold the values of good journalism for an open society.

The following principles of good journalism are from

The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosentiel. Special thank you to Chuck Taylor for passing these on to us.

1. Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.

2. Its first loyalty is to citizens.

The owner/corporation must be committed to citizens first.

Hire business managers who also put citizens first.

Set and communicate clear standards.

Journalists have final say over news.

Communicate clear standards to the public.

3. Its essence is a discipline of verification.

Do not add.

Do not deceive.

Be transparent in purpose.

Do not mislead sources.

Be original.

Be humble.

4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.

5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power.

6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.

7. It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.

8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.

9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.