Seek truth and report it.

Minimize harm.

Act independently.

Be accountable and transparent.

Those are the four principles that the Society of Professional Journalists says are the foundation of ethical journalism. These days, though, there seems to be a debate as to whether those codes are being regularly honored in reporting. We regularly hear phrases like “fake news” and “alternative facts.” The line has blurred so much between news reporting, satire, and commentary that it’s often hard to tell where the lines used to be.