Green Light Ethics

Practice hard-hitting journalism with confidence.

The Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership takes a practical approach to the ever-changing pressures on journalism and democracy. We are an authoritative voice for journalists, citizens and everyone interested in elevating discourse and fact-based expression while battling disinformation and bias.

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What we do:

Through the work of the Center, journalism can evolve its values and the public will better understand how those values impact their everyday lives, building practices of mutual trust and transparency. We:

Provide custom advice and training to professional newsrooms on stories and policies.
Advance the ethical standards that guide professional news organizations.
Work with citizens and journalists to identify issues where journalism can better serve its audience.
Host gatherings where journalists and experts can exchange ideas.
Sponsor research into building trust in news and the democratic process.

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Meet our team:

Do you want to interview one of our experts? Please email Poynter’s director of marketing Tina Dyakon for all media requests.

Neil Brown
President
The Poynter Institute

Kelly McBride
Poynter Senior Vice President and
Chair of Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership

Cheryl Carpenter
Leadership Faculty
The Poynter Institute

Rick Edmonds
Media Business Analyst & Leader of News Transformation
The Poynter Institute

Shannon Kellenberger
Administrative Assistant, Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership

Samantha Ragland
Faculty Member
The Poynter Institute

Al Tompkins, Senior Faculty, Broadcast and Online

Al Tompkins
Senior Faculty and Group Leader for Broadcast Media
The Poynter Institute

Doris Truong
Director of Training and Diversity
The Poynter Institute

Ethics articles:

This illustration shows a screenshot of the homepage of Real Raw News as it appeared on July 12, 2021, with edits added to emphasize the false nature of the headlines.

A look behind Real Raw News’ sensational (and fabricated) headlines

Real Raw News is a relatively new website that regularly publishes fantastical, false stories with made-to-go-viral headlines.

Ad Fontes' media bias chart, left, and AllSides' media bias chart, right. Larger versions are available to view below and on each organization's website.

Should you trust media bias charts?

These controversial charts claim to show the political lean and credibility of news organizations. Here’s what you need to know about them.

Opinion: Opt-in to op-eds, a final attempt to distinguish news from opinion

Americans can’t tell the difference between fact and factoid and assign political labels to news outlets based on columnists rather than reporters.

The remains of the World Trade Center stands amid the debris following the terrorist attack on the building in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Alexandre Fuchs)

How Sept. 11 helped shape modern misinformation and conspiracy theories

The sudden terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, seemed to defy explanation and occurred just as the internet started to boom.

On the left, from left to right, AFJ members Kathleen Purvis, Patty LaNoue Stearns, John Kessler, Suzanne Martinson and Jane Snow doing the macarena in Napa Valley. On the right, an AFJ conference attendee sinking into a cranberry bog on a long-ago farm tour. (Courtesy: Kathleen Purvis)

The Association of Food Journalists folded a year ago. Its ethics code remains as its proud legacy.

It carves an easy-to-follow path for food journalists who are more interested in serving their readers than getting free stuff.

Association of Food Journalists’ Code of Ethics

Food journalists serve their communities by stimulating more informed conversations about what we eat and why.

Demonstrators turn on their cell phone lights as they chant slogans during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse Wednesday July 29, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Journalists who question objectivity still value truth-telling, study finds

In the study of 167 journalists, traditionalists and more activist-minded reporters agreed that journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.

3 ways news organizations can improve accessibility right now

By considering the ways people navigate the digital world differently, news organizations connect with their audiences in a more compassionate way.

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In addition to our work through the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, Poynter trains journalists to be strong practitioners and supports newsroom transformation and accountability journalism. We are the home of three major initiatives that are battling misinformation: PolitiFact, the International Fact-Checking Network and the news literacy program for teenagers and first-time voters, MediaWise. There are many ways that you can contribute to this important work:

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The Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at Poynter was made possible by a generous grant from Craig Newmark Philanthropies.