The Society of Professional Journalists is undertaking its first revision of its century-old voluntary ethics code since 2014, responding to artificial intelligence, misinformation, the expansion of independent and creator journalism, and declining public confidence in the news media. The proposed 967-word code preserves its four longstanding principles—seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent—while strengthening expectations surrounding verification, fabricated content, source transparency and personal responsibility. Rather than mentioning artificial intelligence specifically, the draft establishes the broader principle that journalists remain responsible for accuracy and fairness regardless of the technologies they use. The revision also attempts to make ethical standards relevant to freelancers, citizen journalists, influencers and other independent news creators operating outside traditional newsrooms. The proposal remains voluntary, however, leaving credibility dependent ultimately on whether journalists and news organizations actually practice the standards they profess.
Key Takeaways
- The proposed ethics code explicitly rejects technology as an excuse for inaccurate or unfair journalism, placing responsibility for AI-assisted work on the journalist rather than the software or platform used.
- The revision reflects a dramatically altered media landscape in which roughly one-third of surveyed reporting journalists have been freelance or self-employed, while independent creators and influencers increasingly compete with traditional news organizations for audiences.
- The effort comes amid a serious credibility problem: 2026 international research found overall trust in news at 37 percent, while only 25 percent of Americans surveyed said they trusted news most of the time, underscoring the difficulty of restoring confidence through voluntary ethical standards alone.
In-Depth
The Society of Professional Journalists is preparing the first revision of its voluntary Code of Ethics since 2014, acknowledging that journalism now operates in an environment transformed by artificial intelligence, independent creators, misinformation and declining public confidence. The proposed code retains four traditional principles: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent.
The most consequential change may be its insistence that technology cannot become an excuse for journalistic failure. The draft says speed, technology and medium do not excuse inaccuracy or unfairness, placing responsibility on journalists regardless of the tools they employ. Significantly, it does not specifically name AI, making the principle applicable to future technologies.
That standard arrives at an uncomfortable moment. Research released this year found trust in news at weak levels internationally, with American confidence low. Meanwhile, AI-generated material can cheaply imitate legitimate reporting, fabricate convincing images and flood audiences with information whose origins are difficult to determine.
The code also recognizes that journalism is no longer confined to conventional newsrooms. Freelancers, citizen journalists, influencers and independent creators perform functions once dominated by institutional media. Extending ethical expectations to this universe is sensible, but the code remains voluntary and unenforceable.
That limitation matters. Ethical language cannot restore credibility by itself. Trust ultimately depends on conduct: accurate reporting, transparent sourcing, independence, corrections and accountability when errors occur. AI makes those obligations more important, not less. The profession’s challenge is not merely rewriting its rules, but demonstrating that those rules govern its behavior.
Sources
- https://www.spj.org/spj-ethics-committee-proposes-revisions-to-code-of-ethics/
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/04/us-journalists-beats-vary-widely-by-gender-and-other-factors/
- https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2026/dnr-executive-summary
- https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2026/emerging-uses-ai-chatbots-news-and-what-it-means-journalism
- https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/press-councils-frontline-updating-ethical-standards-journalism-ai-age-south-east-europe