Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT

Issued June 1975, by the publishers.

This code of ethics has been drawn to provide guidance to Register and Tribune staff members and to inform the public of our policies
All of us as members of the press have operated under OUT own codes of ethics. In some cases the individual codes may be more stringent than what follows here, but this code at least will give us all the same minimum guidelines.
As statements of general principle in this code of ethics, the following are offered:
That an individual's own good judgment and integrity are the keystones of this code because it would be impossible to spell out every single question that might arise as the result of adopting such a code.
That our management and employees must remain free of obligation to any special interests. That this statement means avoiding all possible conflicts of interest, or even the appearance thereof.
That the public must be assured that our writers, photographers and editors are beholden to no one; that they are devoted only to the truth.
That this code of ethics applies to all editorial employees of the Des Moines Register and Tribune, beginning at the office of editor and going down through every other newsroom employee and members of our news bureaus.

MEALS
This code of ethics will continue the present company policy of having staff members pay for their own meals. There are times when it may be impossible to pay for the meal beforehand or at the time. In these instances, the staff member shall see that appropriate payment is sent later.

TRAVEL
The company policy in this area has been clear in the past-pay our own way. This will continue to be our policy. There are times when staffers ride with sports teams on chartered aircraft, or with public officials on military aircraft, or in chartered private aircraft with a political figure. On such occasions the company will send a check covering our staffers' share of the transportation.

TICKETS
It will be our policy that no staffers' accept any free ticket to any event except working press credentials which give assigned reporters and photographers access to otherwise restricted areas. This detailed breakdown is offered on the matter of tickets:
Movies, concerts, plays, club shoes etc. If a reviewer is sent, he will buy a ticket and have the company pay for it. No other staff member will accept either free tickets or passes to shows.
Sports tickets- No free sports tickets or passes will be accepted, except for working press credentials which give assigned reporters and photographers access to otherwise restricted areas. If the editors feel other tickets are needed for use by sports desk personnel or for sports writers who want to watch teams in games other than when they are covering them, the tickets will be purchased by the sports department.

GIFTS
Staff members will not accept gifts or discounts offered because of the employee's connection with the newspaper. Gifts shall either be returned to the donor or turned over to charity.

BOOKS AND RECORDS
Free books and record albums will not be solicited. Those unsolicited books and albums received will either be given to a reviewer as compensation for the review or be sold at an employee's sale with the proceeds going for charitable purposes

OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT AND ACTIVITIES
No one shall be active in any group or organization or hold outside employment when such activity may bring the employee into a possible conflict of interest with his job at the Register and Tribune.
This will mean that no employee will hold membership on boards of directors of corporations or assume leadership or activist roles on boards of organizations about which this employee might be called upon to write stories, take pictures, edit copy or make editorial judgments.
Politics is an area where particular care will be needed. Nothing in this code is intended to prohibit voting or membership in a political party. However, working for a candidate or party would be a clear conflict of interest for almost any staff member, and certainly would give at least the appearance of a conflict of interest.
No employee will produce material-free or for pay-for an individual or an organization if such work puts the employee in conflict of interest with these newspapers.
Free-lancing will be allowed as long as the buyer is not in direct competition with the Register and Tribune or if no other conflict of interest exists. If, in the course of free-lancing, a person uncovers a significant news angle not previously reported by the Register and Tribune, these newspapers will have first chance to publish this fresh material.
There is a flat rule against any employee producing publicity material for a public official, politician, government agency or sports team.
No one shall accept pay for appearing on a radio or television program if the sponsoring body is an agency or organization that the individual might be covering or if being paid would constitute a conflict of interest.
No one shall accept pay for making a personal appearance or a speech before any group when that group is within the staff member's assigned area of coverage, editing or editorial judgment, or if being paid would constitute a conflict of interest.
Nor shall any staff member make public statements of opinion that will compromise that staff member's creditability on the job.
No staff member shall hold financial interests, which can be influenced by his writing or editing. For example, no reporter or editor who regularly handles the writing and editing of the stock market, commodities or real estate shall be the owner of a stock, commodity or real estate which might be so influenced.
Nothing in this code is intended to prohibit the holding of financial interests, which do not constitute a conflict of interest.
While acting as a private citizen, no employee shall use his employment at the Register and Tribune as a means to solicit special consideration or treatment.

CONTESTS
Staff members shall not enter contests sponsored by special interest groups whose philosophies pose a real or apparent conflict with the fairness of the newspaper or of the individual employee. In general, therefore, employees shall avoid contests other than those sponsored and judged by recognized journalism organizations, academic departments of journalism or photography associations.