Journalism Ethics at Work: Truth, Notes, Privacy & Fairness for Modern Leaders and Managers

I never became a “real journalist.” At least not for long.

But I studied Media Science, worked on a scrappy local paper, was creative director for a trade magazine and filled my twenties with creating zines, DIY magazines and small-town reporting.

It wasn’t a career as such, but it was fun. But it gave me something better: a way of seeing the world.

Journalism taught me habits that have carried into every part of my work in tech, HR, management, consulting and leadership:

• chase the truth,
• write stuff down,
• ask harder questions,
• treat people fairly,
• protect what’s private.

Recently, reading Essential Radio Journalism (aff link) by Paul Chantler, for podcast inspiration, reminded me how essential these ethics are at work.

What follows are my learning notes, some ideas and plenty of tips regarding ethics in the workplace. Consider these some (of the many) journalism’s ethics, stolen (usefully – and ethically 😄) for managers and leaders.

Journalism Ethics, Stolen (lovingly & ethically) for Work

1) Truth (Start Here)

There are at least three sides to every story: your view, their view, what actually happened.

Work gets better when we tell the truth about:

• progress (what shipped vs. what slid),
• behaviour (what we saw, not what we assumed, or heard),
• risk (what might bite us next).

Truth beats watermelon reporting and self-serving corporate word salads that many people spout. Reality beats reputation management. Yet, in many workplaces there's very little "truth" being shown, communicated or acknowledged.

It’s harder to tell the truth – for sure. But it's how we keep the business moving, how we keep it alive and importantly, it's essential to effective decision making.

👉 Avoid Watermelon reporting, study behaviours and aim at all times to get to the truth.

2) Notes (Your Quiet Superpower)

Good journalism runs on good notes. So does good management and Leadership.

If you've worked with me you know I always carry around a notebook. Always. And I write lots of stuff down.

• Capture facts, evidence, observations.
• Date them. Attribute them. Keep them findable.
• Separate observations from interpretations.
• Use a simple tagging system you’ll actually keep up with.

When performance dips, notes protect fairness. When things improve, notes show progress.

No notes? You’re arguing from memory — and memory is biased – and flaky.

Remember, this does happen – if you have to face a tribunal or a court, and you have no notes or documentation about low performance, or issues at work, or discussions about employment, you're going to be in a tricky situation indeed.

👉 Develop the habit of making and keeping notes. Create a system that works for you. Keep them safe and secure.

3) Critical Thinking (Don’t Take the First Story)

Reporters triangulate. So should leaders.

• Cross-check numbers with people, and people with numbers.
• Ask: What would prove me wrong?
• Ask: What problem are we trying to solve?
• Think critically about everything - ask for evidence and data, or at least sound reasoning
• Distinguish signal from noise.
• Beware of anecdotes that happen to support your favourite theory. Remember, all theories must have utility and be helpful – and testable.

Critical listening + critical reading + critical thinking + studying = clearer current reality. And knowing your current reality is important to ensure you next step is a wise one, and in the right direction.

👉 Clarity and honesty over your current reality is an essential step in the 5 step Releasing Business Agility model. If you want to get smoother and quicker, and retain your good people, you have to lean into the current reality.

4) Fairness & Diversity (Equal Chances, Not Identical Treatment)

Fair doesn’t mean “treat everyone the same”. Fair means consistent standards and equal opportunity.

Adjust how you coach, manage and lead to align and resonate with your direct report. Think about their strengths, gaps, context, pace – goals in life. No two people will be the same - adjust but ensure consistent standards.

Do not adjust based on protected characteristics (race, religion, sex, etc.). Focus on behaviour and outcomes. That’s diversity in action: behaviours + outcomes.

Write down the standard. Share it. Apply it. Manage against it. Live it yourself....

👉 The 10 behaviours of effective employees is a good place to start when it comes to outstanding work behaviours.

5) Be the Example (People Copy)

Journalists feel pressure to bend rules for a scoop. Leaders feel pressure to bend rules for a deadline, or to meet a target. I see this often.

If the people with power cut corners and still get praise, everyone learns the real policy and values: “results over integrity.”

Don't let results over integrity become your company culture. That way is disaster for all involved.

Hold the line. Model the behaviours. Reward the how, not just the what.

Culture isn’t a poster, a playbook, some glossy copy. It’s the behaviours that get tolerated and what gets celebrated.

6) Privacy (Boring, Essential, Non-Negotiable)

Journalism treats privacy as sacred. You should do the same at work too.

• Don’t discuss people issues in public, or with people who have no need, nor right, to know the details.
• Don’t vent about leadership to your team. You work for the company (your managers) - align, disagree and commit, but don't talk bad about your leadership.
• Protect personal data; respect GDPR; store only what you need, where it should live.
• Label sensitive docs. Lock down your notes. Guard IP.

Trust is built on discretion. Break it once and people go silent and you'll break the relationships you have. It's also a potential fine and legal action for the business, and you.

Try This (Five Small Moves)

1. Truth check: start your next update or meeting with “Here’s what’s true, even if it’s painful for us.”
2. Note habit: Carry a notebook (or Remarkable) around and keep making notes. As a minimum spend 10 minutes at the end of day jotting down facts, decisions, follow-ups. Tag it. Organise it.
3. Triangulate: before a big call, get one data point, one frontline view, one customer view. Verify your insights, data and facts.
4. Fair bar: write the behaviour standard. Share it. Use it. Role model it.
5. Privacy pass: audit where you keep people data and who can see it. Fix one weak spot.

Why This Matters

Ethics isn’t a mood, a trend, a good idea, something to do if you feel like it. It’s a system of decisions and processes. And these are for the good, benefit and fairness of the people in the business – and for the business itself.

Journalism codified them because the stakes are high. Work has stakes too: people, products, reputation, your career.

It's therefore worth codifying yours too - and holding that high bar, even when the deadlines are pressing and the targets are looming.

Tell the truth. Keep notes. Think critically. Be fair. Guard privacy.

Lead in a way you’d be proud to see on the front page – because if you don't, the reality is you could be on the front page of the news for all of the wrong reasons.

Learning Notes

These are my "learning notes" - real notes I create for my own learning. I create them for my own growth and only share notes I feel would be relevant to the community.

I use my trusty 4 step Personal Knowledge Management System of capture, curate, crunch and contribute. What you see here is part of step 4 - contribution.