Editor and Publisher reports that the The Association of Health Care Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists have issued a joint warning to news outlets to avoid ethical problems related to news media publishing or broadcasting stories, reports, news releases and interviews prepared or paid for by hospitals.
"The ethics codes of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists call for fair and accurate reporting and editorial independence. But editorial cutbacks, along with pressure on hospitals to market profitable services, may be eroding these standards."
The statement sites examples of hospitals taking full editorial control of newspaper special health care supplements without carrying a full disclosure or broadcast segments with "hazing" branding or no branding at all.
Guidelines included:
- News organizations should fully disclose the source of any editorial information not independently gathered, whether video, audio, photograph or print material.
- News organizations should not run prepackaged stories produced by hospitals unless they are clearly and continuously labeled as advertisements.
- News organizations should not favor advertisers or sponsors over competing health-care providers when choosing sources or story topics and should strive to employ a wide variety of sources.
- News organizations should develop guidelines for the public disclosure of sponsors and advertisers.
- These guidelines should prohibit news personnel from appearing in or participating in sponsored programming or advertisements.
PRSA's code of Ethics include similar guidelines including:
- Be honest and accurate in all communications.
- Be honest and accurate in all communications.
- Reveal the sponsors for causes and interests represented.
- Disclose financial interest (such as stock ownership) in a client's organization.
- Avoid deceptive practices.
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