Author

Bill Kovach

Bill Kovach, a 1989 Nieman Fellow, was curator of the Nieman Foundation from 1989 to 2000. He is the co-author of “The Elements of Journalism.”

Journalists Have an Obligation to Personal Conscience

“Every journalist—from the newsroom to the boardroom—must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility—a moral compass. What’s more, they have a responsibility to voice their personal conscience out loud…
June 15, 2001

Journalists Must Maintain an Independence From Those They Cover

“…Being impartial or neutral is not a core principle of journalism. …impartiality was never what was meant by objectivity. …the critical step in pursing truthfulness and informing citizens is not…
June 15, 2001

Journalism’s First Loyalty Is to Citizens

“A commitment to citizens is more than professional egoism. It is the implied covenant with the public…. The notion that those who report the news are not obstructed from digging…
June 15, 2001

The Essence of Journalism Is a Discipline of Verification

Excerpt from "The Elements of Journalism" by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. Principle Three
June 15, 2001

Journalism Must Provide a Forum for Public Criticism and Comment

“…This forum function of the press would make it possible to create a democracy even in a large, diverse country by encouraging what James Madison and others considered the basis…
June 15, 2001

Journalists Must Make the Significant Interesting and Relevant

“… This classic way of posing the question of engagement—as information versus storytelling, or what people need versus what people want—is a distortion. This is not how journalism is practiced,…
June 15, 2001

Journalism’s First Obligation Is to Tell the Truth

Principle One
June 15, 2001

Sources: Have Journalists Ceded Control?

For the public to be well served, transparency is crucial.
March 15, 2001

Summer 2000: Watchdog Conference Introduction

It’s the tendency to focus on the celebrity, the character, not serious character but personality traits of political figures that trivializes the political process. So the focus of this discussion…
June 15, 2000

Endnote

Bill Kovach received the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University March 9, 2000. Here are excerpts from his…
June 15, 2000