Ethical questions in the spotlight at #CAJ16

OTTAWA, March 24, 2016 /CNW/ - It was just over 10 years ago the Canadian Association of Journalists established an ethics advisory committee.

In the decade since, the committee's work has helped define and improve best practices for journalists working across Canada. The committee has also brought questions – including the ones that helped form the CAJ's own ethics guidelines and practices – to our annual conference.

For #CAJ16 in Edmonton, the ethics advisory committee brings delegates two sessions on quandaries that have made us pause over the past year. The first, inspired by the committee's recent discussion paper, will focus on sponsored content. The second will deal with the complexities of how journalists interact with sources who've been victims of abuse. It too is based on a recent set of guidelines produced by the committee.

"Our ethics advisory committee has set a gold standard for publishing guidelines, best practices and discussion papers that help journalists improve their own practices," CAJ president Nick Taylor-Vaisey said. "This year's sessions organized by the committee at our national conference allow delegates to consider the questions raised and use that information to guide their own work."

Rates for the conference start at $249 plus HST for CAJ members for the full weekend, including a ticket to the awards gala. Student member and unemployed journalist rates start at $75, with single-day registration starting at $105. These rates will go up on May 20. All details, including a link to our online registration site, are posted on the #CAJ16 page at caj.ca.

The two-day conference is scheduled to run from Friday, May 27, to Saturday, May 28, at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel in Edmonton, Alta. The hotel will also offer a conference rate, starting at $110 a night plus taxes and fees.

Additional pieces of the #CAJ conference program are still being finalized and will be posted as they are confirmed.

The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing over 600 members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide public-interest advocacy and high-quality professional development for its members.

Registration questions can be sent to: [email protected]

www.caj.ca/caj16 | www.facebook.com/CdnAssocJournalists | www.twitter.com/CAJ

SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists

Nick Taylor-Vaisey, CAJ president, 647-968-2393, [email protected]; Hugo Rodrigues, #CAJ16 conference chair, [email protected]; Dale Bass, CAJ events committee chair, [email protected]