Ethics Policy

Scope

This policy applies to staff, contributors to the site and the associated workforce.

Policy Statement

Man of Many is a leading digital news publisher in Australia with offices in Darlinghurst, NSW. The members of the Man of Many community come from diverse backgrounds, religions, cultures and countries.

Values of honesty, fairness and mutual respect underpin everything we do. Core to our mission to enrich, inspire and empower modern men to make a positive investment in themselves today and tomorrow, is a focus on creating respectful relationships within the greater community. It is essential we are able to act with integrity in facing ethical issues. At all times we embrace true diversity and equal opportunity while respecting the human rights and legally protected attributes of all individuals. Our mandate is to continually challenge ourselves when resolving ethical questions in evaluating what is right (ethical) and wrong (unethical).

This Ethics Statement details the ethical values and principles that are expected of all staff and contributors as members of the Man of Many community. It is comprised of general principles, which guide individuals in their decision-making. It should inspire us, and challenge us to identify, consider, discuss and resolve ethical questions.

1. Ethics Statement

All staff and associated workforce at Man of Many are expected to adopt the following ethical approaches in their actions, communications and work activity as a Man of Many staff member:

Man of Many as a Media Organisation

• Uphold freedom of speech and expression as defining values of Man of Many.
• Freedom of the press is an integral part of freedom of speech.
• Journalists uphold the principle of truth and fairness.
• Journalists should strive to uphold freedom of the press, and take public interest as the basis of their work.
• Act with integrity, transparency and professionalism at all times.
• Submit outputs only when founded on honest effort and personal achievement.
• Acknowledge our responsibility to treat both humans and animals humanely and ethically.
• Promote the empowerment of individuals through learning, and the empowerment of society through research and news publishing.
• Owners, executives and senior editors of Man of Many have the responsibility to encourage and require editorial staff to adhere to these principles.

Man of Many as a Place for People to Work

• Treat each other with honesty, fairness, mutual respect and be responsible in the exercise of power.
• Harness each person’s diversity promoting equality and inclusivity. Be open to different perspectives and attitudes. We respect the inherent dignity, beliefs and human rights of all individuals.
• Be responsible and accountable for our decisions and actions as individuals and as an organisation.

Man of Many in Society

• In publishing and advancing knowledge, strive to achieve social justice for all and to redress past wrongs.
• Act responsibly to promote, and to contribute to the achievement of, environmental sustainability.
• Acknowledge our responsibility to contribute to the communities in which we operate.

2. Application

• These core values and principles help us to challenge any preconceptions and to ensure we lead by example when resolving ethical questions.
• By committing to our values we are able to drive deep and enduring relationships with staff, partners in industry and the wider community.
• This Ethics Statement is designed to support our community when faced with ethical issues. It does not replace specific company policies and procedures, or applicable rights and obligations.
• Man of Many acknowledges that many staff have concurrent allegiances to their profession, discipline, community, and religious and cultural traditions.

3. General Guidelines

Journalists should seek truth, fairness, objectivity, impartiality and comprehensiveness. They must ensure accuracy, fairness and balance at all times. They will not quote out of context or distort facts.

Ensure balance in all stories by giving individuals, groups, or organisations, the right of reply.

Under no circumstances will journalists self-censor their stories, or be influenced by any personal political beliefs or external pressure.

If inaccuracy, misleading facts, wrong figures, or distortion occurs, corrections are prompt, clear and open.

Journalists should not pander to prurience, indecency and sensationalism, using special caution when reporting news involving violence, crime, suicide, or minors.

Journalists will respect the reputation and privacy of individuals and will use special caution when reporting on those who have declined to give their consent. Journalists should not intrude into the privacy of children.

The behaviour and personal data of public officials will only be published if it is relevant to their public office, or if it is in the public interest to do so.

Journalists should avoid conflict of interest in any form and declare any possible conflict of interest to their line manager. Should there be a conflict of interest, another journalist will be assigned to cover the story. Journalists should resist influence by political, economic and other interests related to themselves, their families, or their employers. They should protect themselves from undue influence by remaining politically neutral in their work, even if this conflicts with their personal beliefs.

Journalists should not seek monetary or other advantages from information that they have obtained in the course of discharging their duties; nor should journalists pass the information to others so the journalists might obtain an indirect advantage.

Journalists who report on a company, or financial instrument including all derivatives in which they, or their family, have any kind of shareholding or interest, must notify their manager.

Journalists should not distort facts to appease advertisers or for any other consideration and should not be influenced by external pressure or economic considerations in their reports and commentaries.

Journalists will not discriminate or encourage others to discriminate, on grounds of age, race, colour, creed, religion, place or circumstance of birth, disability, marital status, gender or sexual orientation. We should strive to include diverse voices from our community in our coverage to serve our readers and improve the balance in our journalism. Man of Many is committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture amongst the entire workforce. 

Gifts/Free Trips

Journalists will never accept a cash gift offered by a news source or contact.

Gifts under the value of AUD$200, can be accepted, but only rarely. In circumstances where refusal of a more valuable gift may cause offence, the gift must be declared and handed over to a manager. Employees should refer to Man of Many’s internal Gifting Policy for further guidance.

Social Media

Journalists will make it clear that all opinions they express on social media are their own, and will never make it appear they represent the views of Man of Many.

All newsroom discussions, meetings and town halls are confidential, and never shared on social media, personal blogs, Twitter or any form of social media.

Always use the usual newsroom practice of good judgement, solid sourcing, fairness, balance and accuracy in any social media activity.

In professional social media profiles, you will identify yourself as a Man of Many journalist. On personal accounts be aware anything you write can be associated with and will reflect on the Post through your job.

Journalists must never misrepresent themselves in chat rooms or online discussion forums.

Journalists will not obtain information illegally by hacking. Discovering information publicly available on the web is fair game, but defeating passwords or other security methods is not acceptable.

Journalists must be mindful of how their use of social media will reflect on their professionalism and the collective reputation of Man of Many.

Copyright laws, and libel laws, apply to information that comes from the Internet.

4. Guidance

When dealing with an ethical issue, staff and the associated workforce should think about the following:

• Does any specific legislation or Man of Many policy/procedure apply?
• What values are relevant from the Ethics Statement?
• Whose interests are potentially affected? (mine, other people, Man of Many’s) etc…
• What are my options and the consequences to stakeholders?
• What are my duties and obligations?
• Which option treats people equally or fairly?
• Should I discuss the issue with my supervisor or another senior staff member?

5. Final Check

Once an approach is identified, to check it is appropriate, staff and students should ask themselves:

• Is my decision consistent with the Ethics Statement?
• How would I feel if someone did this to me?
• Will this decision bring about a good result?
• Would I be happy for this decision to be on the public record, or on the cover of a newspaper?
• What would Man of Many be like if everyone made decisions like this?
• Would I be happy if my family knew what I am about to do?
• How will taking this action affect my character, or the character of Man of Many?

6. Breaches

Man of Many treats any breach of its policies, procedures and schedules seriously; it encourages reporting of concerns about non-compliance, and manages compliance in accordance with the applicable Enterprise Agreement, relevant instrument of appointment and/or applicable contract terms. A failure to comply with these policies may result in action by Man of Many. Such action may include disciplinary and other action up to and including potential termination of employment for employees, or the cessation of engagements with Man of Many for other persons.

DEFINITIONS

Ethics Policy Review Date: 15 February 2023

Read all of our Editorial Policies & Standards here.