The News Tribune is in the business of selling newspapers. But what it really sells is trust and integrity.

Those values are key to establishing credibility with readers, who must be able to trust that the people bringing them the news don’t have hidden agendas, that they don’t have conflicts of interest that slant coverage and that they adhere to accepted journalistic ethics.

Those ethical rules for reporters include not accepting gifts and not making up sources. Journalists also are expected to recuse themselves from covering stories if they have a conflict of interest; at the very least, they need to disclose any possible conflicts to their editors.

Readers must be confident that journalists who lack integrity and fail to live up to the profession’s ethical standards will face disciplinary action, even termination. And that has happened at The News Tribune. Failing to take such action would compromise the compact the newspaper has with readers – to deliver a daily product as honestly as possible.

A newspaper’s credibility is rooted in its dedication to accuracy, and readers need to know that it will make amends when it falls short. Mistakes are corrected as quickly and thoroughly as possible (corrections appear on page A2). Readers’ concerns, questions and complaints are addressed by a reader representative – a newsroom employee who answers their phone calls and e-mails.

Trust and integrity are important values outside the news operation, too.

Advertisers must have confidence that they are on a level playing field with their competitors in the rates they pay and their access to the newspaper’s pages.

Financial integrity is vitally important to The News Tribune credibility with advertisers and shareholders. As part of the publicly traded McClatchy Co., it has a responsibility to use generally accepted accounting principles to provide factual financial and circulation information.

Building and retaining readers’ trust, as well as conducting business with integrity, will continue to be at the very core of The News Tribune’s institutional values in its next 125 years of service.

COMING NOV. 2: Diversity