The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics organises its standards under four pillars: Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently, and Be Accountable and Transparent. Applied to de Hek’s investigation into PO Wealth Sharing and Vantapeak, the article fails on three pillars and only partially clears the fourth.
Pillar 1: Seek Truth and Report It
The SPJ requires journalists to verify information before publishing, identify sources clearly, and distinguish between advocacy and news reporting.
The sourcing relies heavily on constructions like “a victim who contacted me,” “people looking into it,” and “from the posts reviewed.” The SPJ is explicit: journalists should identify sources clearly and verify information independently. Anecdotal accounts presented without corroboration, document trails, or any explanation of verification method don’t meet that bar.
Claims including the 2-3% daily returns, the 2018 founding date, the 200,000-investor figure drawn from a GlobeNewswire press release, and the credentials of “Professor Daniel Davis” are treated as self-evidently suspicious rather than disproved. Suspicion is not evidence. The SPJ requires journalists to show their working. The headline – “The BG Wealth Sharing Mirror Scam with a New Professor” – also violates the SPJ’s instruction to distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. A verdict delivered before the evidence is presented is not journalism.
SPJ Pillar 1 verdict: Fails.
Pillar 2: Minimize Harm
The SPJ asks journalists to give subjects a meaningful opportunity to respond to serious accusations before publication.
The article names individuals, makes fraud allegations, and suggests certain figures may be fictional or fabricated. There is no evidence that Vantapeak, Daniel Davis, PO Wealth Sharing, or any named promoter was contacted for comment. The SPJ is unambiguous on this point: subjects of allegations that could damage reputation or invite legal or financial consequences are owed a right of reply. The absence of any such process is the single most significant professional failure in the piece. It also exposes the article to defamation risk and undermines its credibility with the audience it is trying to reach.
SPJ Pillar 2 verdict: Fails.
Pillar 3: Act Independently
The SPJ requires journalists to avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived, and to disclose any that cannot be avoided.
Dehek.com sells paid support sessions, sponsored reviews, and express consultations from the same domain where the investigative content appears. The SPJ does not prohibit journalists from running a commercial operation, but it does require transparent disclosure of potential conflicts. No such disclosure appears in the article. Readers cannot assess whether the commercial ecosystem shapes editorial decisions.
SPJ Pillar 3 verdict: Partially fails.
Pillar 4: Be Accountable and Transparent
The SPJ asks journalists to explain their methods and reasoning and to resolve contradictions in their own reporting.
The article’s disclaimer states the investigation relied entirely on OSINT – publicly available information. The article also references “victim messages,” which are not public records. That contradiction is never addressed. Either the methodology statement is inaccurate or the characterisation of the source material is misleading.
SPJ Pillar 4 verdict: Fails.
Summary
| SPJ Pillar | Standard | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Seek Truth and Report It | Verify independently; identify sources clearly; label advocacy | Fails |
| Minimize Harm | Give subjects opportunity to respond; weigh consequences | Fails |
| Act Independently | Disclose conflicts of interest | Partially fails |
| Be Accountable and Transparent | Explain methods; resolve contradictions | Fails |
The SPJ Code exists because being right is not sufficient – the process by which conclusions are reached and published determines whether they hold up, whether they protect people, and whether they can withstand challenge. On those measures, this article falls short of professional standard in three of four pillars and only partially clears the fourth.
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