To fulfill its constitutionally protected, vital role in creating an informed citizenry, The Times must be a watchdog, analyst, advisor and messenger for its communities. Times' readers deserve a fair, accurate, full and balanced account of the news. The Times expects its editorial staff to remain free of conflict and operate with integrity in pursuit of truth, accuracy and fairness.

Toward the fulfillment of that mission, The Times adopts the following Operations and Ethics Policy:

TRUTH: The Times will pursue truth and accuracy

The Times has a public role and trust that is best served by being open with readers about the newspaper's methods, processes and even our mistakes. The Times has an ethical obligation to correct errors and must make every effort to minimize harm when they do occur.

• Once an error is confirmed, the paper or staff members should admit mistakes and correct them immediately. The Times will not wait for readers to flag an error or request a correction. If readers do so, their allegation of an error will be dealt with promptly.

• Corrections will be placed where readers can find them, in the consistent location on Page Two of the A section of the newspaper. Prominent errors -- such as those on A1 or a section front -- will sometimes merit an equally prominent correction, a designation to be determined by the publisher or executive editor.

• Written corrections should avoid repeating the error. They should give correct information with enough context to help readers understand what went wrong.

• The record should be corrected -- in the paper and in the archives -- whether sources request it or not. In electronic versions of the story, corrections should be prominently added to the original file; the original error should not be erased.

• The Times encourages reader feedback. Readers should have access to editors and reporters to air grievances. In the case of a person demanding a correction, the person making contact should be immediately directed to the managing editor - news/operations or, in the ME-N/O's absence, the executive editor. The Times should invite dialog about how we cover the community.

• The Times will not suppress letters to the editor addressing errors in order to conceal that errors occur.

• Photos or graphics in which information was misidentified should be published again with the correct identifying information.

News photos must be an accurate, truthful representation of a moment in time.

• News photos should not be set up or staged. Nor should events be reenacted for photographers.

• Photos may only be modified for color correction or by cropping.

• Photos may be cropped for impact, but crops should not misrepresent the context of the photo.

• If a photo is altered significantly, it should be labeled as a photo illustration.

Staff members should not obscure or misrepresent their relationship with the newspaper when dealing with news sources.

• When contacting a source for a story, reporters should identify themselves and their affiliation with The Times at or near the beginning of the conversation.

• Staff members will not "go undercover" or intentionally misrepresent their identities. Any reporting approach in which reporters do not plan to fully identify themselves must be approved by the executive editor.

• It is not appropriate to quote a source who was not aware they were speaking to or were being overheard by a reporter when the source is engaged in a private conversation or in a situation where privacy is the expectation.

• Times staff may request routine information commonly available to the general public without identifying their affiliation with the newspaper.

• When interviewing or photographing ordinary citizens who are not familiar with how newspapers work, reporters and photographers should not only identify themselves but must also explain that the sources may be quoted or depicted in the newspaper.

Everything that appears with a Times staff or correspondent byline must be the result of the work, research, reporting, knowledge and writing of the named person or people. Taking another's work and presenting it as your own is a lie, a disservice to readers and a serious blow to the credibility of the newspaper. Staff members may include information from outside sources in their stories, with proper attribution. Specific guidelines for using outside sources -- such as the wire, press releases, the archives and other publications -- follow:

Wire
In general, staff may use information from the newspaper's wire services, with proper attribution. Wire should be rewritten to best meet the needs of The Times' readership.

• Any story with more than 50 percent content from the wire will carry a wire service byline. Staff contributions will be noted in a tag line at the end.

• A staff written story that includes a quote or paragraph from a wire story shall credit the wire service in the body of the story. (Example: "We will not have the pageant in Gary next year," Gary Mayor Scott King told the Associated Press.)

• A staff written story that uses more than a paragraph of a wire story, and that paragraph makes up less than 50 percent of the entire article, may have a staff byline but shall credit the wire service in a tag line at the end of the story.

Press releases
Staff reporting is always preferable to publishing information provided in a press release. On the occasion that it is necessary to use information from releases, these guidelines apply:

•  Information in press releases should be confirmed for accuracy before being included in a news story.  Any information not independently confirmed must be attributed to the release or statement and its issuing organization.

• Quotes from live interviews are preferable, but when that is not possible, quotes from press releases may be used if attributed to  "a statement" or press release.

• Press releases should not be published as received. They should be rewritten and edited to The Times' standards.

Archives
The Times archives are the institutional memory of the newspaper. There is no ethical violation in its use under the following guidelines:

• The archives should be used to check factual information such as dates, locations, names, titles, criminal record; however, reporters should check those facts for inaccuracies and outdated material before using.

• Do not take word-for-word passages from the archives. Instead, boil archived material down to its essence.

• It is acceptable to use a "nut graph" -- a succinctly worded, factual paragraph that summarizes or explains a topic upon which The Times reports frequently -- from the Times archives without attribution.

• Lifting ledes or unique feature descriptions is not acceptable.

• Using quotes is permissible only if your story notes when the statement was made.

Other media
The Times will only source other publications/media when no other options are available under pressure of deadline. When used, full attribution must be made.

• TV/Radio: The Times staff can quote sources from exclusive broadcast interviews with attribution to network station.

• Online/Internet: Interviews, chats or transcripts must be confirmed before being used.

• Photos: Photos from all sources should be attributed.

Anything between quotes should be a word-for-word, accurate representation of what the named source stated.

• Quotes may not be edited for grammar. When sources are unclear or are using improper grammar, reporters should paraphrase the statement.

• Partial quotes may be used but they must remain in context.

• Minors should not be quoted without the knowledge of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).

• If a quote is used from an earlier interview or article, the time element should be noted in the attribution of the quote.

• If a quote that first appeared in another publication or not made directly to The Times is used in a story, its original source must be noted in the attribution.

• Profanities, slurs, vulgarities or other offensive language should be quoted sparingly -- only when central to the news value of the story or to report on an instance when such language was used in public. Whenever in doubt, consult an editor.

CONFLICT: The Times' news/photo/online staff shall not let outside relationships compromise their independence

Awards are an important recognition of journalistic excellence, but are secondary to serving the reader and to The Times' journalistic integrity and independence from special interests.

• Staff members may enter contests sponsored by journalistic associations that are recognized and respected in the industry. This includes organizations such as, but is not limited to: SPJ, Associated Press, Lisagors, Hoosier State Press, Illinois Press Association, SND, SABEW, ONA, NPPA.

•  Staff will not eneter contests for, and should refuse awards from, any organization with which such an association would affect the newspaper's independence or by which might create the appearance of a conflict of interest. This includes, but is not limited to, organizations such as unions, businesses and government agencies. Exceptions must be approved by the publisher or executive editor.

•  Before entering material printed in The Times in any contest, staff members must check with the Executive Editor and/or the newsroom contest coordinator.

The Times editorial staff does not accept gifts for doing its job. The Times staff shall not be beholden to, or create the appearance of favor, by accepting gifts of value from sources.

• When a gift worth more than $25 is received, the staff member should call the source, explain the newspaper's policy and offer to return the item. Items that cannot be returned should be donated to a charity, not-for-profit organization or discarded.

• Items sent to The Times for review, and not used for that purpose, should be donated to a charity or a nonprofit organization. Some books may be kept for reference material, if put in the reference library and not kept for personal use. Books, CDs, videos and software should not be solicited.

• The staff may accept perishable food of insignificant value.

• Staff may accept trinkets or promotional items of less than $25 in value.

The Times will not let its presentation of the news be influenced by other departments within the newspaper or by the external personal or business relationships of staff members. Independence is the best way to serve the long-term business and editorial goals of the paper.

• Advertisers and suppliers will not be given special treatment, protections or attention in editorial sections.

• The Times will clearly differentiate advertising content from news and opinion articles reported and written by The Times staff. Advertising content may not be set in The Times' editorial typography.

• Staff members shall make every effort to remain free of improper obligations to advertisers and news sources.

The Times shall maintain its independence from law enforcement, government and civil disputes. It shall not become a willing participant in outside litigation and investigations.

• Times staff shall not voluntarily provide notes or information beyond that which appeared in the newspaper.

• Staff should inform the executive editor of any such request or subpoena for information.

The newspaper and its staff must make every effort to be free of any conflict of interest. Even the appearance of obligation to or inappropriate involvement with sources must be avoided. Any potential conflict should be disclosed to the executive editor as soon as it arises. Staff members are responsible for recusing themselves from planning, covering, photographing or editing any news items in which they have an outside interest or can be perceived as having an interest.

Financial
• Staff members shall have no involvement in the coverage of any company or organization in which they or an immediate family member own stock or have some other financial interest, or companies to which they or an immediate family member are a supplier or major customer to. (Lee Enterprises stock is an exception to this. See below.)

• Staff members must use good judgment in electing to serve on the board of directors of nonprofit organizations, avoiding any conflict of interest with their position as an employee of the newspaper.

• Though conflict is inherent, The Times will attempt to cover itself and Lee Enterprises, Inc. as it would any other business or company.

• Staff members shall not use their position with the newspaper to obtain items or products for free or at a reduced price. Even if they do not request such, staff members must not accept substantial discounts and have a responsibility to make sure they are paying a fair price to local merchants.

Employment/Freelancing
Times staff shall not work for any competing news source, news organization, public figure or public official within the coverage area. Our readers should know staff members are representing The Times.

• Staff members may not freelance for competing publications in our circulation area. This includes the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Southtown, the Star as well as the many weekly publications in Lake and Porter counties and south suburban Chicago.

• Freelancing work for an online or national publication must be approved by the executive editor.

• Staff may not work for local radio or television stations. They may appear for unpaid interviews, if identified as a Times employee, and with the permission of the executive editor.

• All outside employment should be disclosed to the executive editor and cannot, in any manner, compromise the newspaper or provide a perception of conflict.

Government/Organizations
Staff shall not cover any civic, political, cultural, charity or special interest group for which they or their immediate family are sponsors, members or employees.

Outside appearances/interviews/speaking engagements
• Staff may give interviews, speeches and talks for which they receive no pay, with prior approval of the Executive Editor. When giving interviews in other media, Times staff members should be identified as such.

• Expenses may be reimbursed for travel and meals for such talks.

• Staff members may moderate political panels so long as they project the independence of the newspaper and receive no compensation for their participation. The Times shall remain independent of the political process.

• Staff in the newsroom must use good judgement in agreeing to serve on community advisory councils or boards, considering whether the invitation is based solely on the staff member's position with The Times. Appointments to non-paid positions, based on outside personal service, are allowed, but should not conflict with coverage duties.

The motives of sources seeking payment for interviews or information are highly suspect. The Times will not pay for information.

• Staff can pay for reports and copying fees, if the public is regularly charged for such services, and will be reimbursed by the newspaper.

• Staff may purchase research reports and other publications, for which there is a standard fee, and will be reimbursed by the newspaper.

The Times pays its way in the community. Staff members will not accept, solicit or use free tickets or passes for travel, meals or events for which the public would normally pay.

• If it is a generally accepted practice, press passes may be accepted for coverage of sporting events, movies, business or government activities, plays, fairs if the staff member is covering the event or reporting background information.

• Press passes that are not going to be used for Times coverage are not to be used. They should never be sold or given away for personal use.

• The Times will pay for meals for staff and sources held in connection with work related duties. With regard to an agreed meal, the staff member is expected to pay for the meal - with reimbursement by the newspaper. At no time will a staff member accept payment of a meal by a source. Good judgment and common courtesy is to be used in accepting food at public gatherings or community activities.

• When covering speeches that are given during a meal, pay for the meal or don't eat.

• The Times shall pay for travel necessary for the coverage of an out-of-the-region event. Times staff can travel with teams, candidates or groups, but the newspaper will pay the staff member's cost of travel, also including meals and lodgings

In their personal lives, Times staff may give political and charitable contributions, but must use good judgement and avoid large contributions that may compromise, or appear to compromise, the paper's objectivity.

• Staff should be aware that their names may be tied in public records to financial contributions.

• When past contributions to an organization, party or candidate creates a conflict, or a potential conflict, disclose it to your editor and/or recuse yourself from the story.

INTEGRITY: The Times shall be guided by honesty and shall respect the community and its members.

The gathering and reporting of information is subject to a clear understanding that the newspaper seeks to fulfill its mission by publication of information without restraint.

Times staff must make every effort to obtain information for open attribution -- as readers should be made aware of the sources consulted so that they may make their own informed judgements about the information being presented.

There are conditions, however, under which information may be obtained by the newspaper requiring the observance of ethical standards precluding publication.

When agreements are made with sources under the following definitions, they must be honored. When dealing with those unfamiliar with the media, reporters should explain their role and the meanings of the following terms when entering into an agreement not to identify a source:

Off the record
When a Times reporter or editor and a source mutually agree that information being given is "off the record" the material obtained is not for publication.

• Staff must not disclose receipt of the information in efforts to research it further.

• Such an arrangement should be agreed to by both parties before information is disclosed.

Not for attribution
When a Times reporter or editor and a source mutually agree that information being given is "not for attribution," the information may be used for publication without attribution to its exact source.

• The information may be used by the staff member having received the information to gather additional information as long as the source is not revealed.

• In print, a not-for-attribution tag, might read like this: "The rockets will be deployed along the Russian front with China," a source told the Times.

• Unnamed sources must be disclosed in writing to the executive editor, who will decide if the unnamed source is credible and use of an unnamed source is necessary to the story being prepared for publication. At no time will the reporter guarantee blanket anonymity to a source.

Background
When a Times reporter or editor and a source mutually agree that information being given is "on background," information may be used for publication and attributed in a general manner that does not identify the person by name.

• The information may be used in gathering additional information and the general nature of the source may be revealed. such as "federal officials."

• In print, the background tag, might read like this: "The rockets will be deployed along the Russian front with China," a White House source said.

• In the event material is to be published based on "a source," the executive editor must be advised in writing as to the identity of the source, agree that it is a valid source of information relative to the material and agree to publication. The Times and its staff will not agree to grant anonymity to any source

The Times considers itself a family newspaper. It will not use language, picture or graphics that are profane, vulgar or demeaning to any group on the basis of race, creed, gender or sexual orientation.

• Profanity should not appear in the newspaper. It may only be used when it is key to the story and the report would be unclear without it. When in doubt, consult an editor.

• The Times shall not run photos that pander to lurid curiosity. In general, dead bodies or parts of bodies and nudity should not be shown.

Times staff members should conduct their affairs in a way that does not bring scorn on them or on the newspaper. They should act as responsible, law abiding citizens in their private and professional lives.

• Staff members shall pay, in a timely fashion, fines and tickets for which they are responsible.

• Staff shall not use their position with the newspaper to be released of obligation for fines or tickets.

• Times staff shall not break laws -- including those related to traffic, personal property, trespassing or theft -- in pursuit of a story.

• The Times shall not use information that was known to have been acquired illegally.

• In its published reports, The Times has an obligation to treat its staff in the same way it treats the public when violations of the law are newsworthy.

The Internet is a virtual community where people identify themselves and can easily obscure their identities or sources of information. Information taken from the Internet cannot be taken at face value and must be confirmed.

• An Internet source must be confirmed by other means before being used as a reference in a story.

• Real names must be used, "screen names" or handles are not proper identification.

• Reports and data found on the Internet must be confirmed if the information does not come from a reputable or familiar site or source; and care must be used that proprietary information is not reported as news.

NWITimes should clearly distinguish its stories, content and links from that of outside sources.

• Content from outside sites should never be posted on The Times Online without proper attribution. Outside sites should launch in a new browser window to avoid confusion.

• Staff cannot enter into content agreements or authorize use of Times' stories on outside Web sites. Staff must contact the Managing Editor - News/Operations.

• Staff should report unauthorized use of Times articles or photos by other Web sites to the Managing Editor - News/Operations.

• When edited audio or video of news events is put online, readers should be informed how and why edits were made.

Times staff will show respect for the privacy and dignity of the people encountered in the course of gathering and presenting the news. Exposure of private aspects of people's lives should always be justified by serving legitimate public interest.

• When possisble, minors should be interviewed, quoted or photographed with the knowledge and/or consent of their parent(s), legal guardian(s) or a supervisory adult.

• Do not identify the victims of sexual or domestic assaults without their consent. Take special care in reporting these stories so that victims are not inadvertently identified through reports of their address, relationship to or name shared with the attacker.

• In general, victims will be named if they are deceased, if they are a public figure, if they were involved in an accident or fire, if they were involved in a crime or if they were interviewed and agreed to be named.

• Witnesses to or victims of crimes who may be further endangered by appearing in the newspaper should not be named.

• In general, suspects will not be named in the newspaper unless he or she has been officially charged with a crime. Some crimes/incidents involving manhunts or special circumstances may require special treatment. Consult your editor before using the name of an uncharged suspect.

• Photos of accidents or dead bodies or photos that would further traumatize a family after a tragedy should be avoided.

FAIRNESS: The Times shall be fair in its coverage and presentation.

In every story, The Times aspires to show all sides of an issue, providing balance in sources consulted.

• A story must reflect all reasonable viewpoints of the controversy of the topic in question.

• All efforts must be made to contact parties named in a story, so that their comments may be included. Readers should be given a detailed account of the effort made when a party cannot be reached.

• Photos, graphics and illustrations should provide visual balance and be accurately representative of the topic or story.

• Photos will not be used in a sensational way that would change the editorial handling or news judgement involved in the presentation of a story.

• Any enhancements to stories made online -- as in the addition of links and photos -- should not skew the balance of the story.

The Times shall cover Times employees involved in news events as it would any other citizen of the community.

The Times should fully identify sources, people and places and give readers newsworthy context, except as set forth in the section of this policy dealing with attribution.

• People should be identified consistently -- job title, city of residence, age and their role, involvement or relevance to an event or issue should be explained.

• Locations of events, incidents and crimes should be detailed at block level (the 2700 block of Calumet).

• Police blotter reporting must be consistent across zones.

• Race should only be noted when it is of key relevance to a story or part of a full police description of a suspect being sought. (See section on attribution)

Upon its adoption, the ethics policy will be circulated to all newsroom staff for their signature attesting to receipt of the policy.

• Supervising editors are responsible for presenting a copy of this policy to new hires on their staff. This policy shall also be included in any staff handbook.

• Staff members who are unclear about any part of this policy are expected to ask their editor, the executive editor for clarification. Ignorance is not a valid defense for ethics policy violations.

The purpose of this ethics policy is to provide a set of professional standards to guide our work and protect the credibility of The Times. Any editorial staff member who violates any provision of this ethics policy will be subject to disciplinary action, including reprimand, suspension and/or termination. Egregious, willful violations of these standards will likely result in termination.

In order to be effective, this policy must be consistently and fairly enforced. Accusations of a breach of the policy must be fully investigated before action is taken.

• Investigations should involve the executive editor and others named by the executive editor as well as a representative of the company's human resources department.

• A staff member accused of violating this policy may be put on paid leave until the investigation is completed.

• The person accused must be provided a copy of all materials considered in the investigation and must be allowed to provide his or her own documents or evidence.