As far as I can remember, I have always looked at the written word as a society’s most powerful resource.
It has documented important moments throughout history and has been used as a source for personal creativity. Language itself gathers an entirely new and more influential meaning when expressed physically in writing. Once on the paper, it becomes timeless.
As a journalist, I understand my role as a writer encompasses multiple responsibilities. At times, my goal has been to entertain, inform or invoke my audience.
No matter the goal, an ethical decision was always made to respect the trust my audience had placed in my writing. Having a sense of personal morality is essential to establishing trust.
Though personal moral codes may differ, there should always be a universal value of truth that creates cohesiveness with your audience. This should be true regardless of how you define yourself as a writer.
Whether you define yourself as a journalist, technical writer or creative writer, it should be your morals that drive you to pick up the pen or type behind the keyboard.
We all share the responsibility to use our talents ethically. This is especially important for the writer, due to the timeless impact of their work.
As both a writer and reader of written information, I understand much of what I speak is based off of what I’ve read. The writer is the foundation for the cycle of information. The power to communicate our knowledge to the masses relies on our ability to put our message in print.
As a society of communicators, let’s remember to keep an ethical code woven into our writing: a code to be truthful, fair and accurate. This is what ultimately makes our knowledge worth sharing.