Fact · Dictation for work and study
The Society of Professional Journalists tells journalists to consider sources' motives before promising anonymity.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Consider sources' motives before promising anonymity.”
SPJ Code of Ethics, Society of Professional Journalists, Society of Professional Journalists, n.d., Seek Truth and Report It (Minimize Harm).
Open the original- What it measures
- The code's advice on sources sits beside its advice on being cautious with promises. It concerns how journalists treat the people who speak to them.
- What it does not show
- The code states a principle for promising anonymity. It does not set out how to store or process recordings, which is a separate question.