The journalism values system is not a gimmick or tactic. But this lens will be of use, the JVI editors emphasized, only if newsrooms challenge themselves. Indeed, the editors said it is essential for journalists to talk about their values. Here is a sketch of how the values relate to one another. Credibility The system begins and ends with the value of credibility a newsroom's and newspaper's franchise.
Credibility is driven by how people view what journalists do over time.
If newspapers and journalists lack credibility, people turn away. But while credibility is essential to a newspaper, it is not necessarily an action value on its own. These are balance , accuracy , leadership and accessibility . These four values play off one another. For example, if a journalist views balance as capturing only two opposite sides when there are actually multiple dimensions to a story, then accuracy suffers and claims of bias may result.