You are working hard to become a better journalist. You are honing your craft skills -- interviewing, writing, editing, photography, design, production.

I urge you to include ethical decision-making in the list of competencies you must build and master.

To be sure, you cannot succeed in our profession unless you know how to "produce" good journalism, often under considerable pressure. You work with multiple deadlines and significant production challenges. The issues you cover are often complex and frequently contentious. Competitive fervor and business-side pressures will weigh heavily on you.

Solid craftsmanship will help you deal with these obstacles. The more skilled you are as a reporter, photojournalist, copy editor, designer, or producer, the more likely you will step up to the challenges. But you cannot succeed as a journalist unless you combine your craft skills with strong critical thinking and sound ethical decision-making.

Rest assured that you will regularly face ethical issues in your work.

You will be covering tragedy and trauma, often connecting with vulnerable victims who have no desire to deal with a journalist. You will be reporting on crime and corruption, interviewing people who have no inclination to answer your questions.

You will be covering complex stories about business, science and the military, talking with sources who are skeptical about your ability to understand their field and subject matter. You will be reporting on politics, law enforcement and religion, talking with individuals who will be convinced that your bias will drive the story. You will be covering race relations and cultural issues, interviewing sources who won't trust you and your reporting.

Along the way, you will be stonewalled by powerful people who will deter you from getting to the truth. You will be manipulated by savvy sources who do their best to unduly influence your stories.

You will be used by those with ulterior motives who demand the cover of confidentiality in exchange for their information. You will be swayed by seemingly well-intentioned people who want to show you some favor in hopes that you, in return, will show them favoritism in the way you tell their story.

Your ability to produce accurate, fair, and honest journalism will be directly related to your ability to succeed in those challenging situations.

You will need knowledge and skills.

You must also be very good at ethical decision making.

You will need the tools -- a meaningful vocabulary ("stakeholders," "alternatives," "consequences") for talking about ethics; practical guidelines to set the boundaries for behavior.

And you will need the techniques -- the ability to recognize and define ethical issues, to ask the right questions, to collaborate, to tolerate ambiguity and contrary views.

You will need commitment and courage -- to keep practicing rigorous and vigorous journalism in the face of difficulty and even danger; to honor your ethical principles when others are selling their souls; to challenge conventional thinking at the risk of being labeled a contrarian; to raise important concerns to your boss even if it could be a career-limiting step.

The more competent you are in ethical decision-making, the more confident you will become in your ability to meet the tests you face.

What can you do to build this ethical competence?

1) Seek out mentors whom you admire for their ethical principles and their ability in ethical decision making. Talk with them. Learn from them. Borrow from their style. Model their way of doing things.

2) Practice your ethical decision-making all the time, including on the seemingly small issues. You will be better prepared for the really tough calls if you've sharpened your tools.

3) Critique and evaluate your ethical decision-making process and your decisions in the same way you critique and evaluate your craft skills. You become a better writer, producer, copy editor, photographer, or designer by regularly assessing your work and identifying shortcomings you can address. Apply that same scrutiny and desire to improve your ethical decision-making.

One final thought: Remember that your greatest ethical responsibility is to constantly strive for excellence in everything you do.