Ethics Policy
About this guide:
The Ring-tum Phi strives to be a reliable source of information on Washington and Lee University’s campus that creates accountability and relentlessly reports to uncover stories representing all sides of campus life. In order to successfully accomplish that mission, every member of our newsroom will adhere to the following ethical standards. While this list is not exhaustive, it highlights the most essential rules of our journalistic practice. In areas in which The Ring-tum Phi has not issued explicit guidance, we adhere to the standards of The Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Any reporter, editor, or other contributor found to break this ethics policy will first receive a warning from the editors-in-chief and an action plan to correct the situation. Further offenses will result in disciplinary action, including loss of stipends, leadership roles, and writing opportunities.
Honesty:
Ring-tum Phi staff members will operate honestly in all reporting and editing practices. Dishonesty and deceit will not be tolerated in interactions with sources, fellow staff members, and other members of the W&L community.
Fabricating information and intentionally publishing false information will not be tolerated at the Ring-tum Phi. Rigorously fact-checking sources’ information is not only expected of you as a staff member, but is also an essential skill to learn as you enter the world of professional journalism.
Plagiarism and AI:
Ring-tum Phi staff members must use original content, language, and phrasing in their reporting. All information will be properly attributed, including information from previous Ring-tum Phi reporting. Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated at the Ring-tum Phi.
Staff members shall not use generative artificial intelligence to produce words and/or images meant to be published as journalistic content.
Outside influence:
Ring-tum Phi staff members’ words and actions must not be influenced by the interests or desires of students, professors, Ring-tum Phi board members, the administration, or any other member of the W&L community. Staff members will report the truth without favor to any group.
To avoid outside influence, sources are not allowed to preview stories before they are published.
Conflicts of interest:
Ring-tum Phi staff members are prohibited from using their position to influence reporting to benefit themselves, their friends, campus organizations they are a part of, university offices and departments, etc.
Conflicts of interest are inevitable on a small campus like ours, and The Ring-tum Phi will never stop you from being involved in the aspects of campus life that interest you. However, we ask that all reporters and editors proactively disclose conflicts of interest to the editors-in-chief so guidance can be provided. Such guidance could include recusing a writer from a subject or disclosing the writer’s conflict at the top of a story. Example: John Doe participates in (x) as a general body member. They did (y) and (z) to avoid having conflicts in their reporting.
In short, writers can cover an organization that they are a member of as long as the group is not competing, recruiting, or raising money, and as long as the writer does not hold a leadership position in that group. Examples of conflicts of interest that are prohibited, without exception, include: covering a Greek organization that you are a member of, covering a competitive organization that you are a member of (including athletic teams, academic teams such as Mock Trial, and arts groups such as University Singers), and covering a club that you serve as an executive member for.
Conflicts of interest can also arise from your relationships with others in the campus community. For example, if your partner is the president of a club you are covering or if your parent is leading fundraising for a campus initiative that you are covering, you may report with bias either intentionally or unintentionally. Please discuss these conflicts of interest with editors in the same way you would bring up a concern about your own conflicts.
Anonymous sourcing:
Reporters will only grant anonymity to sources in specific circumstances, and in doing so will take steps to be transparent with readers and confirm information received anonymously.
A source may receive anonymity in a story if they meet one or both of the following criteria: 1) if they are risking their position in an organization or their job by sharing sensitive information, or 2) if revealing their name could leave them vulnerable to significant retaliation.
Sharing an unpopular opinion, complaining about a policy/person/group, whistleblowing, etc. are not valid reasons to receive anonymity unless they meet one of the criteria above.
Staff members shall not offer anonymity to a source without discussing the situation with their editor first. You are expected to be clear with your source about the Ring-tum Phi’s anonymity policies, listen respectfully to their concerns, and have a conversation with them about what options they have for sharing information (including information on background).
If you’ve worked with an anonymous source, be transparent about that process in your story:
- Vet the information you receive anonymously by confirming it with other sources, asking for documentation (i.e. emails and texts) that proves given claims, etc.
- Write in the story why the source requested anonymity
- Describe why you had to use an anonymous source for the story, which often involves listing all the sources who wouldn’t talk at all. Example: Seven other members of the organization declined to be interviewed after receiving multiple emails and phone calls requesting comment. A source with knowledge of the situation spoke under the condition of anonymity to protect their position at the university.
Corrections:
As journalists, we strive for perfection in our work. At the Ring-tum Phi, we acknowledge that we are all student journalists and humans who can’t always be perfect, and we thus promote the following corrections policy when mistakes happen.
If a story is published with an error — including, but not limited to, misstated and misrepresented facts, misspellings and inaccurate descriptions — staff members must efficiently make corrections to their story post-publication. All corrections must be cleared by an editor-in-chief before being updated on the website.
All updated stories will include a notification (below the deck, above the story body) that specifically explains what was changed, and why. Example: This story was updated on Sept. 15 to more accurately describe the Fulbright application process.
Corrections will only be made for factual inaccuracies.