NOTE 1 Some of the items below may be covered by a more general principle within the Ethical Code. The questions refer to whether councils explicitly mention these points in their Code.
NOTE 2 Neither France nor Canada have answers all the questions here because they don't have their own Code of Ethics, they use some other documents which they cannot amend themselves.
| Council | Name of the ethical code |
|---|---|
| Albania | Kodi i Etikes |
| Armenia | Code of ethics of Armenian media and journalists |
| Austria | Ehrenkodex |
| Azerbaijan | CODE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS FOR JOURNALISTS OF AZERBAIJAN |
| Belgium (Flanders) | Code van de Raad voor de Journalistiek |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | Code de déontologie journalistique |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Kodeks za štampu i online medije |
| Bulgaria | Етичен кодекс (Etishen Kodeks) |
| Canada | The NNC does not have its own code of ethics. We hold members accountable to the ethical guidelines they establish for themselves |
| Croatia | Kodeks časti hrvatskih novinara |
| Cyprus | Kodika Dimisiografikis Deontologias |
| Denmark | Vejledning om god presseskik |
| Estonia | Eesti ajakirjanduseetika koodeks |
| Finland | Journalistin ohjeet |
| France | Three Charters are used: Charte du SNJ, Déclaration de Munich, Charte Mondiale |
| Georgia | ქარტიის (Charter) |
| Germany | Pressekodex |
| Hungary | Etikai kodex |
| Iceland | Siðareglur Blaðamannafélags Íslands |
| Ireland | The Code of Practice of the Press Council of Ireland |
| Kazakhstan | BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MEDIA IN KAZAKHSTAN |
| Kosovo | Kodi i Mediave të Shkruara të Kosovës |
| Lithuania | Visuomenės informavimo etikos kodeksas / Code of Ethics in Providing Information to the Public |
| Luxembourg | Code de déontologie |
| North Macedonia | Кодекс на новинарите на македонија (Code of Journalists of Macedonia) |
| Norway | Ver Varsam-plakaten |
| Poland | |
| Québec (Canada) | Guide de Déontologie |
| Serbia | Kodeks novinara Srbije |
| Slovakia | Etický kódex novinára |
| Slovenia | Kodeks novinarjev Slovenije |
| Spain - Catalonia | Codi Deontològic |
| Sweden | Publicitetsregler |
| Switzerland | Journalistenkodex |
| The Netherlands | Leidraad |
| Turkey | Basın Meslek İlkeleri |
| United Kingdom (Impress) | Standards Code |
| United Kingdom (IPSO) | The Editors' Code of Practice. |
| Council | Most complaint |
|---|---|
| Albania | Accuracy |
| Armenia | Hate speech and libel. |
| Austria | Accuracy (in research and presentation) |
| Azerbaijan | Protection of honour and dignity, inviolability of personal life |
| Belgium (Flanders) | Right to reply |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | Correction of errors |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Incitement (hate speech and discrimination) |
| Bulgaria | Discrimination |
| Canada | |
| Croatia | Dignity/reputation of the people who are covered in the news |
| Cyprus | Racism, sexism, hate speech and about accuracy in the news |
| Denmark | Accuracy |
| Estonia | Right of reply |
| Finland | Correction of errors |
| France | Accuracy |
| Georgia | Accuracy |
| Germany | Accuracy |
| Hungary | Balance/impartiality |
| Iceland | Doing professional & fair journalism, don't do unnecessary harm |
| Ireland | Truth and Accuracy Privacy Avoidance of Prejudice Protection of Children |
| Kazakhstan | Children/accuracy |
| Kosovo | Reporting the truth |
| Lithuania | Reply, accuracy,misleading |
| Luxembourg | About diligence of information collection |
| North Macedonia | Accuracy |
| Norway | Be critical in the choice of sources, and make sure that the information provided is correct. Those who have been subjected to strong accusations shall, if possible, have the opportunity to simultaneous reply as regards factual information |
| Poland | |
| Québec (Canada) | Accuracy (inaccurate reporting) |
| Serbia | Truthfulness of reporting |
| Slovakia | Right of reply |
| Slovenia | Accuracy/verification |
| Spain - Catalonia | Conflict of interest |
| Sweden | Being named and criticized |
| Switzerland | Incorrect reporting (factual errors/biased reporting,), Right of reply. Privacy |
| The Netherlands | Incorrect/biased coverage |
| Turkey | Statements that are humiliating, degrading or sullying individuals and organizations beyond the limits of criticism shall not be allowed. (Art. 4) |
| United Kingdom (Impress) | Accuracy |
| United Kingdom (IPSO) | Accuracy |
| Council | Responsible |
|---|---|
| Albania | Albanian Media Institution, in cooperation with the Press Council |
| Armenia | MEO (or designated individual members) prepares and approves draft updates. Then General Assembly of the members of SR initiatives adopts them. |
| Austria | The Board of the Council |
| Azerbaijan | Congress of Azerbaijani journalists |
| Belgium (Flanders) | Council members |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | The annual meeting of the Association |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | The Press Council itself |
| Croatia | The General Assembly of the assocation |
| Cyprus | All members of CMCC |
| Denmark | The Danish Union of Journalists and the Danish Media Association |
| Estonia | Board of the News Media Association |
| Finland | The Management Group of the Council for Mass Media. |
| Georgia | The assembly of the Charter |
| Germany | The General Assembly of the Press Council |
| Hungary | The Board of the Council prepares, the General Assembly has to accept it |
| Iceland | The General Assembly of the Union (held annually) |
| Ireland | Code Committee |
| Kazakhstan | Media experts |
| Kosovo | The Board of the organization |
| Lithuania | representatives of organisations of producers or disseminators of public information and members of the Association of Ethics in the Provision of Information to the Public. |
| Luxembourg | General Assembly of the Council |
| North Macedonia | The Association of Journalists and the Macedonian Media Institute |
| Norway | Board of the Norwegian Press Association |
| Québec (Canada) | The GPR (pour Guide, Processus et Règlements) committee, consisting of 6 members + secretary-general and president |
| Serbia | Journalists' associations |
| Slovakia | Association for the Protection of Journalistic Ethics in the Slovak Republic |
| Slovenia | Proposed changes to the Code have to be approved by general assembly of the Council |
| Spain - Catalonia | The journalists' association |
| Sweden | The Media Bransch |
| Switzerland | The council |
| Turkey | The Supreme Council (40 members) and the General Assembly (comprising all members) |
| United Kingdom (Impress) | Code Committee |
| United Kingdom (IPSO) | The Editors' Code of Practice Committee. |
| Latest update | # | % | Councils |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1 | 2.63% | Iceland |
| 2006 | 1 | 2.63% | Luxembourg |
| 2009 | 1 | 2.63% | Croatia |
| 2010 | 1 | 2.63% | Estonia |
| 2011 | 1 | 2.63% | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 2013 | 2 | 5.26% | Serbia, Denmark |
| 2014 | 1 | 2.63% | Finland |
| 2015 | 1 | 2.63% | Belgium (Wallonia) |
| 2016 | 2 | 5.26% | Lithuania, Spain - Catalonia |
| 2017 | 2 | 5.26% | Germany, Slovakia |
| 2018 | 1 | 2.63% | Albania |
| 2019 | 9 | 23.68% | Kosovo, Québec (Canada), Ireland, Slovenia, Turkey, The Netherlands, Georgia, Belgium (Flanders), Austria |
| 2020 | 3 | 7.89% | Norway, Kazakhstan, Sweden |
| 2021 | 3 | 7.89% | Armenia, United Kingdom (IPSO), Switzerland |
| 2022 | 1 | 2.63% | Azerbaijan |
| Council | Change |
|---|---|
| Albania | Incorporation of regulation for online media, to bring guidelines in line with international practices and norms, as well as to extend the Code to cover new (online) publication forms. |
| Armenia | Relevance to technological progress. |
| Austria | Guidelines amended to protect victims of crime and accidents. |
| Azerbaijan | Addition of the principle of gender equality and non-discrimination |
| Belgium (Flanders) | Actualization based on jurisprudence of previous 17 years, adaptation to the digital environment. |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | The wording of two articles has been clarified |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Some specifications about what discriminatory speech is (now explicitly called ‘hate speech'), reporting about children and minors, protection of witnesses (at courts' procedures), and on online media reporting |
| Denmark | Updated with jurisprudence from decisions over the years, as it had not been revised for a long time |
| Estonia | Small correction, no substantive changes |
| Finland | Clarification of how corrections of errors in reporting should be made so that the audience is properly informed. |
| Georgia | The removal of one sentence, not content-related |
| Germany | Changes to the guideline that refers to when the origin of suspects and offenders can (not) be mentioned |
| Iceland | Mostly procedural standards. |
| Ireland | Added a guideline about coverage of suicides, which was advocated for by interest group |
| Kazakhstan | Quick posts, fakes, deep fakes, and other given of the new post-truth era |
| Kosovo | Press council now competent for online video/audio; respect for judgments in court reporting emphasised; protection of whistleblowers |
| Lithuania | Online media, journalists' behaviour in social media, internet sources' authorship and other actual issues |
| Luxembourg | The rise of online media necessitated a change of the Code |
| Norway | Journalistic conduct and the relationship to the sources |
| Québec (Canada) | Tweaking definition, so that press agencies are considered to be news media as well. Before, only the news outlet publishing press agency copy would be complained against, now the news agency who produced it can also be held accountable |
| Slovakia | Increased digital space use |
| Slovenia | Wording more precise; guidelines around privacy adapted because of confusion; emphasised that correcting (online) errors must be done openly |
| Spain - Catalonia | The advent of online media required some adaptations to the Code |
| Sweden | In 2020, the Council has been renamed from Press Council to Media Council, and is now able to deal with broadcast media (tv and radio). |
| Switzerland | Small textual change |
| The Netherlands | Guideline about journalists' duty to protect their sources has been expanded to include not just source protection in publications, but in the rest of their work as well |
| Turkey | Minor language changes and better legal formulation of certain principles |
| United Kingdom (IPSO) | Privacy was updated to include explicit protection for ‘mental health' as a medical diagnosis protected by the clause. |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 23.68% | 47.37% | 28.95% |
| # | 9 | 18 | 11 |
| Council | Trigger |
|---|---|
| Albania | Developments in the media sector may give rise to changes in the Code of Ethics |
| Armenia | Practical challenges appearing in the work of MEO. |
| Austria | No regular review or fixed procedure, the trigger is usually feedback from senate |
| Belgium (Flanders) | When issues occur that are controversial, or if there are discrepancies between recent jurisprudence and formal codes |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | A trigger for updating might be constant feedback from the audience or a major change in technology opening up new ways of reporting, disseminating or interacting with the audience. Also, a realization by the Council of the current code being invalid in some respect may end up in proposing a change. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Press council can propose changes because of developments in society and/or changes to (inter)national laws and treaties |
| Croatia | Recommendations from the members of the ethics committee can lead to changes |
| Denmark | No periodical review, but developments in society or the media sector might lead to updates |
| Estonia | No structural review or trigger |
| Finland | suggestions from the media industry or members of the council |
| Georgia | Decision of the Association |
| Germany | The General Assembly, which is organized twice each year |
| Hungary | When the Council senses that a complainant has a point, but the grounds for their complaint are not in the Code of Ethics |
| Iceland | Union members discussions. |
| Ireland | When an issue is raised at the yearly meeting |
| Kazakhstan | the speed of the spread of fakes, disinformation and propaganda |
| Kosovo | Issues that occur in complaint-handling can lead to changes |
| Luxembourg | New legislation and the needs of the journalistic profession |
| North Macedonia | Update could be triggered by observations of phenomena in the media that are currently not covered by the Code |
| Norway | new principle matters |
| Québec (Canada) | Office or Council signals that complaints they are getting are problematic in the light of the existing guidelines |
| Serbia | Relevant changes in the media landscape |
| Slovakia | changing media environment |
| Slovenia | When certain articles of the are found to be problematic in complaints procedures, or when the guidelines that the Council writes are to be 'upgraded' to be included in the Code itself. |
| Spain - Catalonia | Developments in media that affect (groups in) society may necessitate changes |
| Sweden | Decisions in the Board of the Association |
| The Netherlands | Changes are usually triggered by the Council's decisions in complaint procedures |
| Turkey | Mostly, developments in society could lead to changes to the Ethical Code |
| United Kingdom (Impress) | ongoing assessment with careful consideration of the industry along with feedback from key stakeholdersr |
| United Kingdom (IPSO) | The annual Editors' Code Review. |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 50% | 42.11% | 7.89% |
| # | 19 | 16 | 3 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 15.79% | 76.32% | 7.89% |
| # | 6 | 29 | 3 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 28.95% | 63.16% | 7.89% |
| # | 11 | 24 | 3 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 23.68% | 68.42% | 7.89% |
| # | 9 | 26 | 3 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 15.79% | 73.68% | 10.53% |
| # | 6 | 28 | 4 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 13.16% | 76.32% | 10.53% |
| # | 5 | 29 | 4 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 21.05% | 71.05% | 7.89% |
| # | 8 | 27 | 3 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 39.47% | 52.63% | 7.89% |
| # | 15 | 20 | 3 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 18.42% | 73.68% | 7.89% |
| # | 7 | 28 | 3 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 10.53% | 81.58% | 7.89% |
| # | 4 | 31 | 3 |
| No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|
| % | 92.11% | 7.89% |
| # | 35 | 3 |
| Yes | No | Unanswered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 2.63% | 89.47% | 7.89% |
| # | 1 | 34 | 3 |