Standards
by which
we publish
Safeguarding
Our Credibility
Foreword
The only constants in the newspaper business
today are the questions:
Will there be any demand for newspapers in 10
years, or 20? Will the Internet become the primary
news source for most Americans? Will ROP
advertising disappear? What information
technologies will come after the Internet, and what
threat to newspapers will they represent?
Yet, despite the uncertainties, there are two
sure things. First, people will always need and
want local news. Human curiosity about the
surrounding world is innate - and the things
closest to us inevitably seem most important.
Second, whether we print local news on paper, or
send it on fiber-optic cable, or beam it directly
into people's homes, our news department will
remain this region's preferred local news provider.
As long as people believe in us.
Those who turn to us for information need to
believe not just in the accuracy of what we print,
post or record, but in our commitment to community
service, to journalistic excellence and the highest
ethical standards.
Our reputation for fair and complete reporting
can position us as a refuge from the growing din of
confusing, contradictory information. Our depth of
knowledge of the communities we cover, reflected in
accuracy and timeliness, will hold readers' trust.
Our commitment to service, as we document both
problems and possibilities for this region, will
maintain us as an essential resource.
Our integrity is our future.
And that's what this document is about.
These professional standards and policies apply
to everyone who works for the news department of
The Roanoke Times.
Wendy Zomparelli, Publisher
June 2003
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