🌱 Jim Lehrer’s Rules of Journalism

In a 1997 report by The Aspen Institute, Lehrer outlined the guidelines he adhered to in practicing journalism:

1. Do nothing I cannot defend.*
2. Do not distort, lie, slant, or hype.
3. Do not falsify facts or make up quotes.
4. Cover, write, and present every story with the care I would want if the story were about me.*
5. Assume there is at least one other side or version to every story.*
6. Assume the viewer is as smart and caring and good a person as I am.*
7. Assume the same about all people on whom I report.*
8. Assume everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
9. Assume personal lives are a private matter until a legitimate turn in the story mandates otherwise.*
10. Carefully separate opinion and analysis from straight news stories and clearly label them as such.*
11. Do not use anonymous sources or blind quotes except on rare and monumental occasions. No one should ever be allowed to attack another anonymously.*
12. Do not broadcast profanity or the end result of violence unless it is an integral and necessary part of the story and/or crucial to understanding the story.
13. Acknowledge that objectivity may be impossible but fairness never is.
14. Journalists who are reckless with facts and reputations should be disciplined by their employers.
15. My viewers have a right to know what principles guide my work and the process I use in their practice.
16. I am not in the entertainment business.*

In his 2006 Harvard commencement address, Lehrer reduced that list to an essential nine items (marked with an * above).

I rediscovered one of the reasons why Lehrer’s guidelines aren’t followed by more media outlets: this shit takes time! And time is money.

Perhaps Lehrer’s guidelines should apply more broadly, not only for us as individuals but also for media companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter that amplify and leverage our thoughts and reporting for their own ends.