IPJ : Guidelines for good journalistic practice

Proposed Guidelines for Good Journalistic Practice

Freedom of Expression and the Media in Lebanon, IPJ/IPI Seminar, May 2001

Preamble:

These guidelines for a code of good journalistic practice are dedicated to journalists in Lebanon (and by extension the Arab World). They aim at ensuring that all those practicing journalism adhere to the highest ethical standards, professional competence and exemplary conduct in carrying out their duties.

A journalist should strive to maintain the highest professional standards by observing the following guidelines regarding sources, gifts/junkets/benefits, accuracy/fairness and freedom/privacy/relevance:

A. Sources:

Not plagiarize. Information obtained from other media organizations or other sources must be clearly identified as such.
Clearly identify pictures, videos and reports from other sources by providing references to the sources in print, on the air and on screen.
Identify handout video, video news releases, standard press kits, etc., which should only be used when other video or other still pictures are unavailable.
Protect confidential sources of information, unless deceived by those sources.
Make adequate inquiries and cross-check his/her facts. Substantiate news from private or public sources before publishing or broadcasting it.
Question sources’ motives before promising anonymity.
Corroborate information from unnamed sources through one or more sources and/or by documentary data.
Not allow unnamed sources to attack others or take cheap shots in stories.

B. Gifts/Junkets/Benefits:

Not accept money, paid trips, gifts or bribes from sources he/she covers. Accepting gifts compromises journalistic impartiality, or the appearance thereof. Avoid any appearance of conflict of interest that may occur through contracts, favors or public commitments. Not work for an institution he/she covers.
Pay his/her own way or acknowledge the fact that he/she was offered special accommodations as part of his/her work—such as riding on an interviewee’s jet or staying at a private estate to interview the person.
Disclose any direct or indirect payment made for interviews. Not pay people who act as information sources.
Not use journalistic position for personal gain. Not take private advantage of information gained in the course of his/her duties before it is made public.
Not endorse by advertisement any commercial product or service except to promote his/her own work or the medium by which he/she is employed. Not promise a story in exchange of advertising.
Not be influenced by vested interests, whether they are commercial, political, governmental or non-governmental.
Not work in public relations, publicity or teaching of courses on how to deal with the media, or in staged news conferences to prepare public officials in such dealings, to avoid partisanship.
Not threaten to publish/broadcast or not publish/broadcast a story for the purpose of unlawful benefit.

C. Accuracy/Fairness:

Be honest, fair, impartial, independent, respect the rights of others, respect human rights, constantly pursue accuracy, be tolerant, put a high value on individuals’ honor, maintain decency, have strong values, and, exercise moderation and common sense.
Admit errors, correct them and apologize when necessary. Rectify any information found or likely to be harmfully inaccurate.
Identify still pictures correctly and not manipulate them. Not manipulate audio, video or interactive information for illegal or unethical purposes. Clearly identify a symbolic photograph, noting in the caption that it is not a documentary picture.
Not allow personal beliefs or commitments to undermine accuracy, fairness and independence.
Work towards eliminating distortion, news suppression and censorship.
Avoid the expression of comment and conjecture as established fact and falsification by distortion, selection or misrepresentation.
Not originate material that encourages discrimination on the grounds of race, color, creed, gender, language, political affiliations, social origins, physical or mental condition, or sexual orientation.
Not libel, slander, or engage in malicious misinterpretation.
Proceed with great caution in publishing names of, or information about, members of police or security forces, which may endanger their lives or those of their families. Collaborate with police only if the lives and health of victims or other persons involved in incidents of threats or violence can be protected or saved by a journalist’s actions.
Respect standards of taste and decency and not offend the public unless the public interest is furthered by confrontation with seemingly offensive truths.
Separate comments from facts. Put facts and opinions in their proper context so they are understandable, without exaggerating or diminishing their scope.
Respect embargoes on stories.
Write headlines that match the contents of the articles they accompany.
Not publish rumors unless they come from credible sources and contribute to the understanding of events. They must always be identified as rumors.
Not distort the meaning of people’s words by distorting quotations or their sequence.
Not, as a rule, obtain information through undercover means such as false identity, hidden microphones and cameras, spying, infiltrating, or misleading reasons about the news coverage. In exceptional cases journalists may do so if it is of definite public interest, where reprehensible actions must be exposed, or the information cannot be obtained through other means.
Not use hidden cameras, recorders or microphones where a promise was made not to use them at all.
Always identify re-enactments and dramatizations. Not present staged or rehearsed material as spontaneous. Not manipulate reality by inciting demonstrators to use violence or agitation to violence in front of the cameras.
Respect the presumed innocence of suspects and the accused and not present them as criminals, by using the conditional.
Not become a platform for propaganda in hostage, terrorism, riot or barricade situations since the presence of the media can excite a crowd.
Respect pluralism.
Be responsible for his/her statements and work.
Inform the public how the selection of products was made and how they were tested in the case of consumer-oriented journalistic material.
Indicate the number of people interviewed, the date a poll was conducted and identify of a poll’s sponsor, when publishing findings by opinion polling organizations, particularly during elections.
Exercise restraint when reporting on cases of suicide.
Reject sensationalism or misleading emphasis.
Seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting.
Be accountable, clarify news coverage and invite public dialogue over journalistic conduct.
Encourage the public to voice grievances against news media.
Expose unethical practices of journalists and news media.

D. Freedom/Privacy/Relevance:

Not use relatives or friends in print or on the air unless they are prominent in their own right or part of a story.
Not violate people’s right to privacy or endanger their lives. Not intrude into private grief and distress, unless justified by public interest considerations.
Exercise particular care for the welfare of children and consider the impact of TV, radio and other media on children. Not interview minors except in the presence of, or with the consent of, a parent or guardian, unless an interview is intended to protect a child’s interests or if the child is already under close public attention.
Not identify victims and juvenile offenders.
Try to ensure that life threatening, anti-social or criminal behavior does not encourage copycat actions.
Defend the principles of freedom of the press and promote freedom of expression.
Cultivate and defend the public right to receive information about issues of public interest. Be responsible and constantly mindful not to impair public interests.
Recognize conflicting loyalties, search for alternatives and consider consequences.
Inform, educate, entertain and enrich the lives of readers, listeners, viewers or browsers.

Recommendations:

There should be no restrictions on who may practice journalism.
There should be no legal requirement for membership in any journalists’ association or federation.
Journalists should be tried under civil, not criminal, law.
Lebanon should strive to pass into law a Freedom of Information Act.

Sources:

Al Hayat Pan-Arab Daily Code of Ethics
American Society of Newspaper Editors Statement of Principles
Associated Press Managing Editors Code of Ethics, USA
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Journalists Code of Ethics
Asia Pacific Forum of Ethics for Environmental Journalists
Australian Journalists’ Association
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Statement of Editorial Values
British National Union of Journalists
Cable News Network (CNN)
Chicago Tribune Company Editorial Ethics Policy, USA
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Estonian Press Code of Ethics
E.W. Scripps Company Statement of Policy on Ethics & Professional Conduct, USA
Fiji Islands Media Association
Gannett Newspaper Division Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms, USA
German Press Council
Ghana Journalists Association
Hong Kong Journalists’ Association
International Federation of Journalists
Irish National Union of Journalists
Italian Charter of Duties of Journalists
Japanese Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association
Lebanese Press Order
Los Angeles Times Code of Ethics, USA
National Association of Hungarian Journalists
National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics, USA
Orlando (Florida) Sentinel Editorial Code of Ethics, USA
The Poynter Institute, USA
Public Radio Ethics & Style Guidebook, USA
Quebec Journalists Professional Code of Ethics, Canada
Radio-Television News Directors Association, USA
Reporters Association of Thailand
Society of American Business Editors & Writers, USA
Society of Professional Journalists (Sigma Delta Chi), USA
Swedish Code of Ethics for Press, Radio & Television
The Journalist’s Creed, Walter Williams, Dean School of Journalism, University of Missouri (1908-35), USA
Washington Post Standards & Ethics, USA.

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