Despite his loathsome exterior, the radioactive reporter was actually a crusader for justice.

It's a popular stereotype: sleazy, callous journalists who won't let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Reality is far less scurrilous. While journalists all get a thrill from breaking a cracking yarn, most just want to do good work and get it right. With the exception of a few bad apples (as plague any profession), when we don't get it right it's because we're fallible, not crooked.

News encompasses all sorts of trauma — car crashes, murders, local body politics — and we often shine a light on areas others would prefer stayed dark, so it's no surprise our approach isn't always popular.

ALEX BRANDON/AP So weird that this photo of Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg would pop up at this point in the text...

I know this post will be bait for readers who want to slate Stuff for spelling and grammatical errors, perceived political bias, so-called clickbait, and all the other accusations routinely levelled at media outlets. That's not fun for us, but it's healthy — audience feedback helps keep us honest.

Every day at Stuff we discuss our ethical standards, trying to align our editorial decision-making with our own moral compasses, the codes of our company and our industry, and the expectations of our audience.

Unlike some platforms where you can consume information, we vouch for the quality of what we publish - and we have rules governing how we behave.

Stuff's code of ethics is handed out to all journalists who join the company.

"Independence, courage and initiative underpins all our journalism," the introduction says.

Editors and journalists must:

* Maintain a fierce independence free from political or commercial influences;

* Report without fear or favour on events of public interest everywhere;

* Commit themselves to the highest standards of accuracy and ethical behaviour;

* Act with integrity;

* Support company and industry codes endorsing high standards of conduct;

* Stand up for and are part of the communities they serve; and

* Defend the right of freedom of expression.

We all pledge to strive for accuracy, fairness and independence. Our 12 commandments are:

1. Present news and comment honestly, bearing in mind the privacy and sensibilities of individuals as well as the public interest.

2. Correct mistakes by prompt correction and clear explanation and, where necessary, apology.

3. Ensure journalists and photographers identify themselves and their purpose clearly and not misrepresent themselves unless there is a case of compelling public interest and the information cannot be obtained in any other way.

4. Approach cases involving personal grief or shock with sympathy and discretion.

5. Ensure that staff act professionally so as not to compromise the integrity or reputation of themselves or their publication.

6. Value originality in journalism, take every reasonable precaution to avoid plagiarism and ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities.

7. Not allow the personal interests of journalists to influence them in their professional duties.

8. Not allow the professional duties of journalists to be influenced by any consideration, gift or advantage offered and, where appropriate, disclose any such offer.

9. Not tamper with photographs to distort and/or misrepresent the image – except for purely cosmetic reasons – without informing the reader what has occurred and why.

10. Protect confidential sources.

11. Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical appearance, social status or illness, without avoiding legitimate public debate on such issues in the public interest.

12. Exercise care in reporting suicides and abide by the Stuff Protocols for Suicide Reporting.

We also adhere to the Media Council's principles, which cover accuracy, fairness and balance; privacy; coverage of young people; comment and opinion; discrimination; confidentiality; subterfuge; and conflicts of interest.

If complainants who raise something with Stuff aren't satisfied with our response, they can complain to the Media Council for an independent ruling.

Codes of ethics are common among mainstream media organisations (see also, E Tū, which represents unionised journalists, and NZME, owners of the NZ Herald), but that doesn't mean the values are universal and immutable.

Community standards change over time, and codes of ethics for modern media outlets should evolve too. If you'd like to recommend changes to our code of ethics, let us know in the comments below.