Page:The Ethics of the Professions and of Business, with a supplement - Modern China and Her Present Day Problems.djvu/210

194 This code is evidence that newspapermen are striving along the same general directions of ethical progress as the industrial paper editors. The Oregon Code covers the following characteristics of good journalism: sincerity, truth, care, competency, thoroughness, justice, mercy, kindliness, moderation, conservatism, proportion, public service and social policy. The words listed epitomize the code, which has within it the whole philosophy of the profession, but which needs to be accompanied by a simplified version that can be read quickly and readily committed to memory.

Before closing, a word regarding the enforcement of the codes of ethics in industrial publishing seems needed to round out the subject. These codes are not police codes, as was pointed out earlier. However, as acceptance of them is a condition of membership in associations of industrial publishers, some way of rendering them effective in accomplishing their purpose is necessary.

The Associated Business Papers, Incorporated, has a Committee on Trade Practices, which receives and acts upon complaints of code violations. The causes of these complaints, however, can usually be removed by means of informal conferences under the auspices of the association's officers. The association also has a Committee on Standardization, which is endeavoring to outline practices in accordance with the code where questions arise affecting groups of papers. Further, the publications of the members are examined from time to time by a Committee of Editors, to detect violations of the code. The carrying out of all of this work is, of course, simplified by the watchfulness of competing papers with regard to each other's practices.

But, undoubtedly, the strongest influence in causing the business papers to adhere to the code, aside from their inherent desire to do so, is that their membership in the association publicly commits them to such adherence. When a paper is accepted for membership, it prints a full-page statement to this effect and includes the "Standards of Practice," so that there may be no doubt as to what the paper has undertaken to do. Moreover, to be admitted at all, a paper must already have established a reputation for fair dealing.

The New York Business Publishers' Association also has a committee to consider complaints of violation of their editorial code. This committee at present is not taking the initiative in the matter but stands ready to exert its influence to remedy any conditions which seem to justify such complaints.

The fact that the business paper publishers and editors, as well as the newspaper publishers and editors, are codifying the ethics of their business and profession indicates that this business and this profession have reached a state of development where there is a wealth of experience to be conserved and given tangibility. Only thus are creeds formulated, and a code of ethics is essentially a creed.

Coming back to the "Standards of Practice" of the Associated Business Papers, Incorporated, it may be well to point out that these serve several practical ends. They enable the publisher of the weak paper to determine wherein the weakness lies and to eliminate it, if this is possible. They stimulate the publisher of the strong paper to analyze his practices in order to detect the faults which prevent it from being even stronger. They safeguard all publishers against demands for