Codes and Ethics: Audience

Codes of ethics such as the SPJ’s are lists of normative values. Do these things. Don’t do these other things. Seek these outcomes. Avoid these other outcomes. Even though a very low percentage of professional journalists (i.e. they get a paycheck for doing it) belong to SPJ, they are all familiar with the code because the values it espouses are ubiquitous in the craft.

A code of ethics, to be of ...