DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES ON CONDUCT
Freedom of the media is undeniable.
Ethical principle:
Freedom of press
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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.
Ethical principle:
Providing information
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The journalists have a role of transmitters of information, ideas and opinions, and have a right to comment.
Ethical principle:
Freedom to advocate and give own views
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Ethical principle:
Integrity
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Right and obligation of the journalists is to strive to prevent censorship and distortion of news.
Ethical principle:
Censorship
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Having in mind their role in the building of democracy and civic society,
Ethical principle:
Defending and promoting democracy
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BASED ON THESE PRINCIPLES AND ETHICAL VALUES:
- 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.
Ethical principle:
Distortion of facts or forgery
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Correctness of the information ought to be verified as much as possible.Ethical principle:
Rumours and unconfirmed or unverified reports
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Ethical principle:
Verification of information
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- If the journalist is prevented from coming to an information, he/she has the right to inform the public about that.
Ethical principle:
Freedom of information
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- The journalist shall strive to provide publication of correction, denial or reply in cases when given information is found to be incorrect.
Ethical principle:
Correction of errors by media
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- The journalist shall point out the source of information, but if the source demands to remain anonymous the journalist shall protect him.
Ethical principle:
Confidentiality
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- The journalist shall respect the rule of law and will publish nothing that is on the contrary with the public interest.
Ethical principle:
Respect the rule of law
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- 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.
Ethical principle:
Using job or job-related information for private benefits
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Influence from advertising and other commercial motives on the freedom of informing must not be allowed.Ethical principle:
Accepting bribes
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There should be demarcation between advertising and journalistic text with illustration.Ethical principle:
Independence from commercial interests
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Ethical principle:
Separation of paid and editorial content
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- 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.
Ethical principle:
Privacy (and the public interest)
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Ethical principle:
Vulnerable people and sensitive topics
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- 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.
Ethical principle:
Sensationalism
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Ethical principle:
Presumption of innocence
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- 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.
Ethical principle:
Children
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- 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 )
- The journalist shall observe the general social standards of decency and shall respect the ethnic, cultural and religious differences in the Republic of Macedonia.
Ethical principle:
Decency
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- Plagiarism is unacceptable. Quotes must not be used if the author or the source is not specified.
Ethical principle:
Use of quotes
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- The journalist ought to make distinction between facts and opinions, news and comments.
Ethical principle:
Separation between facts and opinions or analysis
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- Reporting on political processes, especially elections, must be impartial, balanced and fair.The journalist must make professional distance from the political subjects.
- 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.
- 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.
Ethical principle:
Dignity of journalism as a profession
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- The journalist has the right to refuse a given task if that is on the contrary with the principles of this code.
Ethical principle:
Not acting against the principles of the Code of Ethics
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FINAL PROVISIONS
The journalists who work in accordance to this code enjoy support from their media outlets and professional organization.
Ethical principle:
Support from professional organizations
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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.
Ethical principle:
Workings and procedures of the Media Council
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The Council of Honor is responsible for observing of the principles of this code.
Ethical principle:
Workings and procedures of the Media Council
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Skopje 14.11.2001 Journalists of the Republic of Macedonia