Upholding
Integrity and Independence of the Profession
A journalist
should assist and uphold the integrity and independence of the
profession. An independent and honourable profession is indispensable
to the maintenance of media freedom. A media practitioner should
assist and participate in establishing, maintaining and enforcing
and should observe high standards of conduct so that the integrity
and independence of the profession may be preserved.
Freedom
of Expression
Freedom of
expression is a prerequisite for the functioning of a free media
in a democratic society. It is the duty of every media practitioner
to safeguard and defend freedom of expression, which is an unalienable
human right. A media practitioner must be free and collect information,
to express, comment and criticise including the challenging of
the fairness and justice of any restrictive policies and legislation
which are not justified by the public interest and genuine national
security considerations. A media practitioner must strive to eliminate
news suppression and censorship of news.
Promotion
of the Right to Peace
Cognisant
of the fact that many of the upheavals that have befallen the
African continent have emanated from machinations of selfish politicians
and military men who have sought to divide the people through
hate speeches, intolerance and propaganda. Media practitioners
should not originate or encourage the dissemination of information
designed to promote or which may have the effect of promoting
tribalism, racism or any other forms of discrimination and intolerance.
Public
Responsibility
Media practitioners
engaged in public funded media are entrusted by the public, with
a high degree of responsibility, in the sense that the public
relies on such public institutions to obtain intelligence on news
occurrences around the world and to interpret and make an accurate
record of the happenings around the world and to interpret the
events from them. This responsibility and trust should never be
abused by a journalist using this power and trust for selfish
and parochial interest.
Accuracy
A media practitioner
worth his name enjoys a high degree of good faith from the public.
The good faith presupposes that a journalist must be truthful,
sincere and accurate in his work. A media practitioner has therefore
the responsibility to ensure that the information that he has
disseminates is fair and accurate and should not indulge in unfair
comment, sensationalism, falsifications or distorts of facts whether
directly or indirectly through selective perception or misrepresentations
of facts. In this regard the size of news headlines must reflect
the gravity or importance of the news and it should also closely
and accurately reflect the content of the story.
Fair Play
/ Right of Reply
The duty of
a media practitioner is to practice his profession actively within
the bounds of fair play. In society each individual is entitled
to right of privacy and protection of his dignity. Media practitioners
should not therefore disseminate information or allegations affecting
the good standing of an individual or an organisation without
having thoroughly investigated the details of the allegations.
The individual or an organisation against which allegations are
levelled should whenever possible be given an opportunity to rebut
the allegations in the same publication or article.
A media practitioner
shall as soon as possible take the necessary steps to correct
any damaging report on any individual or organisation and shall
ensure that the parties concerned are afforded the opportunity
and right to criticism or comment affecting them which reply shall
be accorded due prominence in a publication or offered adequate
time in the broadcasting media.
The Laws
A media practitioner
shall exercise his conscience and discretion in the use of information
obtained and unless compelled by overriding public interest shall
not disseminate information likely to be interpreted as intrusion
in the privacy of an individual.
Plagiarism
It is unethical
for media workers to plagiarise the professional work of others
or expropriate works for results of research by scholars without
acknowledging their contribution and naming his sources of information.
In this regard attention should be paid to laws pertaining to
copyright.
Confidentiality
of Sources
The proper
functioning of the media in general and media freedom in particular
requires the preservation by a media practitioner of the confidence
of those who have supplied information to him or her.
To this end
a media practitioner shall protect the confidnetiality of his/her
sources of information. Media practitioners should not be compelled
by any laws or the authorities to divulge their sources of information.
Decency
