The possibility of an event becoming a news item is traditionally based on criteria such as its novelty, its geographical proximity and its magnitude, among others. In the daily development of informational work, the media usually assume that when a fact meets these formal criteria, and has been verified, it is true and, therefore, has been reported with quality. However, there are few cases in which the report of a situation victimizes those involved and causes irreversible damage to their reputation and their life project. This being the case, it is necessary to rethink the newsworthiness criteria and, accordingly, the very concept of journalistic quality, changing its practical sense for a moral sense that addresses values located beyond news-values. This would help to humanize journalism and avoid undermining the reputation of the people who make the news and the credibility of the media. The application of this deontological proposal is developed by offering a critical analysis of the coverage that RCN Televisión made of the case of former deputy Sigifredo López, in order to expose the main ethical flaws present in the work of its reporters and rethink the usual routine of journalistic coverage from the application of values and moral reasons different from those that usually characterize journalistic practice. Thus, throughout this text a series of criteria will be established for taking relevant moral actions in the coverage and elaboration of the news, not without first highlighting the characterization of journalism as a profession guided towards the public interest and also the essential role of the press as a moral agent that supports the exercise of active citizenship. Likewise, the moral considerations that should prevail in the daily work of reporters will be highlighted, taking as a reference the concepts raised by Michael Sandel.
