Applied Jewish Ethics 101: Journalism

Applied

How would journalism look if its code of ethics were actually rooted in a transparent, universal moral framework?

As we’ve discussed, different ethical frameworks created by philosophers over the millennia have generally failed when people attempted to extend them universally.

I’m attempting to position a secularized version of Jewish ethics as a truly universal ethical and moral system. Which means it should work under any context.

So I chose a particular field that has generally defined set of ethics and wanted to see if I could use this framework to do a better job. I worked together with my chatbot, AskHillel.com, to see if we could make a decent set of rules for journalism.

What we came up with is a bit different from what journalists do. Section II, minimizing harm, is pretty much universally ignored, for example. The code below also insists on far more transparency than we see in journalism today, and much clearer procedures for corrections - not burying mistakes on page 17 at the bottom.

This code appears to be more complete than the major ones I found online - yet it was done in ten minutes, and is based on a real universal moral code, not gut instinct. (I cannot claim it is truly complete, there are a lot of issues. But it is easy to ask the chatbot about specific cases to cover other issues.)

Not that the existing journalistic codes are immoral, but they tend to be patchworks built over the years. They do not go far enough and too often they tend to lean more towards profit and hurting people than being truly ethical. When you have a transparent moral yardstick based on universal principles, it forces you justify why you cannot do what it right (and there may be some good reasons and cases in journalism that would tilt some of these rules.)

Here is what the tool and I came up with:

Jewish-Inspired Code of Ethics for Journalism

Preamble
Journalism is a public trust grounded in the pursuit of truth, the protection of human dignity, the prevention of harm, and a shared responsibility to society. This ethical code adapts a Jewish values-based framework to journalism’s core responsibilities, blending timeless moral imperatives with modern challenges.

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I. Truth and Accuracy

• Verify all facts rigorously. Avoid relying solely on single or biased sources.

• Attribute claims clearly, disclosing source affiliations and reliability history.

• Provide necessary context for statements, especially in conflict zones.

• Avoid emotional distortion or manipulation of the story’s impact.

II. Respect and Harm Minimization

• Consider the personal and social consequences of reporting.

• Avoid gratuitous exposure, humiliation, or stereotyping.

• Use sensitivity with traumatic content or imagery.

• Balance transparency with respect for privacy and human dignity.

III. Independence and Integrity

• Disclose any conflicts of interest.

• Avoid influence from funders, ideology, or public pressure.

• Preserve intellectual independence in all reporting.

IV. Accountability and Transparency

• Correct errors promptly and visibly.

• Accept public critique with humility.

• Be open about editorial judgments and decisions.

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V. Source Credibility and Conflict Reporting

• Flag sources with histories of false or politicized reporting.

• Use anonymity only when ethically necessary, and explain its use.

• Do not create false balance between verified and deceptive sources.

VI. Protecting Sources

• Protect confidential sources when disclosure could cause harm.

• Never promise anonymity lightly or without safeguards.

• Honor source confidentiality as a moral and professional obligation.

VII. Reporting in Dangerous Contexts

• Prioritize safety over immediate full disclosure.

• Delay or anonymize information if necessary for protection.

• Never lie, but use ambiguity or silence when ethically required.

VIII. Journalists on Social Media

• Recognize public impact of all statements, even personal posts.

• Avoid incivility, inflammatory tone, or harmful generalizations.

• Maintain professionalism and truthfulness across platforms.

IX. Competition and Attribution

• Do not copy reporting without added value or credit.

• Attribute scoops from other outlets and expand with integrity.

• Acknowledge major developments regardless of the outlet.

X. Use of Identity in Reporting

• Include ethnic, racial, religious, or personal identity only when relevant to the story’s context or significance.

• Avoid tokenism, stereotyping, or unwarranted emphasis on identity.

• Explain inclusion when relevant; avoid silence that misleads.

XI. Advocacy and Moral Voice

• Opinion journalism must be fact-based and clearly labeled.

• Express outrage only when rooted in truth and moral purpose.

• Avoid performative anger or dehumanizing rhetoric.

XII. Evaluating Patterns of Wrongdoing

• Fair judgment should consider consistent behavior and reliable evidence.

• In absence of a court ruling, journalists must act with caution and transparency.

• Charitable interpretation ends when truth and accountability demand clarity.

XIII. Plagiarism and Misattribution

• Never present others’ work or ideas as your own.

• Attribute all quotations, media, and research clearly.

• Avoid misattributing sources or misleading citations.

XIV. Visual Media Standards

• Do not stage or manipulate photos to alter reality.

• Portrait-style posing is acceptable in features if disclosed.

• Clearly label edited, staged, or archival images.

XV. Legal Compliance and Civil Disobedience

• Follow the law unless doing so causes moral or public harm.

• Civil disobedience must be a last resort, justified, and transparent.

• Do not use illegality to excuse unethical behavior.

XVI. Employer Responsibilities

• Employers must protect journalist safety and offer training and support.

• Vet hires to prevent abuse of journalistic roles or access.

• Ensure oversight and accountability within the organization.

XVII. Editorial Framing and Prioritization

• Editors must weigh story prominence and framing ethically.

• Avoid bias by sequencing and quoting fairly.

• Consider real-world impact, diversity of voices, and narrative balance.

XVIII. Corrections and Edits

• Correct errors proportionately to their original visibility.

• Flag major edits in evolving online stories.

• Archive versions and explain significant changes clearly.

XIX. Editorial and Opinion Standards

• Opinion must respect truth, accuracy, and dignity.

• Distinguish clearly between editorial and news.

• Avoid promoting dehumanizing or false content under the guise of opinion.

XX. Ethical Audits and Public Trust

• Support regular, independent audits of fairness, transparency, and sourcing.

• Use findings to improve—not punish—journalistic practices.

• Publish audit results and commit to ethical growth.

XXI. AI and Visual Editing Ethics

• Use image editing only for clarity, not distortion.

• Label all significant edits, AI-generated media, or simulations.

• Do not use AI to impersonate, fabricate, or mislead.

• AI must support—not replace—ethical journalism and human judgment.

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XXII. Conflicts of Interest with Owners or Advertisers

• Newsrooms must disclose any potential conflicts involving parent companies, investors, or advertisers that could influence editorial content.

• Journalistic decisions should be shielded from business interests through internal firewalls, independent oversight, and editorial autonomy.

• If a conflict cannot be avoided, transparency with the audience is essential. Hidden influence erodes trust and violates the foundational duty to truth.

• Advertiser-friendly editing that compromises fact or tone must be rejected. The audience’s right to truthful reporting outweighs commercial pressures.

• Media organizations must train staff and leadership to recognize and ethically manage such conflicts, prioritizing public trust over corporate loyalty.

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XXIII. Fact-Checking and Verification Protocols

• Establish and enforce rigorous internal standards for verifying facts before publication.

• Require cross-checking of quotes, statistics, and attributions across departments.

• Maintain documentation of verification steps for accountability and training purposes.

XXIV. Audience Education and Media Literacy

• Promote public understanding of how journalism works, including sourcing, editing, and retraction practices.

• Offer context, definitions, and explanations when stories involve complex issues.

• Provide links to source material and tools for reader evaluation of claims.

XXV. Global and Cross-Cultural Reporting Ethics

• When reporting internationally, do not compromise ethical standards to match local norms that contradict core journalistic values.

• Respect cultural differences, but uphold universal principles of accuracy, fairness, and human dignity.

XXVI. Leaks and Unauthorized Information

• Treat leaks and stolen material with caution: weigh the public interest against potential privacy violations.

• Do not publish raw dumps without verification or responsible framing.

• When using leaks, disclose origins and editorial process for evaluating authenticity.

XXVII. Reporting on Violence and Trauma

• Avoid sensationalism when covering tragedy, crime, or conflict.

• Be sensitive to the dignity and safety of victims, survivors, and affected communities.

• Refrain from re-traumatizing individuals through excessive repetition or graphic detail.

XXVIII. Retractions vs. Corrections

• Issue a full retraction when the central claims of a story are false or misleading.

• Differentiate corrections (which fix errors) from retractions (which withdraw entire narratives).

• Publicize retractions with clarity and prominence to restore trust.

XXIX. Ethics of Archival Content

• Archived content reflects the historical record and should generally be preserved in its original form.

• When older material contains factual errors or causes ongoing harm, consider appending clarifications or context rather than altering the original.

• Avoid retroactive edits that obscure history. Transparency and integrity should guide any annotation or disclaimer.

• Editorial teams are not obligated to review entire archives, but should respond responsibly when specific concerns arise.

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XXX. Navigating Contested Claims and Propaganda

• When covering disputed topics, especially geopolitical ones, journalists must distinguish between informed opinion, partisan propaganda, and factually grounded expertise.

• Quoting multiple perspectives is not enough; context must be provided about each source’s credibility, affiliations, and track record.

• Be cautious of outsourcing truth-seeking to organizations—such as NGOs or international bodies—that may carry institutional biases. Rely on multiple forms of verification, not just authority.

• Avoid false equivalence. When one side's claims lack factual grounding or are refuted by evidence, it is misleading to present both sides as equally credible.

• Explain to readers why certain perspectives are included or excluded, and clarify how editorial decisions were made.

• Journalism should pursue moral clarity without polemic, ensuring the audience is informed rather than manipulated.

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Conclusion
Journalism demands humility, responsibility, and courage. This code offers a vision of journalism as a moral covenant with the public—committed to truth, dignity, justice, and integrity.

This isn’t just an exercise in theory. If newsrooms (or readers) genuinely care about ethical journalism, why not start with a code like this, and then debate, refine and improve it? If we can’t, or won’t, we should at least be honest about why not.

But this isn’t only about journalism. Any profession or institution with an ethical code should ask: Why not even the playing field using a transparent, universal standard, flexible enough to adapt to the particular challenges in each field?

For example, there is plenty of discussion around medical ethics, but are there any standards (for example) on how doctors should deal with insurance companies that don’t want to pay for certain services that the doctor thinks are essential?

We can’t hope to become better people, or a better society, until we make a habit of actively seeking ways to improve. This kind of framework doesn’t just set the bar - it opens the door for real growth, honest critique, and maybe even a better world, across all disciplines.