[For more information on European codes of ethics, visit EthicNet]
european ethics codes
To always be able to inform and examine society, the press, radio and TV must
have a lot of freedom. But there must be some rules. These rules are not
laws that say exactly how news will be reported or what a TV show should
contain. The rules are more like a limit that says how far it's reasonable
to go and what is reasonable to publish. The ethic rules are three main
rules, one for publishing, one for the journalism and one for editorial
advertising.
Here is a short summary of the rules for publishing and the journalist.
THE RULES FOR PUBLISHING:
Give correct news.
Examine information and be critical about the news source.
Change wrong information.
Respect personal integrity.
Give up all publishing that can hurt the personal life if it isn't
necessary for the news. Show respect to crime and accident victims and show
respect to the victim's family.
Be careful with pictures.
Avoid pictures that can hurt or wound. Don't alter a picture (example: cutting).
Don't judge.
Be objective and don't take sides. Let the person or the persons that have
been citicized answer back.
Be careful with names.
Avoid name publishing if it isn't necessary.
THE RULES FOR THE JOURNALIST:
Don't take on duty missions from people that aren't the editorial
managers.
Don't accept invitations, gifts, free trips or any privileges that can
destroy your reputation as an independent journalist
Don't use your status as a journalist to get private privileges.
Communicate with the interviewed person about how and where their
pronouncement will be published.
Pay regards to the inexperienced interviewee.
Don't change interviews or pictures.
Respect the time agreed for publishing
If members of the press, radio or TV industries break the rules they can be sued. That
has happened a lot of times in almost every country.
