"If we are to succeed, the trust of our readers, viewers and listeners is essential. The guidelines laid out here are intended to protect that trust – by guarding the accuracy, independence and integrity of our work; by helping staff members avoid conflicts of interest, or even the appearance of a conflict; and by ensuring that we do our journalism only for the benefit of our audience. The work of journalism has been drastically transformed in the two decades since the first version of these guidelines was published. Once-a-day print deadlines have been replaced by round-the-clock digital publication. New formats and tools – video, audio, interactive graphics, social media and more – give rise to new challenges and new questions. But the bedrock of our work remains the same: to seek the truth, without fear or favor.
This document has been updated to reflect the changing journalistic landscape, but the substance of our guidelines has not changed. These policies lay out broad principles, but no set of rules or guidelines can cover every situation, or substitute for the thoughtful judgment of Times journalists. We often encounter gray areas or competing principles – for example, balancing a subject’s wish for privacy with the reader’s right to know, or our desire to cultivate sources with the need to guard our independence.
In weighing such judgments, it can sometimes help to imagine the perspective of a fair-minded but skeptical reader. Imagine that this reader knows everything about how we reported, wrote, edited and presented a particular story: heard the conversations between reporter and source, and between reporter and editor; saw what was included and what was left out; was aware of any potential conflict of interest. If we laid out everything we did and every decision we made, would the reader trust our journalism more, or less? If there are aspects of our work that we would rather a reader not know, we may need to think again." (Introduction)