Ethics for Writers (part 2)

So far, the only Code of Ethics I have been able to find that pertains to writers are those set forth by the Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) . Here are the tenets of the Code of Ethics from the Society for Professional Journalists.

Seek Truth And Report It:
Even fiction writers can do this.  How?  When we write fiction, we’re working in a world of our own making.  In this world, we know what is the truth and what is not.  Our writing will reflect that and show the reader.  When we veer from the truth in the world we have created, our readers will know it.

Minimize Harm:
I understand some fiction is based on real people and events.  When it is done so, it should be written in such a way that it either does not cause any harm to another person or that it is so disguised as to be unrecognizable.

If people recognize themselves – or even think they do – in something we have written, we could be sued on charges of libel or slander.

Act Independently:
Writing is basically a solitary pursuit anyway.  More so if we write fiction.  It is the nature of writers (per my observations and experience) to act independently.

Exceptions to this are any collaboration, regardless of what genre of writing in which they occur.  Some notable exceptions in fantasy are David and Leigh Eddings, Mercedes Lackey and Marion Zimmer Bradley, or Mercedes Lackey and Larry Elmore.  There are more examples, and from more genres than just fantasy.

Collaborations are more prevalent in nonfiction.  Still, even when working together, these teams act independently of other teams.

Be Accountable:
Accountability is always relevant.  If we slander anyone with our writing, we are accountable.  If we report inaccurate information, knowingly or not, we are accountable.

Even in the creation of our own world(s), we are accountable to our readers to stay true to the rules of the world in which we are working.

All writers are accountable for issues of copyright infringement and plagiarism.  There’s no way to get around that.  While articles, essays, stories, poems, etc., can be copyrighted, the ideas behind them cannot.  Nor can titles.

The absence of an official code of ethics boils down to one thing:  We are accountable only to ourselves within the guidelines provided by existing laws, common sense, and respect for the work of others.  At the end of the day, I know I have done what I can to uphold my personal ethics while working within the laws.  I have to be satisfied with that.