16 March 2017
788 reads
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Every profession has some ethical standards: builders must use quality materials, otherwise their buildings can break down; doctors must treat all patients, regardless of their political beliefs or gender differences, for example, for which they take the Hippocratic Oath. But what are the red lines for a journalist? The Code of Ethics and ethical rules that the media must comply with are the topics that journalist Nicolae Negru discussed in the “Media Azi” show with his guest, the chair of the Press Council, Viorica Zaharia.
According to the guest, in the journalistic profession there is no need of more oaths, but it is mandatory that every journalist and media outlet undertake to comply with the Code of Ethics.
So, what commitments should a journalist take to their own conscience? What principles are violated in our domestic journalism most often? Why should we make a firm distinction between information and defamation campaigns? And, in this context, what levers does the Press Council have to hold accountable the journalists who do denigration campaigns?
In another vein, participants in the show wonder: Why are the materials that circulate rumors or gossip more popular than those in which authors carefully measure every word? What about online media, where bloggers don’t follow any rules at all?
“By spreading gossip and unverified information we can harm not only one person, but entire masses of people,” says Viorica Zaharia. In her opinion, a journalist’s mission is to present information in such a way as not to harm or negatively influence public opinion.
According to the guest, in the journalistic profession there is no need of more oaths, but it is mandatory that every journalist and media outlet undertake to comply with the Code of Ethics.
So, what commitments should a journalist take to their own conscience? What principles are violated in our domestic journalism most often? Why should we make a firm distinction between information and defamation campaigns? And, in this context, what levers does the Press Council have to hold accountable the journalists who do denigration campaigns?
In another vein, participants in the show wonder: Why are the materials that circulate rumors or gossip more popular than those in which authors carefully measure every word? What about online media, where bloggers don’t follow any rules at all?
“By spreading gossip and unverified information we can harm not only one person, but entire masses of people,” says Viorica Zaharia. In her opinion, a journalist’s mission is to present information in such a way as not to harm or negatively influence public opinion.
“Media Azi” broadcast is weekly produced by the Independent Journalism Center. It is intended to disclose the problems faced at present by the journalists of the domestic media and to identify solutions to hem. The broadcast may be viewed on the websites www.moldova-azi.md, Media Azi and Mediacritica, as well as on the Youtube channel of the Independent Journalism centre.
The broadcast was produced with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, provided by the means of the Embassy of Sweden in Chisinau.