CODE OF ETHICS

A vigorous and courageous press is one of the guarantors of a democratic community. Therefore, The Inquirer has both the right and the obligation to pursue the truth, without bias or favor, in all matters of public interest and importance, believing that a fully informed populace is the best guarantee of freedom and justice.

The Inquirer is responsible to its readers for the accuracy and fairness of its work. We should, therefore, be as accessible tot hose readers as humanly possible. In all our contacts with members of the public, we should strive to let them know that we are seeking the truth, that we are open-minded, and that we want to listen to what they have to say.

With these principles as its guide, The Philadelphia Inquirer has established the following goals for members of the staff to follow in the performance of their duties. No statement can unerringly provide a rule for every situation. Therefore, staff members have a general obligation to discuss matters involving these principles with their supervisors. It is expected that a common understanding of these principles, and regular discussion of matters relating to them, will maintain an atmosphere that fosters the highest practicable standards of responsive and responsible journalism.

These guidelines cannot cover every situation that might arise, and they cannot substitute for a staff member's common sense and informed judgment under deadline pressure.

Conflicts of Interest

A staff member's foremost professional obligations are to The Inquirer. As employees of The Inquirer, staff members are obliged to make certain that no outside personal, philosophical or financial interests conflict with their professional performance of duties at The Inquirer. Additionally, staff members should avoid activity that could create the appearance of a conflict with those professional duties. All interpretations as to what conduct may be appropriate in a particular situation will stem from this fundamental premise.

Use of Inquirer connections -- Staff members should not use their positions at The Inquirer to seek any benefit or advantage in personal business, financial or commercial transactions not afforded to the public generally.

For example, it is improper for a staff member to write a letter of complaint to a merchant on Inquirer stationery. It is improper for staff members to refer to their Inquirer connection while attempting to purchase a personal item at a wholesale or reduced price. And it is clearly impermissible to use professional contacts to arrange any personal benefit, such as a college scholarship, awarded on the basis of political connections or personal influence.

Relationships -- A staff member should not write about, photograph or make news judgments about any individual related by blood or marriage or with whom the staff member has a close personal, financial or romantic relationship.

A staff member who is placed in a circumstance in which the potential for this kind of conflict exists should advise his or her department head.

Editors must not hire, use as free-lancers or otherwise pay their relatives or persons with whom they have a close relationship without the written approval of the executive editor or the managing editor.

Admissions -- We pay our own way. If it is newsworthy, we can afford it. Staff members who need to attend sports events, movies, theatrical productions, circuses, concerts, recitals, museums, exhibits, ice shows and other events for review purposes should pay for their tickets if possible; if not, they may accept a review ticket or seat.

Reporters and photographers assigned to cover spectator, sporting or political events may use such facilities as review seats, press boxes, press rooms and photo galleries in furtherance of the assignment. Where possible, The Inquirer will pay for such accommodations.

Other reporters, photographers and staff members may use such facilities when the access is necessary to develop information or skills. A sportswriter may need to observe an event, for example,to gather material or insight for future use. Supervisors are responsible for making certain that advantage is not being taken of such situations.

It is improper for staff members who are not assigned to such events and who cannot justify their attendance on other professional grounds to attend purely as non-paying spectators or to gain access to free meals provided by political or sports organizations sponsoring such events. This applies even when a theater or screening room is made available for review performances and a staff member is invited to use an otherwise empty seat. It also applies to the family and friends of staff members, regardless of whether the staff members involved are on assignment.

The cost of meals and nightclub admissions or cover charges incurred in the course of professional duties shall be paid by The Inquirer. Staff members may encounter situations in which it is socially awkward, or even impossible, to pay for a meal or entertainment; in such situations they should exercise good judgment in deciding how far to press an insistence on paying, with the clear understanding that such situations are rare.

Occasionally, someone may buy a staff member a drink. This is regarded as a simple courtesy, and the staff member should undertake at an appropriate opportunity to repay the courtesy.

Gifts -- Staff members do not accept business-connected gifts, free rooms, sample merchandise, special reduced rates, funds provided by gaming establishments and race tracks, or any other low-pay or no-pay arrangement.

Gifts of insignificant value -- a calendar, pencil, key chain or similar item sent out routinely by a corporation, for instance -- may be accepted if sending them back would be awkward. All other gifts, however, should be returned to the donor with the explanation that it is a violation of Inquirer policy to accept gifts.

Bottles of liquor or wine shall be considered gifts of more than token value and may not be kept.

When it is impractical to return a gift, the item is given to charity and the donor advised of the reason.

Travel -- Free or reduced-fare trips may not be accepted except in the most rare circumstances and then only with approval of the executive editor or the managing editor. Transportation necessary to the performance of a staff member's professional duties shall be paid for by The Inquirer in all possible cases, including transportation provided by government or military agencies.

Staff members should not use Inquirer connections to solicit junkets or special press rates for fares from airlines, auto-rental firms, hostelries, travel organizations and the like.

In an emergency situation, staff members are encouraged to use common sense and discretion with regard to travel arrangements. For example, if the only transit available to a disaster or military action was by army helicopter, a staff member trying to cover that story should use the transportation and inform a supervisor as soon as possible.

If an airline declines to accept payment for a so-called inaugural flight, the flight should not be taken.

Review books and recordings -- Books and recordings sent to The Inquirer for review purposes are accepted as news releases. They are not kept for the private use of Inquirer staff members, and they may not be sold for any reason or under any circumstances.

Individual books and recordings may be kept by the persons assigned to review them. If a distributor requests that a video tape be returned, we will do so.

A specialist on The Inquirer staff may retain works that might be of particular use as a reference.

Books and recordings that are not reviewed or that are returned to The Inquirer by the reviewer shall, because of the expense and difficulty of sending them back to the distributor, be made available to a public or charitable institution.

Books and recordings that are of insignificant value and are not desired by public or charitable institutions may from time to time be made available to anyone on the staff who wants them.

Computer materials -- Staff members should not make unauthorized copies of material for computers, including software and related documentation, that is write-protected, copyrighted or otherwise restricted.

Outside employment -- The first obligation of staff members is to perform the duties for which they are employed by The Inquirer. Any outside employment that would interfere with a staff member's duties for The Inquirer -- either because it would be time-consuming or because it might put the staff member in a conflict -- should not be undertaken.

Any regular or continuing employment for anyone other than The Inquirer should be reported in writing to the staff member's department head. Writing, editing or taking pictures for another local newspaper or local magazine is considered to be in conflict with duties for The Inquirer and should not be undertaken.

Work in publicity or public relations is not permissible.

Free-lancing -- Staff members may undertake free-lance writing, photography or editing for publications that are not in competition with The Inquirer so long as the assignment does not conflict with activities planned by or under way for The Inquirer.

Because The Inquirer competes with other publications on local, national and international levels, staff members should notify their department head of any free-lance undertaking.

Investments and personal business activities -- A staff member should not enter into a business relationship with a news source. A staff member should not invest in a business if the financial interest could be expected to come into conflict, or be perceived as being in conflict, with the staff member's duties.

Staff members with investments or stock holdings in corporations should not make news decisions that involve those corporations, and they should also be aware that an investment in a similar or competing company or field could constitute a conflict.

Although this guideline should not be considered a barrier against staff members' owning stock, investments in mutual funds might frequently be the better course. If staff members are assigned to, or find themselves covering, a story in an area where they have investments, they should immediately tell their department head and suggest that they disqualify themselves.

Advocacy -- Staff members should be careful not to offend or give wrong impressions to members of the public by blatantly espousing or expressing viewpoints on public issues. Such actions as wearing an antiwar button, publicly espousing a cause or festooning an Inquirer workspace with one side's placards during a campaign can create a perception, intended or not, of partiality.

Particularly, staff members should refrain from signing petitions or otherwise identifying themselves with public issues.

Political activity -- Staff members are encouraged, even urged, to exercise their franchise as citizens to discuss matters of public interest and to register and vote in referenda, primaries and general elections. But because their profession requires stringent efforts against partiality and perceived bias, staff members should not be involved in any political activity beyond that.

In no circumstance may a staff member work or act as an adviser, for pay or as a volunteer, in a political campaign or organization. Any request for a leave of absence to join in partisan activity will not be granted.

If a person to whom a staff member is related by blood or marriage, or a close friend, is involved in a political campaign or organization, the staff member should refrain from covering or making news judgments about that campaign or that issue.

There may be circumstances in which a staff member would feel compelled as a citizen to seek or hold public office -- such as on an elective or appointed school board. All such activity requires the prior knowledge of the executive editor or managing editor, and such activity would have to be totally isolated from responsibilities at The Inquirer.

Radio and television appearances -- Participation in public affairs programs on radio and television by Inquirer staff members is generally permissible. However, staff members should seek advance approval from an appropriate editor.

Staff members, whose work for The Inquirer is expected to meet high standards of fairness and impartiality, should demonstrate a comparable commitment to those standards when on the air.

A staff member should not enter into a commitment for regular involvement with a radio or television station or network without prior approval of the executive editor or managing editor.

Application -- These standards are applicable to staffers acting in the line of duty -- including editorial writers, columnists and critics -- and to everyone else whose work appears in The Inquirer, unless the advocacy nature of that work, as in the case of an op-ed piece by a partisan spokesman, is clearly identified.

Editors are expected to make free-lancers aware of these policies.

Courts and the Law

The U.S. Constitution provides for both freedom of the press and a fair trial for defendants. In those extraordinarily rare situations when those rights are perceived as being in conflict, The Inquirer takes the position that all other possible measures to ensure a fair trial must be found wanting before closing a judicial proceeding or subpoenaing a journalist should even be considered.

In principle, The Inquirer takes the following positions regarding the courts, lawyers and law enforcement authorities. The procedures to follow in many circumstances in these areas are detailed in the Pennsylvania First Amendment Coalition's Media Survival Kit, which each staff member receives. Everyone also receives a wallet card setting forth the procedure for objecting to a threatened closing of a courtroom. Staff members should follow the procedures outlined in the Media Survival Kit if any of the situations covered in it arise, and they should inform a supervisor at the earliest possible opportunity. Staff members covering New Jersey are given copies of the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate's pamphlet on the provisions of the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Law.

Court proceedings -- The press has a constitutional right to attend and report on court proceedings. A staff member who hears that a hearing is to be closed should object in writing and ask to be heard through counsel. If a staff member is present when a hearing is closed or a motion to close is made, he or she should object orally and ask to be heard through counsel before any closed proceeding begins.

Public records -- Public business should be open to the public's inspection. This position is substantially supported by the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, the Pennsylvania Open Records Act and the New Jersey public records law. Any denial of access to public documents or criminal records in violation of these statutes should be brought to the attention of the managing editor.

Public meetings -- The public has a right to know the formal actions of policy makers at every level of government and the discussions preceding such actions.

The new Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, effective Jan. 3, 1987, requires that agencies both deliberate and vote in public. This is a very important change. The old law had been interpreted to mean that an agency was required only to vote in public; thus, public officials often conducted their discussions in private, coming into public view only to vote. "Deliberation" is now defined as "the discussion of agency business held for the purpose of making a decision." That loose language was a compromise, designed to exempt from public view the very early stages of private conversation and informal discussion.

Although the new law is stronger than the old in terms of requiring public discussions, it also provides for a greater number of exceptions to the openness requirement. The law provides a greater number of reasons to conduct executive sessions (for example, to consider the purchase of real estate and to discuss pending or threatened litigation) and permits such sessions to interrupt an open meeting, or to be held at the end of a meeting or at an announced time in the future.

For the first time, the law specifically provides that recording devices may be used by persons attending the meetings, subject to the agency's rules for maintaining order.

In New Jersey, meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting the public is discussed or acted on must be open to the public. However, public bodies may vote to close a meeting to discuss such items as pending or anticipated litigation, collective bargaining negotiations, the purchase or lease of real estate and personnel matters.

Photographs in or near courtrooms -- Photographic coverage of court activities is a legitimate aspect of the press' right and obligation to report on judicial proceedings. However, Pennsylvania and federal courts restrict the taking of photographs, and Inquirer staff members are obliged to abide by these rules. In Pennsylvania state courts, photography is prohibited in the courtroom and in the area immediately surrounding the entrances and exits to the courtroom. In the federal court in Philadelphia, no cameras are permitted on the floor on which the courtroom is located. New Jersey court regulations generally allow camera coverage of courtroom proceedings. However, jurors, victims under 18 and witnesses under 14 may not be photographed, and juvenile and domestic relations cases are off-limits. A trial judge may prohibit cameras in other instances, but such a ruling can be appealed immediately.

Prior restraint -- One of the hallmarks of press freedom is the prohibition against judicial orders preventing publication of what transpires in open court. Any such order should be objected to immediately and promptly pursued by counsel.

Gag orders -- Judicial restrictions on participants' discussion of a case limit coverage of matters of public interest and importance. A staff member should object to such orders and ask to be heard through counsel before a gag order is imposed.

Search warrants -- Newsroom materials should be inviolate from government inspection. The U.S. Privacy Protection Act of 1980 reflects that position, protecting The Inquirer from searches by local, state or U.S. agencies except under extraordinary circumstances. A search warrant should be received only by the ranking editor, and further communication should be only between the editor and the officer in charge. Staff members should not attempt to interfere with the execution of a search warrant.

Recordings -- Pennsylvania law prohibits recording a telephone or face-to-face conversation without consent of all parties. New Jersey has no such prohibition, but staff members should generally inform anyone whom they wish to record.

Subpoenas and Confidentiality of Sources

Because they are both journalists and citizens, Inquirer staff members may, in rare instances, be confronted with a seeming conflict between their obligation as citizens to support the legal system and their responsibility as journalists to be, and to be perceived as being, neutral observers. Journalists should vigorously oppose participation in criminal or civil proceedings. Such participation destroys the journalist's ability to be an unbiased chronicler in each particular instance, and the cumulative effect of regular participation in court proceedings would severely damage the credibility of the press as a whole. Further, issuing subpoenas and requiring testimony needlessly undermines the press, because journalists rarely possess material central to a legal dispute that is not otherwise available.

In addition, the ability to assure the confidentiality of sources is so fundamental to the press' vigorous coverage of matters of public importance that the identity of such sources must be scrupulously protected.

The Pennsylvania First Amendment Coalition's Media Survival Kit discusses these matters at some length. The general principles include the following:

Shield laws and regulations -- Staff members should refuse to provide information or sources not already published. They have substantial protection against being required to make such disclosures.

The strong Pennsylvania shield law says that no journalist can be required to disclose the source of any information gathered for news purposes.

While less absolute, U.S. Justice Department regulations prohibit requests for disclosure of sources or information except under extraordinary circumstances.

In New Jersey, reporters cannot be compelled to testify at civil trials. In criminal trials a defendant, but not a prosecutor, can subpoena a reporter; the reporter's testimony is allowed only if the defendant can prove it is crucial and not available elsewhere.

Disclosing information -- A staff member should be careful not to disclose to a lawyer information that has not been published. Providing such information could result in the loss of legal privileges, and the lawyer might decide on the basis of such a conversation that the reporter should be subpoenaed.

Subpoenas -- Immediately report receipt of a subpoena to the managing editor, who will provide legal assistance. Once a journalist is subpoenaed, he or she may encounter requests for notes, tapes or even confidential sources. Thus, it is imperative that a staff member notify the managing editor if contacted by an attorney for either the prosecution or the defense, served with a subpoena, or informed that a subpoena has been issued or is about to be issued.

Libel

The law and the courts attempt to protect people from publication of material that, through falsity, blackens their reputation, exposes them to public contempt or ridicule, or injures their business or profession.

Service of a libel suit, or a threat of a libel suit, should be reported immediately to the managing editor.

The Pennsylvania First Amendment Coalition's Media Survival Kit, which every staff member is given, contains a discussion of libel law and newsroom procedures related to it. The principles behind that discussion include the following.

Provable truth is an absolute defense against libel action.

Fair and accurate coverage of judicial and legislative proceedings is protected.

In addition to being factually accurate, a story also should, taken as a whole, not be likely to leave a false impression in the minds of readers.

Headlines, photographs and captions also should not mislead and should attempt to avoid double meanings.

To protect robust debate on public matters, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public officials and public figures must show malice, defined as either a knowing falsity or a reckless disregard for the truth, to be successful in a libel action. However, in stories that involve private figures or lack a public controversy, the latitude permitted publications is narrowed, and recovery will be allowed for simple negligence. Public persons must prove falsity in all cases, and private individuals must prove falsity if the story involves a matter of public concern.

News Coverage

The Inquirer endeavors to provide its readers with comprehensive and fair coverage of matters of interest and importance on the local, state, regional, national and international levels. It believes it has a particular obligation to present information that provides the clarity and context that the public needs to assess governmental, commercial, artistic and civic endeavors and leaders.

Taken together, the guidelines in this manual reflect The Inquirer's desire to report the news in such a way that the reader can see it has been collected with care and presented with accuracy and fairness. To help assure that, it is the responsibility of editors and copy editors to regularly and routinely assess copy submitted for publication.

Comment -- As much as deadline pressures permit, we should seek to obtain comment from any individual or group that is prominently mentioned in news copy, in a favorable or an unfavorable context.

When a response is not included, we should let the reader know the precise reason, such as that the individual or group could not be located, did not answer the telephone, did not return calls or chose not to comment.

Sources -- The source and quality of the information that a newspaper presents to its readers cannot always be self-evident. Ideally, we like to give our readers the maximum possible indication of where information comes from so that they can assess its authority. Practically speaking, some people -- indeed, some institutions -- prefer to provide valuable information without taking credit or responsibility for being the source of it. We constantly weigh the value of information against an obligation to respect a confidence, and we often weigh it under the pressure of deadline.

The use of unnamed sources is a primary cause of public mistrust of the press and the information it provides. Therefore, unnamed sources should be used sparingly and in consultation with an editor. Quoting unnamed sources should not just be an easy alternative to documenting the information from the public record or seeking out someone willing to be named.

Anonymity should not be conferred on a source merely out of a staff member's presumption that the information provided by the individual is sensitive or that the individual would like to be anonymous. To the contrary, the assumption always should be made that information is fully on the record unless some other ground rule is clearly asserted and the information is accepted on that basis. If a source does request anonymity, the staff member and the source should agree on the following: what information may be attributed; what information is not to be attributed; what information is confidential; how the source is to be identified; that a supervising editor may know the identity of the source; and under what circumstances, if any, the identity of the source may be made public.

No set of guidelines can define situations in which less-than-complete sourcing is appropriate. However, the following approaches can help to illustrate the difficulties we face in striving to fully inform the reader:

-- Information that is not generally available should, if possible, clearly be from a reporter's own observations or should be attributed. A story should make it evident, for example, that a narrative of an event was reconstructed from later interviews or derived from documents.

-- Much routine information comes from government, law-enforcement, corporate or military press releases or from individuals who are merely conduits of information and in many cases are prohibited by policy from providing their names. The nature of the information -- an announcement of a grant being approved, a corporate annual report, the condition of someone hospitalized after an accident and the like -- is noncontroversial, so the specific identity of the person releasing the information is of little consequence. In these kinds of circumstances, it is sufficient to say "police said," "Sen. Brown's office announced" or "in a press release."

-- It is common diplomatic practice not to permit the use of an official's name and, in many cases, identify the nation he or she represents. Because the practice is so widespread, and because the wire services in particular depend upon diplomats in many foreign locations to provide information about natural disasters or political upheaval, we have little choice but to publish such information without a precise identification of its source. A generic description, such as "according to a Western diplomat," may have to suffice.

-- Unfortunately, it is a common practice in Washington for high-level policy makers to talk to the press under a variety of rules concerning attribution. Sometimes, the information is obviously important; other times, it is an apparent trial balloon; in still others,it might simply be self-serving politically. Because we can scarcely deny our readers this information, we often must accept such arrangements regretfully and give our readers as much definition of the source as the ground rules will allow. It may be useful to cite reasons why the unidentified source might have wanted the information to become public, such as to affect a policy debate or as a consequence of political conflict.

-- In stories in which a person or organization is the focus of in-depth reporting, the use of unnamed sources frequently plays an important role. In such cases, the importance of the information or the sensitive position of the source may warrant the use of material when it is not possible to identify the source by name and qualifications. In such circumstances, we must enter carefully into arrangements to protect such sources and also give the reader as much information as possible as to the nature of each source.

Because such terms as "background" and "off the record" often are used differently, reporters should make sure that they and their sources agree on the ground rules. Usually, the meaning of these terms is: not for attribution -- the statements may be quoted directly but the source must not be named; background -- the general thrust of the statements may be used but they may not be quoted directly, and the source must not be named; deep background -- only the general thrust of the statements may be used and no indication of a source is permitted; off the record -- the information may be used only for the reporter's understanding or perspective and may not be used in a story.

Reporters must be free to use their judgment in granting confidentiality to a source of information. However, it is important to keep in mind that the agreement of confidence is between the source and the newspaper. An editor has the right to know with whom the confidence is made and will share the commitment to keep the confidence.

In using information provided by a source, the reader should be given the maximum amount of guidance possible. For example, it is preferable to attribute to "an official in the mayor's office" or to "a senior law enforcement official" rather than to "a source."

If an unnamed source is quoted making a derogatory statement about a person or an organization, the comment should be one that enhances the public's understanding of a crucial issue. Here, reporters and editors should apply additional safeguards: The statement should be corroborated by public record or by named sources, or the source should have a record of reliability as well as knowledge of the facts. Of course, as with all critical comments, the object of the criticism should be sought out to be given an opportunity to respond if possible.

Anonymous principals -- The credibility of a news or feature story is most severely tested when a principal figure in the story is nameless or pseudonymous.

Do not build a story around an unnamed or pseudonymous individual except on the approval of the executive editor or managing editor. In such a case, the technique will be disclosed prominently, along with the reason for the technique if that is not obvious.

Composite characters -- It is never permissible to use a character in a story who does not exist or who is fashioned from the combined characteristics of two or more people.

Quotations -- We are confronted with two conflicting goals when using direct quotations. Although a person's words should be recorded verbatim insofar as it is humanly possible, it is equally important to refrain from using quotations in a manner that could seem critical or condescending.

Generally, direct quotations are not altered in the editing process. The color of informal speech is one of the reasons for using quotations and should be retained. However, there are occasions when retaining informal and colloquial speech is important for reasons of color and accuracy, and there are occasions when that would be unnecessarily demeaning.

Minor grammatical errors are repaired in those cases when a highly desirable direct quotation would be confusing or would make the speaker look foolish.

News about The Inquirer -- We strive to be observers of the news rather than participants. There are exceptions, however; for example, when the newspaper takes legal action to prevent the closing of a courtroom or of a meeting of a public agency, when major Inquirer or Philadelphia Newspapers personnel changes occur, and when The Inquirer or its staff members are the recipients of awards.

Articles or pictures involving The Inquirer and its staff members must be approved by the executive editor or the managing editor or, in their absence, the editor in charge.

Articles and pictures about Inquirer winners of journalism awards and about the appointment of executives of Inquirer news and editorial departments and Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. normally appear on Page 2-A. Articles about Inquirer journalism award winners also name other journalists in The Inquirer coverage area who won equivalent awards. We publish a complete list of winners in state and regional contests.

Pictures of Inquirer staff members or of their families should not be used to illustrate articles that can as appropriately be illustrated with pictures of members of the public.

The name of the newspaper should not intrude into news stories; for example, such statements as "The Inquirer learned" and "told The Inquirer" should be reserved for situations in which it is necessary to distinguish statements made by the same person in different situations.

Other news organizations -- Information from other newspapers or from broadcast agencies that is to be published in The Inquirer must either be verified or attributed to the newspaper or station.

Articles concerning another news organization's exclusive story and reports of responses to it are published only on the approval of the executive editor or managing editor or, in their absence, of the editor in charge.

The originating news organization is credited by name if its story was the result of an extensive investigation or if the primary source cannot be interviewed by The Inquirer. Avoid such terms as "published reports," "a suburban weekly" or "a community newspaper."

When a principal is quoted as categorically denying another news organization's report, the reporter or supervising editor of the organization should be given an opportunity to comment on the denial.

Plagiarism -- In constructing a story or a column, a writer should be careful not to use someone else's analyses, interpretations or literary devices, such as distinctive descriptive phrases, unless they are clearly attributed.

Deception -- Impersonation undermines the trust that should be implicit in our relationship with the public. Although no guideline can be drawn that would clearly distinguish between enterprise and deception, the use of entrapment or criminal methods to develop a story cannot be condoned. There has been much debate over the appropriateness of such undercover newsgathering activities as the Chicago Sun-Times' Mirage Bar and a reporter's masquerading as a prison inmate or mental patient. In rare instances, such methods might be the only way to handle an important story. Staff members may not embark upon such an activity alone. Any such operation would be a project undertaken by The Inquirer, after detailed discussion and with the express approval of the executive editor or the managing editor.

Privacy -- Most of the people mentioned in the news columns are public officials, whose official activities are legally the subject of scrutiny, or public figures, who often seek out publicity. However, private citizens who have not sought public notice are frequently surprised, and sometimes upset, when they are approached by reporters or find themselves written about. This is especially true in tragic situations. Staff members should approach stories with both a desire to inform the public and compassion for the individuals involved.

A private citizen who is thrust unwittingly and unwillingly into a public situation is likely to be unfamiliar with news-gathering practices. Staff members should clearly identify themselves when approaching such inexperienced people and treat them with courtesy.

Relatives of public officials and public figures are sometimes newsworthy solely because of their family position. Such stories can, however, be overdone. They should be handled thoughtfully and not be simply voyeuristic.

When it is decided that a person in a news story should not be named, such as a rape victim or a witness in possible danger, care should be taken not to identify the person through other specific references, such as home address, place of work or school attended.

A person's mental or physical infirmities, sexual preference or the like generally should not be referred to unless it is relevant to the story.

Obscenity -- Our policy on the use of profanity, obscenity and blasphemy is based on the premise that The Inquirer should appeal to the widest possible audience. Unlike movies, whose rating system warns potential viewers of the kind of language they will be exposed to,newspapers should offer a G-rated product every day. It is true, of course, that society's attitudes are changing and that we now freely use some language that a few years ago was thought to be too frank.Still, there is a danger of being more tolerant than our audience as a whole; we should carefully monitor the use of profanity, obscenity and blasphemy and restrict it to extraordinary circumstances.

Central to any decision is this question: Is an important journalistic purpose served by the use of the questionable language?The harsher the language, the more important and serious our purpose must be.This means that we have to refrain from publishing some quotations that we ourselves would find funny; in the interest of simply entertaining our readers, we should not resort to language that might offend many of them.

This is an area in which only the broadest sort of guidelines can apply. A word or phrase that may be used in one context maybe entirely objectionable in another. When in doubt about whether any language is appropriate, ask for guidance. The practice of referring those decisions helps maintain uniform standards throughout the paper.The following guidelines are intended to help editors make decisions in this area.

The use of any questionable language is almost exclusively limited to quoted material. It should be rare indeed that our own writers employ it.

Generally, if a news subject utters profanity, obscenity or blasphemy when no one is present but one or two reporters, we will not use it. The decision becomes more difficult when the number of listeners is larger and the personage of the speaker more important. When President Carter said in public of a potential campaign opponent, "I'll whip his ass," that was deemed to be a situation in which the verbatim quotation was justified.

Sometimes language that is not in itself profane, obscene or blasphemous might be objectionable on the ground of taste. On the other hand, we should not hesitate to write in clinical terms on matters pertaining to human anatomy, sex and excretory functions when relevant to the news.

In most cases, when language is deleted from a quotation,an ellipsis will be inserted to indicate that something is missing.Occasionally -- and on approval of a ranking editor -- it is permissible to suggest the word or phrase by using the first letter of the word followed by an em dash. The use of "bleep" and "bleeping" as substitutes for profanity is restricted to the sports pages. Most decisions concerning the use of questionable language should be resolved by departmental editors and copy- chiefs. These line editors may determine when circumstances warrant the use of expletives such as "hell" and "damn." Line editors may also authorize the use of such terms as "goddamn," "son of a bitch" and "bastard" when the speaker is a reasonably important person, the audience is a fairly substantial one, or the quotation is in a long, serious piece in a section of the paper such as Review and Opinion or Inquirer Magazine. When the circumstances are not clear-cut, or if stronger language or a question of taste is involved, the executive editor or managing editor must be consulted.In the absence of these editors, the editor in charge must be consulted. Hard-core obscenities such as "shit," "fuck," "piss," "cocksucker,""motherfucker" and their variations may be used only by express approval of the executive editor or the managing editor.

Missing persons -- Given the volume of missing-persons cases in the metropolitan area, it is unrealistic for us to report each instance of a disappearance. Editors should, however, be alert to those missing-persons cases that merit news coverage because of their circumstances, such as an individual who is in need of special medication, the disappearance of a child so young it is not likely he or she chose to become a runaway, or a community mounting a search effort that is itself noteworthy.

Bylines -- A byline credits the staff member who did the bulk of the reporting or writing involved in the story. In some cases it is appropriate to have two or three names in a byline to credit the efforts of several reporters. If more than three staff members were involved, those who shared in the effort but did not contribute the bulk of the work should be credited in an italic note following the story.

Datelines -- A dateline on a bylined story means that the reporter, or one of the reporters if it is a multiple byline, actually was at the place named in the dateline and provided a substantial part of the information in the story. A story based on information gathered by long-distance telephone may carry a byline or a dateline, but not both.

Polls -- A story about a poll should give the readers enough information to assess the validity of the poll.

The story should contain most or all of the following information:the size of the sample, when the poll was conducted, how it was conducted(by phone, in person, by mail), who paid for it, the allowance for sampling error, the wording of the questions, and whether any of the results were based on a subdivision of the sample, such as only those voters who recognized a certain candidate's name.

Because straw polls represent only the attitudes of those included in the poll, stories about them should clearly note that the results are not a scientific appraisal of public opinion.

First-day ledes -- The lede of a news story is based on the most important development to occur since The Inquirer last published anything on the subject. In determining what that development is, we disregard what other news media have reported. This is not to say we imagine that our readers live in a vacuum. Timeliness should be taken into account in providing balanced, up-to-date coverage and in determining the play of a non-major story.

One of the most important and sensitive topics covered by newspapers is crime news. It provides a mirror of the community,and it deals with matters that can have a substantial impact on both the accused and the victim. The dual considerations of fairness to the accused and the need of the community to be informed should guide all decisions concerning coverage of crime.

The following guidelines apply to the coverage of crime in the main sections of The Inquirer.

Attribution -- News accounts of a crime that was not witnessed by a staff member should be attributed.

A long narrative description attributable to a single source may be preceded by such a reference as "Sgt. Smith gave the following account." However, a specific accusation of wrongdoing within the narrative should be explicitly attributed. For instance: "Sgt. Smith said Jones shot Miller three times...."

Presumption of innocence -- In keeping with the constitutional guarantee of the presumption of innocence until guilt is proven, care should be taken not to convict the accused. Therefore, we should not identify the accused as "the robber," and we should be careful to note that the individual has been charged, not convicted.

In pretrial coverage, we should be careful that such literary techniques as anecdotal or narrative ledes and descriptive passages do not in themselves indicate that the accused is guilty.

However, in extraordinary cases of highly public crime, witnessed by several people and with the identity of the perpetrator universally accepted, use of the term "suspect" and convoluted attempts to separate the accused from the crime are unnecessary. Such treatment should be approved by the executive editor or managing editor or, in their absence, by the editor in charge.

Addresses -- Victims, witnesses to crimes, accused persons and jurors can be subjected to harassment. Therefore, we do not generally give exact addresses, but use more general references, such as "Broad Street near Callowhill Street," "the 200 block of Pine Street," or, especially for a short street, "Emery Lane, Phoenixville." Exceptions should be approved by the executive editor or managing editor or, in their absence, by the editor in charge.

Rape victims -- The name of a rape victim generally is not published except as determined by the executive editor or managing editor or, in their absence, by the editor in charge.

Juveniles -- Because The Inquirer customarily covers only crimes of special importance or unusual violence, it is important that the public be informed of the identity of the accused, regardless of age. In crimes of this nature, the service to the community of full coverage far outweighs any realistic expectation that not naming the accused would assist in his or her eventual rehabilitation. Therefore, the name of a person under 18 accused of a crime is to be published except as determined by the executive editor or managing editor or, in their absence, the editor in charge.

Care should be exercised in deciding whether to identify a juvenile victim. It is useful to bear in mind that in coverage of family crime or violence -- such as child abuse -- identification of an adult could effectively identify a juvenile victim who is related to the adult.

Withheld names -- If the identity of a victim or an accused is withheld from publication, we will state who withheld the identity and why, including cases when The Inquirer does so.

Reporting a criminal record -- When we refer to an individual's criminal record, it is insufficient to report arrests without also reporting the current status (convicted, acquitted or pending) of each charge or, when necessary, stating that it was not possible to determine the status of the case.

Crime news in Neighbors -- The above guidelines for coverage of crime may not always be appropriate to Neighbors, because of the more narrowly defined circulation area of the Neighbors sections and because items of less seriousness are regularly reported in the police blotters.

Police blotters list all reports of or arrests in cases of murder, rape, arson, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, major weapons offenses, extortion, embezzlement, fraud, drug offenses involving more than possession of two ounces of marijuana, thefts of more than $200, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, fires, and traffic accidents involving injury, unusual damage or substantial disruption of traffic. Misdemeanors are not published unless they are of extraordinary interest.

The names of juveniles accused of crimes are not carried in the police blotter. However, if an incident is serious enough to warrant a separate story, the juvenile's name should be used.

Use these guidelines in identifying victims of crimes in blotters listings: Except under such circumstances as the theft of house keys, the victim is always named. When the crime occurs at the victim's home, the street and block number are published. When the crime occurs away from home, such as a robbery or auto theft at a shopping mall, only the victim's home town is published.

Corrections and Clarifications

The Inquirer strives to be as fair and accurate as possible in its news coverage. When we have determined that a factual error has been published, we promptly and forthrightly correct it. A "Clearing the record" notice also may be used to clarify published statements that, while technically not in error, might have been confusing or misleading.

In an effort to get answers for readers who call or write us with complaints or questions about what has been published, The Inquirer has created the position of ombudsman. This editor works with staff members and their supervising editors to obtain those answers, which in turn might result in the publication of corrections or clarifications. The ombudsman will report to senior editors regularly and to the staff from time to time on the tenor of reader comments. It is not the function of the ombudsman, however, to serve as a press critic.

One of the duties of the ombudsman is to review with the originating desk any letter offered for publication that takes issue with the accuracy of our reporting.

An allegation of factual error or unfairness in the news columns should be treated seriously and referred promptly to the appropriate assigning editor.

Corrections take two forms:

-- A separate notice, usually under the standing headline "Clearing the record," and followed by this statement of policy: "It is the intention of The Inquirer that its news reports be fair and correct in every respect. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, write to Ombudsman, The Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia 19101, or call 854-2425 between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays." Generally, errors in general news are corrected on Page2-A; those in subject areas such as sports, business, obituaries and entertainment are corrected on pages in those departments.

-- A parenthetical paragraph inserted into a new story on the same subject.

All corrections are approved by the managing editor or, in his absence, the editor in charge. The assigning editor should always determine the reason for the error; this could result in a refinement in procedure to reduce the possibility that the same mistake will be made again.

When a factual error results in a possibility of libel, the newspaper's attorneys should be consulted in the phrasing of the correction.

These guidelines should be considered in writing corrections:

State the facts as simply as possible. The error should not be repeated unless needed for clarity. If the wrong date for a performance was published, it serves no purpose to repeat the error. On the other hand, it frequently helps to explain the correction by stating how the original story was wrong.

Provide enough detail to enable a reader to understand the correction without having read the original story.

Tell when the error was published. Examples: "Yesterday's Inquirer" or "the May 2 issue of The Inquirer" when the error appeared in the entire press run, or "in an early edition of Friday's Inquirer" if the error appeared only in one edition.

Do not write "The Inquirer regrets the error." Generally, we prefer to regard an apology as implicit.

Corrections do not attempt to ascribe blame within The Inquirer.

Contests

The Inquirer believes it is beneficial to the newspaper and to the staff, collectively and individually, when the quality of our work is recognized by responsible and respected organizations. Accordingly, we undertake a program of entering staff-produced work in selected journalism contests. Entries are prepared by the executive editor's office and are reviewed by the executive editor.

The list of approved contests may be obtained from the managing editor. Any staff member who believes a contest should be added to or deleted from the list should make the case in writing to the executive editor.

In determining which contests to enter, we seek to avoid the possibility that the newspaper or its staff will be exploited by the companies or organizations that run journalism contests primarily to benefit themselves. Therefore, The Inquirer does not participate in any contest that seems designed substantially to foster a product or organization.

Several factors are considered in evaluating contests and awards. They include:

-- The name or purpose of the contest should not have the potential of gaining particular advantage for the sponsor or any narrow special interest it might promote, and the name should not imply a bias.

-- The contest should disclose the names and affiliations of the judges and the basis for their selection. Judges of a regional contest should be from outside that geographical area. Generally, journalists should be substantially represented on the judging panel.

-- The judging of the contest should be insulated from the sponsoring organization.

-- Entry fees should be minimal, sufficient to cover only legitimate administrative expenses.

-- It is acceptable to permit a contest's sponsoring organization or foundation to underwrite the cost of winners' attendance at an awards ceremony. We would decline to accept expenses if paid directly by a commercial sponsor.

The executive editor's approval is required for a staff member to serve as a contest judge or in any other capacity relating to a contest, or to accept an award for which neither the staff member nor The Inquirer submitted an entry.

Articles about the winning of awards by Inquirer staff members or free-lancers must be cleared with the managing editor or the executive editor. The content and placement of such stories are covered in "News about The Inquirer."