torsdag 8. november 2007

The do's and dont's in journalism

Almost every country has their own practices when it comes to press ethics. They are usually written down in a statement, often called a code of ethics. At the moment there are almost 40 different national codes in Europe alone.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists states what journalists should do and what they should be careful with. For example, number three of the code states: "The journalist shall report only in accordance with facts of which he/ she knows the origin. The journalist shall not suppress essential information or falsify documents". The journalist shall, in other words, only report facts and avoid publishing false information. European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) also subscribes to this declaration.

The British Code of Practice is another code describing what the journalist should do. It is longer than many other codes with its 16 clauses covering different topics such as harassment and financial journalism and it sticks to the European style of advicing what a journalist should do and what he/she must be careful with.

Other codes do the opposite as they focus on what the journalist should avoid. One such code is the The Australian code of ethics. The main prority for members of MEAA - Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the organisation that covers media in Australia, is to commit themselves to
· Honesty
· Fairness
· Independence
· Respect for the rights of others

10 out of 12 Australian clauses in the MEAA code focus on what the journalist should not do. The two remaining ones state that you should respect grief and that a journalist should do his outmost to avoid errors.

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