Starting with Ethics

If we start with a strong foundation of ethics, decision making will be easier. It won't always be easy, but it will be easier. We all have a moral compass to help guide us in our personal lives, and so, too, it should help guide us in our professional lives. A professional code of ethics also should be our guide. The SPJ Code of Ethics is a good place to start. Keep it close. Find a favorite passage.
My favorite passage: minimize harm.
In my 20-plus years as a daily journalist, those two words always reminded me of the weighty responsibility borne by journalists.