A Practical Guide to Graphics Reporting, 2nd Edition

2 Visual ethics and standards

Unfortunately journalists often fall to the bottom of the heap when it comes to public opinions of credibility. In fact, surveys have reported steady declines in the public's trust of the media for several decades. Although public-opinion polls generally do not reflect how most journalists do their jobs, surveys on media credibility do indeed matter. When journalists lose the trust of their audiences, viewership and readership quickly decline. And with increased globalization, constant advances in technology, and more media outlets and journalistic roles than ever before, maintaining the highest standards of ethics and accuracy must be a priority for all visual storytellers.

Graphics reporters face many of the same ...