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7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M arch 28,2019 w aterloochronicle.ca DEAL OF THE WEEK! 4 MODERN COLOURS TO CHOOSE FROM! FIRST COME FIRST SERVED! WHILE QUANTITIES LAST! from **LIMITED TIME OFFER** SPC CLICK VINYL 100% WATER PROOF EASY TO INSTALL SIDE MICRO BEVELED 15 YEAR WRNTY FOUR MM THICK $179PER SQ FTREG 3.99 1362 VICTORIA STREET N. KITCHENER 519.742.9188 MON-FRI 9AM-9PM SATURDAY 9AM-6PM SUNDAY 10AM-5PM W W W . . C O M It's about trust. Our re- lationship with our read- ers is built on transparen- cy, honesty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that pro- ject. "If I had my choice I would kill every reporter in the world, but I am sure we would be getting re- ports from Hell before breakfast." ~William Tecumseh Sherman Sherman was an Amer- ican soldier, businessman, educator, and author, and while serving as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, he was harshly criticized publicly for engaging in scorched earth tactics while fighting the Confed- erates. As a Catholic and a journalist, Sherman's words sting, and despite that childhood rhyme about "sticks and stones" stating otherwise, I know words can hurt. Ask the corrupt politi- cian or the church treasur- er caught embezzling if words hurt after their sto- ry is published - I am sure they will agree with me. I've learned after 25 years of chasing stories that the truth is never easy to arrive at. It can be messy, emotional, painful, and as shocking and un- comfortable as a pool of fresh vomit on the floor. Reporters have the thankless job of sifting through the vomit, trying to decide if the chicken was on the lunch menu or the dinner menu. The truth can hurt, es- pecially when it's pub- lished for thousands to read. I realize that. However, I take solace in knowing the journalists and editors under my charge live by a code of ethics that's been beaten into them since the first day of journalism school, myself included. Ethics and transparency are the foundation of quality jour- nalism, and more often than not, those who throw barbs our way do so be- cause THEIR unethical hand was publicly caught in the cookie jar. Do some reporters and media corporations have a biased agenda? Certainly, but I consider it more of a problem south of the bor- der due to the current po- litical climate, than a le- gitimate Canadian issue. The long-established pillars of quality journal- ism are built on: truth and accuracy, independence, fairness, impartiality, hu- manity and accountabili- ty. However, reporters are human beings and make mistakes, and although rare, we in the media do have bad days, get sloppy, occasionally cut corners, and screw things up. When we do err, we own it, and my pledge to you is that we will make it right. As part of this paper's commitment to quality re- porting, Star-Metroland has established an ethics committee, put in place to examine complex issues relating to our reporting. What would you do if a former neo-Nazi group leader, whose story made the front page several times over the years, calls and asks that all the sto- ries ever written about him be removed from your website? What would you do? As the conversation progresses, he tells you he found God, married a black woman, and started his own Baptist church. "I renounce hate. I am not that person anymore. He's dead," he adds. He surmises by saying his past is making it hard for him to start his church. What would you do if you were the editor? Should this individual be allowed to have his past transgressions wiped clean? Keep in mind, part of the media's job is to chronicle history and add to the historical record of a community. These are the types of meaty issues our ethics committee, comprised of seasoned journalists and editors, routinely sort through. If you have questions about the ethics commit- tee or wish to bring an item forward to the com- mittee, please reach out to me. I sleep very well at night knowing that every- thing my reporters cover is presented without mal- ice. Thank you very much Mr. Sherman. We welcome your ques- tions and value your com- ments. Email our trust committee at trust@met- roland.com. Chris Vernon is the Regional Managing Edi- tor for West-Fairway. He can be reached at cver- non@metroland.com. OPINION YOUROPINIONS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA GETTING TO THE TRUTH CAN BE AS MESSY AS SIFTING THROUGH VOMIT QUALITY JOURNALISM ROOTED IN ETHICS AND PRESENTED WITHOUT MALICE, WRITES CHRIS VERNON CHRIS VERNON Column