CODE OF JOURNALISTS OF MACEDONIA

PRINCIPLES OF CONDUCT

Freedom of the media is undeniable.

Main duty of the journalist is to respect the truth and right of the public to be informed, in accordance to Article 16 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia.

The journalists have a role of transmitters of information, ideas and opinions, and have a right to comment. By respecting the ethical virtues and professional standards regarding the presentation of information, the journalists shell be honest, objective and will report promptly.

Right and obligation of the journalists is to strive to prevent censorship and distortion of news.

Having in mind their role in the building of democracy and civic society, the journalists shall defend the human rights, dignity and freedom, shall respect the pluralism of ideas and opinions, shall contribute to strengthening of the legal state and shall participate in the control over the government and other subjects in the public life.

BASED ON THESE PRINCIPLES AND ETHICAL VALUES:

1.
The journalists have right to free access to all sources of information that are of public interest.
The journalists shall publish correct, verified information and will not conceal essential information or forge documents.
If given information cannot be confirmed or if it is a matter of assumption, i.e. speculation, that should be noted and published.
Correctness of the information ought to be verified as much as possible.

2.
If the journalist is prevented from coming to an information, he/she has the right to inform the public about that.

3.
The journalist shall strive to provide publication of correction, denial or reply in cases when given information is found to be incorrect.

4.
The journalist shall point out the source of information, but if the source demands to remain anonymous the journalist shall protect him.

5.
The journalist shall respect the rule of law and will publish nothing that is on the contrary with the public interest.

6.
The journalist must not use the media he/she works in for publication or concealing of information in order to gain personal benefit.
Bribe, corruption and racketeering cannot be put in context with the journalistic profession.
Influence from advertising and other commercial motives on the freedom of informing must not be allowed.
There should be demarcation between advertising and journalistic text with illustration.

7.
The journalist shall respect the privacy of every person, except in cases when that is on the contrary with the public interest.
The journalist is obliged to respect the personal pain and grief.

8.
The manner of informing in case of accident, elementary disaster, war, family tragedy, sickness, court procedures must be free from sensationalism.
The principle of presumption of innocence, reporting for all involved parties in the legal dispute without suggesting verdict, will be applied when reporting on court procedures.

9.
The journalist must not interview or photograph children under 16 years of age without agreement from the parents or legal guardians, unless that is in accordance to the children rights.
The same refers to people with special needs, who are not able to decide rationally.

10.
The journalists shall not consciously create or process information that jeopardize the human rights and freedoms, shall not use hate speech and shall not encourage discrimination of any sort (nationality, religion, sex, social class, language, sexual orientation, political orientation…)

11.
The journalist shall observe the general social standards of decency and shall respect the ethnic, cultural and religious differences in the Republic of Macedonia.

12.
Plagiarism is unacceptable.
Quotes must not be used if the author or the source is not specified.

13.
The journalist ought to make distinction between facts and opinions, news and comments.

14.
Reporting on political processes, especially elections, must be impartial, balanced and fair.
The journalist must make professional distance from the political subjects.

15.
The journalist must maintain the culture of speech and ethics.
Impolite manner of communicating with the public is on the contrary with the journalistic profession.

16.
The journalist shall defend the reputation and dignity of his/hers profession, shall urge mutual solidarity and difference in opinions and will not misuse the media he/she works in for personal vendetta against other persons, including his colleagues.

17.
The journalist has the right to refuse a given task if that is on the contrary with the principles of this code.

FINAL PROVISIONS

The journalists who work in accordance to this code enjoy support from their media outlets and professional organization.

In accordance to the Laws of the Republic of Macedonia, the journalists shall accept only the court of their colleagues regarding the profession and shall be free from political and other influence.

The Council of Honor is responsible for observing of the principles of this code.


Skopje 14.11. 2001
Journalists of the Republic of Macedonia