ethics


Ethics council chair Chris Frost explains the union’s code of conduct


Not just


holier than thou A


letter-writer to The Journalist once wondered if the union’s code of conduct had ever been enforced or if


its principles were merely “virtue signalling”– an attempt to display the NUJ’s moral superiority. It’s an important question. Professional ethical conduct has been part of the NUJ’s work since it was founded in 1907. Most of us believe a responsible media that aims to give its public accurate, balanced information to help them make decisions is crucial to a free, democratic society. This makes the professional performance of members a concern for the whole union. Professional conduct concerns the defence and promotion of the principles and practice of journalism, as outlined in the union’s code, alongside the defence and promotion of freedom of the press, broadcasting, speech and information. The union introduced its first code of


conduct in 1936. That early code was a mixed document covering working practices and moral concerns such as behaviour to other union members, colleagues and employers, as well as professional standards. Members should “do nothing that would bring discredit on himself, his Union, his newspaper, or his profession”. The clauses concerning colleagues


are now included in a rule about membership responsibilities, leaving the code of conduct governing professional behaviour. It became the


24 | theJournalist


12-point code that all members now sign up to on joining the union. This code is overseen and policed by the ethics council. This comprises elected members from all industrial sections of the union and representatives from diversity councils. These bodies were set up in the late 1980s when the union left the Press Council, of which it had been a founding member, over its inability to limit the excesses of some of the UK media. The ethics council was set up to assess complaints from the public about alleged breaches of the code and recommend penalties to the national executive committee. It dealt with a rising number of complaints, approaching 200 a year. Thatcher’s attacks on unions meant


that public complaints became severely damaging to the union. This was partly because of the high cost of running the council as a public complaints body at a time of serious financial pressure, and partly because union solidarity was being damaged as members had started to see the ethics council as a hostile star chamber. The NUJ delegate meeting in 1991 decided the ethics council should instead concentrate on education and the promotion of good practice. The ethics council is the same today,


although the code has been through a rewrite and several clauses added. The code is for journalists rather than publishers or broadcasters, so many members need to use the NUJ’s code alongside those of organisations such


“ ”


The ethics council’s work is important in assisting members produce responsible journalism


as the BBC, Ofcom, IPSO or Impress. However, if members follow the NUJ code, they are unlikely to be in breach of other organisations’ codes. The ethics council still polices the


code, taking complaints from members about those who may have breached it. It meets to discuss ethical issues and does its best to advise members, union councils and the national executive committee. It also campaigns, involving the government, select committees and international bodies, on journalism ethics and standards. The council keeps up to date; new guidance on social media ethics will shortly be added to the website, for example. Council members are involved in


journalism training, working with colleges to emphasise the importance of journalistic standards and the role the union plays in upholding them. As chair, I am always happy to speak


at branch meetings and offer advice, as are other members of the council. We also run the ethics hotline – a phone and email service that allows members to discuss ethical issues. Students regularly contact the hotline seeking help with their work. I believe the ethics council’s work is


important in assisting members produce responsible journalism. Delegate meetings regularly call on the ethics council and the national executive committee to remind members of the code.


Chris Frost is chair of the NUJ’s ethics council


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