What should journalists do to avoid compromising their integrity?

Maintaining transparency about any interests or favors is crucial for journalists to uphold their integrity. This means that journalists should openly disclose any potential conflicts of interest or personal relationships that could influence their reporting. By being transparent, journalists build trust with their audience, allowing readers to judge the credibility of the information presented. Such transparency helps to ensure that the journalist's work is perceived as fair, balanced, and ethical, thereby reinforcing the principles of honest reporting essential in journalism.

For example, if a journalist is covering a story about a corporation but has a financial interest in that corporation, disclosing this relationship allows the audience to critically assess the coverage. This ethical guideline is a fundamental part of journalism’s responsibility to provide accurate and unbiased information to the public.