The Ethics Code Prohibits Reposting Materials Without Indication of The Author or Source

The Press Council (PC) has found that the reposting of journalistic materials without indication of the source, increasingly often reported by the journalistic community, is a violation of professional ethics. At the meeting of February 10, the PC examined the complaint of Ziarul de Garda (ZdG) newspaper against www.actualitati.md about the reposting of the full text of a ZdG investigation without indicating the source.

The PC found that Actualitati.md violated article 2.4 of the Moldovan Journalist’s Code of Ethics (according to which journalists shall respect copyright and the reposting of a material in full is possible only with the agreement of the copyright holder, while partial reposting is allowed in the amount of maximum 500 symbols with references to the source).

Although the portal subsequently indicated the source of the reposted material, the PC considered that ethics were violated. The media portal was demanded to abide by the Code of Ethics and not to commit such violations in the future.

Media Azi asked the Press Council chairman Ludmila Andronic for an opinion on this case, and she said:
“It is not the first time when one media outlet accuses another outlet of plagiarism. In this case, the full text of an investigation was reposted without indicating the source. In legal terms it could be qualified as grand theft. Because plagiarism is actually theft. It is not normal to repost a material and not even have the common sense to write where you took it from. Having no respect for the copyright on your colleagues’ work means showing no respect for the basic principles of this profession, no respect for yourself as a journalist. It is a violation of general and professional ethics, which very clearly define plagiarism and the limits of quoting. It is also a legal violation, if you want – a violation of copyright.”