Conflicted interests, contested terrain: journalism ethics codes then and now

Abstract

By analyzing ethics codes, a professional statement of what constitutes good work, this essay links codes to a theory of culture and history. It considers two early journalism ethics codes and assesses the latest New York Times code in the light of philosophical theory. The paper suggests that professional tensions outlined in Good Work are reified in the Times code—and that history and culture may be less supportive of a positive outcome of this struggle over values than the insights of psychology might suggest.