journalism's codes of ethics are intended to ensure reliability of reported information by defining acceptable practices; and provide guidelines about circumstances to avoid that could interfere with, or appear to interfere with, the reliability of reported information. circumstances to avoid include conflicts of interest. the guidelines assist journalists in identifying and dealing with ethical dilemmas. when such circumstances cannot be avoided, they should be disclosed so that recipients of reported information can judge potential bias in the reporting. the codes and canons provide journalists with a framework for self-monitoring and self-correction.