Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American journalists have argued that they have been disproportionately confined by - even disciplined over - policies that limit personal expression. While the country was experiencing widespread calls for institutions of all kinds to reckon with systemic racism, newsrooms were facing internal pressure. ![]() "Our goal was to make NPR a place that employees felt they could be themselves at work, and they wouldn't have to be one version of themselves outside of work and another version at work," said Alex Goldmark, senior supervising producer for Planet Money and co-chair of the 22-member committee that handled the revision. In the wake of George Floyd's murder, a younger generation of journalists pushed NPR to modify its traditional prohibitions. As social justice causes took to the platforms, journalists were often caught in a new gray area between longtime professional practices and mores around personal communication. This pressure on news companies to allow their journalists a wider berth to participate in civic activities has been building over the years, particularly as social media has made direct engagement with audiences - sometimes rich, sometimes messy - part of the day-to-day workflow. This policy confronts the generations-old question in newsrooms: Where does the journalist end and the citizen begin? When taking a public stance makes it harder for other NPR journalists to do their jobs, there is an expectation that the journalism will take precedence. Other events featuring a slate of political candidates from one party are also out of bounds.Įven when NPR journalists can legitimately participate in a civic event, the new policy asks them to consider how their participation will impact their colleagues. However, rallies organized to support a specific piece of legislation would be off-limits. Protests organized with the purpose of demanding equal and fair treatment of people are now permitted, as long as the journalist asking is not covering the event. Is it OK to march in a demonstration and say, 'Black lives matter'? What about a Pride parade? In theory, the answer today is, "Yes." But in practice, NPR journalists will have to discuss specific decisions with their bosses, who in turn will have to ask a lot of questions. The new NPR policy reads, "NPR editorial staff may express support for democratic, civic values that are core to NPR's work, such as, but not limited to: the freedom and dignity of human beings, the rights of a free and independent press, the right to thrive in society without facing discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, disability, or religion." ![]() NPR's current ethics policy was first drafted in the early 2000s, and then given an overhaul in 2010-2011. The new policy eliminates the blanket prohibition from participating in "marches, rallies and public events," as well as vague language that directed NPR journalists to avoid personally advocating for "controversial" or "polarizing" issues. NPR rolled out a substantial update to its ethics policy earlier this month, expressly stating that journalists may participate in activities that advocate for "the freedom and dignity of human beings" on both social media and in real life. Carlos Carmonamedina for NPR Public Editor
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