In a Reversal, Guild Endorses Mandatory 'New York Times' Ethics Quiz

By: Joe Strupp NEW YORK After initial opposition, local Newspaper Guild leaders have endorsed a new mandatory ethics training program for employees of The New York Times. The guild had originally opposed the training, which includes a required quiz, on the grounds that employees who did not complete the course could be disciplined.

The guild?s concerns about the training "have been addressed satisfactorily by Times management," according to a guild memo released Tuesday, and the guild is now advising its members at the Times, NY Times Digital, and WQXR to complete the course.

The training program, launched in June, is required to be taken by all employees of The New York Times Company, said Times spokesman Toby Usnik. He said employees are trained in the company's ethics policy through a computerized program that they can review from their own computer.

"It is on the importance of business ethics through examples of how they apply to daily work situations," Usnik explained. "Then, afterward, they take an online exam and get immediate results."

The exam asks the employee to answer about a dozen multiple choice questions on the ethics policy, requiring that he or she take the exam as many times as needed until all of the questions are answered correctly. "They have the opportunity to take it over until it is 100 percent passed," he added.

The program and the quiz are required to be taken by all Times company employees, Usnik said, adding that about 7,800 will take it online, with another 4,500 through a classroom format. He said no one would be penalized for having to take the quiz numerous times, but said employees are not allowed to refuse the program. However, when asked if anyone would be terminated for refusing to take it, he said, "no."

"The important thing is that we are committed to this ethics training and we are committed to improving it," he said.

According to the guild?s Union Times bulletin, the new policy was prompted, in part, by new federal legislation aimed at ensuring ethical practices in the business world.