The journalist as citizen activist: The ethical limits of free speech

Abstract

In recent years some journalists have become aggressive and outspoken in challenging corporate policies that restrict a reporter's off‐duty political activities, particularly when they are unrelated to the reporter's primary job assignment. This dispute is beginning to spawn litigation that constitutes a direct assault on the journalistic canon of objectivity and the media's right to establish their own ethical benchmarks. This article explores the legal implications of conflict of interest codes and concludes that the public's interest in news media—unencumbered as to their standards of editorial integrity—should trump the individual free speech rights of journalists.