19. 04. 2013

ROUND TABLE ON JOURNALISTS’ ETHICS

Nis, April 19, 2013 (RTV Nis) - A round table on ethics in journalistic reporting was organized in Nis, where media professionals and legal representatives discussed different cases of respect and violation of the Serbian Journalists' Code.

Organizer of the round table in Nis was the OSCE Mission to Serbia, with the assistance of journalists' association and the Press Council.

The conclusion of the event was that tabloid headlines and announcements could not always be justified with the market match.

Regardless of whether journalists are working for private or state-owned media, the code of journalists obliges them to true, independent and responsible reporting. The code has been adopted by the most important professional associations, while one of its postulates should be: fight for the market does not excuse tabloid headlines. Whether it is like that in practice was also discussed at the round table in Nis.

The respect of the Journalists' Code is monitored by the Press Council, which gathers publishers, owners of print media and professional journalists and responds to individual claims. It also provides free legal assistance in litigations of journalists.

The Council was established back in 2006 on the initiative of two largest journalists' associations, UNS and NUNS. The Commission for Complaints started to work in 2011, when there were around thirty lawsuits in relation to the work of journalists.