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Ethics in journalism: Why and how?

Chapter · January 2013

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 A UNESCO / UOM initiative

ETHICAL JOURNALISM
&
GENDER-SENSITIVE
REPORTING
Edited by
Christina Chan-Meetoo
 A UNESCO / UOM initiative

ETHICAL JOURNALISM
&
GENDER-SENSITIVE
REPORTING

Edited by
Christina Chan-Meetoo
© May 2013

Christina Chan-Meetoo
A UNESCO/UOM initiative

Layout/Design: D.Ujodha

Printed by UOMPRESS , University of Mauritius

ISBN 978-99903-73-31-8
 Contents

Page

Foreword

Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

Christina Chan-Meetoo .......................................................................... 5 -18

Guidelines for Ethical Journalism – and Beyond

Johan Retief ........................................................................................... 9 - 31

Content of Regulation in South Africa

Johan Retief ........................................................................................ 33 - 79

The Gist of the Code

Johan Retief ........................................................................................... 81-89

Éthique et Déontologie
Bruno Albin ........................................................................................ 91 - 108

Media Education for Gender Equitable Development

Sheila Bunwaree ............................................................................. 109 - 115

Gender Sensitive Reporting

Christina Chan-Meetoo ..................................................................... 117-134

Addenda ...............................................................................................135-173
 Foreword

T his book aims to help journalists navigate the difficult issues which
they continuously face in the exercise of their profession, issues which
are essential in defining the contours of the media’s role in a democratic
society. In a world full of contradictions and moral dilemmas, journalism
still has a very important place despite all the claims about its impending
doom. More than ever, it needs to show that it has the correct moral
compass to live up to its public mission of watchdog, an intellectual force
which also purports to shape public opinion and enlighten the masses.

The first sections of this book are thus devoted to issues related to ethics
in journalism with an assessment of the situation and a model to be
examined for industry self-regulation.

In the last sections, we take a look at the importance of gender-sensitive

reporting as part of an ethical approach for the media. Indeed, we believe
that the media has the moral duty to significantly help in mitigating
gender discriminations both within the content it churns out and within
its own internal structures. A Gender Code of Ethics for the Media is in
fact being proposed for adoption by all media houses in the last chapter
of this book.

To a large extent, this publication is inspired by the two workshops which

were conducted in Mauritius in October 2012. These workshops and this
book would not have been possible were it not for the support of the
UNESCO agency IPDC (International Programme for the Development

1
of Communication) and of the University of Mauritius. Our sincere
gratitude goes to both institutions.

Our sincere thanks go to Al-­Amin Yusuph from the Dar-­es-­Salaam office

for supporting the initiative. Many thanks also to Deepa Gokulsing for her
tremendous help in organising the workshops and to Ramola Ramtohul
for her useful assistance.

On a final note, this book is intended to be a reference for journalists in

Mauritius and Seychelles. It is being distributed freely to media houses
and reporters as a tool to help them elevate the status of journalism and
contribute to enforcing democracy for the people.

2
 About the authors

Christina Chan-Meetoo is Lecturer in Media and

Communication at the University of Mauritius.

Johan Retief is Ombudsman for the Press Council of

South Africa.

Bruno Albin is a former senior journalist at France

Télévisions and France Inter.

Sheila Bunwaree is Professor of Development and

Gender Studies at the University of Mauritius.

3
4
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

Ethics in Journalism:
Why and How?

Christina Chan-Meetoo
“[...] mass communication is central in a democracy and in the processes
of a democracy” (Fourie, 2001)

We now live and interact in a highly mediated system. The sheer amount
of information produced and distributed by the mass media on a daily basis
can impact significantly on the manner in which people, communities
and societies understand (or misunderstand) each other. Whether it is
considered as a fourth estate, a watchdog or a pillar of democracy, the
press is undoubtedly an essential element of the public sphere.

However, it continuously faces several challenges and is assailed by

multiple forces. Indeed, competition on the digital front, pressures to
publish fast and quick, the temptation of sensationalism, job insecurity
and high staff turnover are some of the threats to the profession. The
constraints abound both on the internal front (search for new revenue
models, unstable recruitment and training, lack of professionalisation,
conflicts of interest, ownership issues, etc.) and on the external front
(government pressure, economic pressure, competition, public scrutiny,
etc.).

With so many constraints, how can the news media live up to the
expectations of its ever more demanding audience? As the need to

5
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

demonstrate that the public can continue to believe and trust in it is

more acute than ever in the age of digital openness and scrutiny, we are
inevitably led back to the fundamentals of journalism. Indeed journalism
must not only aim to be intrinsically truthful and honest, but also needs
to actively prove its worth in the public sphere. In other words, it must
demonstrate that it has a solid sense of ethics.

It is a fact that once information has found its way into the public space,
it is difficult to take it back. Therefore it is imperative that those who
are in the industry of information and news production are armed with
the necessary skills and mechanisms to process, report and represent
information along ethical lines. It must be emphasised from the onset
that ethics is not the law but that its use and application help enhance
the quality of journalism and push for greater responsible reporting.

A workshop on ethics in the practice of journalism was held in October

2012 in Mauritius with participants from Seychelles and Mauritius.
It aimed at providing media practitioners with the necessary tools for
reflecting on their trade and for ensuring that ethical considerations are
always top of the agenda in the newsroom, for a healthier public sphere
where accusations of unethical reporting are mitigated (and consequently
attacks to freedom of the press may not be justified).

Indeed, the local media in Mauritius are often accused by political

stakeholders of being biased and unprofessional. Governments
conveniently use these arguments to brandish the threat of state
regulation and tougher media laws. The present government regularly
evokes the setting up of a Media Commission and has appointed Geoffrey
Robertson QC to draft new media laws. Whilst it is true that there are
many cases of unethical reporting, direct government intervention and
control is certainly not warranted. This would undoubtedly represent a
threat to freedom of expression and democracy in a small highly politicised
country like ours. The government appointed consultant himself does not
seem to be in favour of such drastic measures to address the problem.
At his last conference in Mauritius in May 2012, Robertson pleaded for
self-regulation and even stated that freedom of information legislation is
needed in Mauritius.

6
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

It should here be noted that the preliminary report ‘Media Law and Ethics
in Mauritius’ was presented in April 2013 by Geoffrey Robertson QC. The
main proposals concerned the setting up of an Ombudsman’s office, the
review of defamation and sedition laws, as well as the introduction of
Freedom of Information legislation.

As for Seychelles, the situation is somewhat different as it has a Media

Commission since 2010. This Media Commission was set up by the
National Assembly and all its members nominated by the President. As
it is a rather young institution, it is difficult to say whether it is acting in
a totally neutral and independent manner from government.

The problem is that, upon hearing the word “ethics”, people shudder as they
think it is too grand and automatically associate it with moral eugenics
and conformism. While the risk exists that codes of ethics could lead to the
temptation of excessive highbrow morality, this is still not a sufficient
argument to simply not have any framework for a common agreement
as to what is acceptable or not in the way news are sourced, treated
and put into the public arena. The possible negative consequences of
decisions made by news people cannot simply be overlooked and brushed
aside. Just as the news media expects the other three estates (i.e. the
legislative, the judiciary and the executive) to be subjected to scrutiny
in the interest of the public they are supposed to serve, similarly the so-
called fourth estate (i.e. the press) should also naturally agree to such
scrutiny.

However, many have tried to confine ethics to the boundaries of the

individual and the personal, arguing that it cannot come from without,
that it cannot be imposed. The voluntary dimension of ethical practice
is indeed an essential component from an ideal standpoint. However,
as history has proved that leaving news media to their own devices is
not a good idea, most democratic countries have adopted some form of
regulation framework, ranging from statutory regulation (imposed by
law) to independent self-regulation by the industry (without any state
intervention). It should be noted here that state-controlled statutory
regulation is not considered as desirable for the written press in most

7
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

stable democracies (as opposed to broadcasting which is historically

subjected to stricter regulation).

There are of course a variety of possible forms and structures for self-
regulation as set out by Johan Retief (Press Ombudsman at Print Media
South Africa) in the following sections. Such types of regulation are
effected through well-­defined and recognised instruments like codes of
ethics and conduct, press councils and ombuds offices.

In Mauritius, there is neither direct state regulation nor any established

and recognised self-regulation of the written press. Instead, there is
currently regulation through harsh criminal laws inherited from the
colonial times; laws relating to sedition, public offence, defamation, libel,
false news... These are more often used by politicians than any other
category of the public and are thus clearly not suitable for the protection
of the mass, for people who are unable or unwilling to go to court as the
legal route is generally too time-consuming, costly and complex.

We must recognise that there have been some attempts for self-regulation
through the creation of codes of ethics and conduct within some news
desks as well as some associations such as the defunct Association des
Journalistes Mauriciens and the stillborn Newspapers Editors and
Publishers Association. The issue is that few journalists seem to know
the content of the above codes and obviously very few actively refer to
such codes in their daily practice. More importantly, there is very little
awareness among the public of the existence of such codes and thus
limited possibility to interpellate the press for any breach to their own
code of ethics.

One noteworthy attempt was made by the press company La Sentinelle

in 2008 to set up an ethics committee comprising of an academic, a retired
judge and a retired civil servant to adjudicate on complaints for non-
compliance with their code. But, the effort was short-lived and showed
limited transparency and results.

Though laudable, such segregated attempts to establish and promote

ethical practice in journalism are clearly not sufficient.

8
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

In any case, the mere existence of one particular instrument will not
necessarily lead to a totally ethical press. Codes of ethics or codes of
conduct without any mechanism for monitoring and accountability do
not serve any real purpose as acknowledged by Mauritian journalists
themselves in a survey on ethics in journalism. 82% of the respondents
believe that the profession needs a unique code and 56% think that an
industry-wide regulatory mechanism is needed to impose that code.

Survey on ethics in journalism

The survey was carried out online in March 2013 with journalists and
editors-in-chief in Mauritius to gauge their appreciation of ethical levels
in their own profession. The qualitative method was chosen in order to
allow the respondents to express their views in an elaborate manner.
34 persons from a diversity of media houses and beats responded to the
online questionnaire. The anonymity of respondents was guaranteed.

From responses to the survey, there are multiple issues which need to
be addressed, namely, the treatment of sordid news, the protection of
children and of rape victims, conflicts of interest, publication without
verification, biased coverage, separation of facts from opinion and ethnic
hatred inter alia.

Where they work:

● Private radio stations

● Public radio and TV station (MBC)
● Leading dailies
● Leading weeklies
● Specialised weeklies
● Alternative media
● Experienced former journalists

Use of codes

85% of the journalists who responded claimed that they do use a code
of ethics. A majority of those stated that they use a code from their

9
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

own newsdesks. 5 out of 34 journalists stated that they use the NEPA
code. One stated that (s)he does not use a code of ethics and instead has
recourse to legal advice on a regular basis.

Code of ethics used by journalists

Usefulness of existing codes of ethics

Only 33% of the journalists feel that the existing codes of ethics or conduct
are effectively used by journalists. Most believe that the codes attracted
attention on launch but were quickly forgotten as there is no mechanism
for monitoring and application (53%). A few (17%) even agreed with the
statement that the codes were launched for the show and were never
meant to serve any real purpose.

10
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

Usefulness of existing codes of ethics

Opinion on level of ethics in journalism

Not a single respondent believes that the level of ethics in journalism in

Mauritius is excellent but most feel that it is acceptable (46%) and good
(18%). 36% feel the level is bad, even mediocre.

11
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

Ethical issues faced by journalists

When asked about personal experience with ethical issues, half of the
respondents stated that they have either witnessed or been personally
confronted with incidents involving an ethical dimension. One stated that
(s)he currently has a case in court without providing further information
about the case.

A few were very critical of their own news organisations which encourage
unethical behaviour to provide sensationalist content so as to sell more
papers, indulge in disinformation and publish unverified information.
Some cited the influence of the newspaper’s corporate owners who tried
to mitigate coverage of scandals linked to their banking activity, linkages
of news editors to some harmful organisations or external pressure to
refrain from covering sensitive news about powerful political figures.
Other ethical dilemmas concerned PR gifts, offer of rewards from those
whose lives had been changed after positive coverage and requests to
view texts before publication. The case of the MBC was also evoked with
its completely partisan coverage of parliamentary debates and cover up
of scandals involving political figures.

Their views on ethics in journalism in Mauritius

Most journalists feel that there is lack of objectivity in the profession

(44%), especially in propagandist media organs associated with the ruling
party but also within more so-called independent publications and radio
stations which do not always separate fact from opinion and even indulge
in partisan coverage of political events and issues. Many are also shocked
by the sensationalist coverage of crime and sex stories, specially the use
of explicit headlines and pictures involving sexual aggression (32%) and
the publication of crude photos of cadavers and accidents (32%). 12% are
disturbed by coverage which involves innocent minors who are identified
by name or photography. Other cases evoked include the publication of
unverified information, irresponsible journalism inciting people to break
the law and recording without permission.

The majority of respondents believe that a unique code ethics is very

important for the whole profession in Mauritius (82%) with 56% stating

12
 Ethics in Journalism: Why and How?

that there should also be a single regulation agency such as a press

council or ombuds office. A few believe that internal mechanisms for each
media house (such as a committee or ombudsperson) would be sufficient
(21%). Only five journalists believe that ethics cannot be codified and two
journalists stated that there should be regulation by a state agency.

Need for a unique code of ethics in journalism

Need for a single regulation framework

13

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