Declaration on Ethical and Professional Journalism

According to the Preamble, chapter II., of the CEN Workshop Agreement no. 17493, published on 19th of December, 2019.

We define Journalism as the gathering, production and dissemination of information in a framework of ethical values. Its purpose is to provide citizens with information that empowers them to fully participate in society.

Acts of journalism may be performed by individuals or collectively organised through news media.

We commit ourselves to four primary indicators of ethical quality in journalistic work: ethical practice in editorial activity; good governance in the ownership and management of news media; respect for principles of self-regulation and active engagement with the public.

A.      Ethical Practice

We practice journalism according to the following key principles:

• Accuracy and fact-based communication;
• Independence from political, corporate or other centres of power;
• Due impartiality in a systematic approach to reporting and editing;
• Fairness, respect and consideration of the impact of journalism on the lives of others;
• Transparency to facilitate accountability and responsibility to the public.

We implement these principles through a code of conduct or mission statement, enhanced through Editorial Guidelines, which provide practical guidance on ethical challenges that might arise.

B.      Good Governance

We strive to reflect high levels of good governance that protect editorial independence by showing transparency of ownership and management, whether public or private.

We demonstrate commitment to recognised and essential principles of internal transparency and accountability to the public.

We agree that good governance, which includes respect for recognised norms of human rights, equality, and contractual obligations, may be identified and monitored through periodic reflection and auditing of internal systems and rules designed to strengthen ethics and management of Media Outlets.

C.      Self-regulation

We work to develop systems to strengthen awareness of core values of editorial practice through codes of conduct and editorial ethical guidelines. We also work to provide mechanisms for internal self-regulation, including dealing with complaints and comments from the public through the appointment of readers’ editors or ombudspersons or a designated editorial manager. We further demonstrate respect for self-regulation through attachment to industry-wide or national bodies, for example press councils or press associations, established to promote ethical journalism and to deal with complaints from the public.

D.     Engagement with the Public

Building public trust in journalism requires active engagement with the public at large. We provide opportunities for our audience to comment, to respond, and to suggest improvements to the editorial process. We implement accessible and transparent systems to deal with complaints from the public and, where appropriate, to provide remedies.