Ethics in Writing: More Than Just Getting the Facts Right

Honesty is something I was taught long before I ever thought about becoming a writer. It was something I was taught by my parents, teachers, and mentors. So, when I started studying writing, it felt natural to carry that value into my writing. To me, ethics in writing starts with one simple commitment: tell the truth and don’t forget the people behind it.

That's harder than it sounds.

Experts describe ethical writing as a commitment to not mislead your reader, whether through false information or through what you choose to leave out. That second part is what gets overlooked. One of the most common ethical failures I've noticed in the media is one-sided storytelling. When something controversial happens, it's tempting for outlets to lean into one narrative and skip the messy middle. Why? Because it gets clicks. It gets attention.

But sometimes the ethical failure goes even deeper than bias — sometimes writers fabricate stories entirely. In 2004, USA Today found strong evidence that their former star foreign correspondent, Jack Kelley, had fabricated substantial portions of at least eight major stories. Kelley was a five-time Pulitzer Prize nominee — one of the most celebrated journalists at the paper. And yet, an examination of his computer uncovered scripts he had written to help at least three people mislead reporters who were trying to verify his work. For one story, he used a photo of a Cuban hotel worker to authenticate a tale he had made up about a woman who had died fleeing Cuba by boat — the woman in the published photo had never fled by boat, and a USA Today reporter later found her alive. The three editors brought in to investigate called his conduct "a sad and shameful betrayal of public trust."  Public trust. That's what journalism runs on.

Journalists are called to uphold principles like impartiality and fairness — presenting balanced, unbiased coverage of sensitive topics and acknowledging both sides of an issue without favoring either. When writers skip that in favor of an emotionally charged headline, they're actively misleading people — even if no single fact is technically wrong.

So, what does ethical writing actually look like when it's done right? To me, it looks like a writer who seeks out the perspective they don't already agree with, who calls the person they'd rather not interview, who sits with the discomfort of a complicated story instead of flattening it into something shareable. It means treating every person in your story as a human being, not just a character who serves your narrative. That kind of writing takes more time, humility, and courage. But it's the kind I want to do.

The ethical concern that weighs on me most personally is the fear of what if I accidentally get something wrong and it hurts someone? Journalists are expected to carefully review their sources, fact-check before publishing, and even update stories after they go live. That responsibility is not small. A name, a quote, a detail — words have real consequences for real people.

I think that's why my faith and values ground my approach to writing. Being a person of integrity means being honest even when it's inconvenient — even when the full story is less exciting, even when accuracy takes more time.