Seek truth
Do more than quote both sides. Find records, test claims, and explain what the evidence shows.
THE BASIC JOB
Journalistic ethics
A newspaper should tell the truth, reduce needless harm, stay independent, and own its mistakes. In this classroom scenario, the campaign argues that Spec is falling short.
Minimize harm
Protect vulnerable sources. Think before identifying people who could face discipline, harassment, or retaliation.
Act independently
Question Columbia, donors, activists, unions, and public officials with the same seriousness. Access is not accountability.
Be accountable
Correct errors clearly. Explain difficult choices. Answer criticism. Return to stories after attention moves on.
Can a paper be independent if Columbia supports its space?
For this fictional exercise, the campaign imagines a Form 990 showing that the newspaper does not pay market rent for its campus space. The simulation treats that support as a reason to ask harder questions about independence.
Invented scenario: this is not a claim about an actual filing or lease. Subsidized space, by itself, would not prove editorial control.
What independence should look like
Publish the arrangement. Explain the safeguards. Disclose material support. Show readers—through consistent reporting—that access, money, and facilities do not soften scrutiny.
Read the Society of Professional Journalists’ ethics guidance. It is guidance, not an enforceable rulebook.