Laying an ethical foundation

More on the Singapore WJEC debate: AJR editor Ian Richards points out in an ongoing JEA debate that the Singapore declaration preamble refers to "the effective and responsible practice of journalism", states that journalism "should serve the public in many important ways", and states that "above all, to be a responsible journalist must involve an informed ethical commitment to the public". He believes it's much better to approach the issue this way and so lay a foundation for dialogue and communication with others in our field around the globe than to have no foundation at all, which would be the case if no allowance was made for "political reality".