Preamble

We, as journalists of the Rroma Media Network Rrommedia.net are aware of the transformation processes in our network countries and countries of origin in regards to Democratization.

We are aware that we share responsibility for the future of all European nations, including Rroma.

Aware that we play a role as opinion makers, the members of the Rrommedia.net adopt the following Code of Conduct based on the approved Rrommedia.net mission statement.

The Journalist's Responsibilities

For Accuracy

1. Reporting must be firmly based on facts supported by evidence: generally two sources should confirm the information before it is used on air. Accuracy is often more than a question of getting the facts right. All relevant information should be weighed to get at the truth of what is reported or described.

2. Accuracy is more important than speed, especially when the safety of human life may be involved.

3. Contentious information and opinion should be attributed to its source.

4. If the journalist is prevented by legal or any other constraints from broadcasting information, the fact that he/she is so prevented should be made public.

5. Journalists should strive to be impartial in their reporting and ensure that no significant strand of thought or opinion goes unreported or reflected. In situations where it is impossible to get information, opinions or views from one of the actors in a story the journalist must inform the audience that this was the case. Similarly if an actor in a story refuses co-operation this must be explained.

6. Journalists must vigorously challenge participants in interviews if they insult or use offensive languages.

7. Where, for whatever reason, wrong information has been reported, media should correct the error as soon as possible. If the wrong information was about a person or organisation an apology may also be appropriate.

8. Library/archive material should be clearly labelled as such in order not to mislead the audience.

For Fairness

1. Editors and journalists should ensure news (factual reporting) and opinion are clearly separated.

2. Journalists must ensure that the widest range of voices and opinion are heard on matters of controversy.

3. Journalists have the responsibility to challenge those who advocate any denial of human rights or discrimination of any kind towards any group.

4. Journalists have a duty to protect their sources of information.

5. Journalists must honour promises given to their sources. If a source has given information 'off the record', the information so gained must not be attributed or used in such a way that he/she can be identified.

For Integrity

1. Editors and journalists may not be active members of political parties nor should they campaign for nor represent other interest groups be they commercial, religious or have any other purpose.

2. Journalists should disqualify themselves from involvement in any reporting concerning people or organisations with whom they have a relationship. Should the management or owner of a station have connections with any persons or organisations which are the subject of a report this should be made clear in the coverage.

3. Journalists should not accept money, any gifts or favours from any person or organisation which may feature in news and programmes.

4. Journalists must not use their position for any personal gain.

5. Where offers are made for facility trips care should be taken. The donor (commercial or any other) may not determine which journalist is sent nor what they report nor whether they report at all.

Editorial Independence

1. Editors and journalists may not be active members of political parties nor have any public association with them.

2. Editors should retain total editorial control of both the content and the context of information programming. No one may dictate terms and conditions for their participation.

3. Editors and journalists should be open and honest with the audience and must ensure that it is aware of any special circumstances surrounding a broadcast. If a politician refuses to take part in a multi-party debate for whatever reason, the planned programme may go ahead but the absence of the party concerned should be explained.

4. Editors and journalists should be open and honest with all contributors about their participation, and care should be taken to ensure the circumstances and context of their participation is understood. If material is to be edited before the report is made, great care should be taken to ensure his/her views are properly represented. However contributors do not have the right to dictate how material may be edited or presented.

5. Political broadcasting, whether purchased or aired at no cost, should be strictly limited, fairly distributed and identified.

6. If political programmes have been purchased they must be clearly labelled and announced as being so. This applies to any form of programming paid for by political parties, politicians or any other special interest group including commercial organisations.

7. Members of the Rrommedia.net should be united in efforts to withstand pressure from government, political parties and any other special interest groups, including commercial interests.

8. Members of the Rrommedia.net must resist attempts by government to stop news organisations covering events and issues on the grounds that the reports may damage the national interest, since the interest of any given government are not necessarily the same as the national interest.

9. Censorship is expressly forbidden under the constitution and editors and journalists should resist all attempts to interfere with their work in normal times.

10. The members of the Rrommedia.net are first of all accountable to their community and their audience. The more they are accountable the less they are subject to interference.

Diversity and portrayal

1. Members of the Rrommedia.net have a particular responsibility to empower tolerance among different Rroma groups, providing education about culture, language, history and civilization of Rroma and to make possible reports in the Rromani language.

2. Members of the Rrommedia.net have a particular responsibility to the non-Rroma society when covering diversity, racism, religious intolerance and other forms of discrimination to be truthful, engage in unbiased reporting and promote interethnic tolerance.

3. Members of the Rrommedia.net must enforce a ban on all forms of discrimination, including that based on ethnicity, religion, political background, gender, sexual orientation and mental or physical disability.

4. Members of the Rrommedia.net must avoid stereotyping of, or prejudice towards, any group in their own reporting and vigorously challenge such stereotypes when presented by others in interview or discussion or in non-Rroma media.

5. Members of the Rrommedia.net must avoid pejorative language in all programmes. The terminology and language used must not be offensive to members of the groups concerned.

6. If pejorative adjectives or characterisation are used by a source or in a statement, programme makers should consider carefully whether they should be broadcast. If they are essential to the report then they must be attributed.

7. Ethnicity, or other group identification, should be mentioned only if it is material to the report; it is very rarely material when reporting common crime.

8. Members of the Rrommedia.net should be very specific in naming groups committing acts of violence, they must take care not to identify a nation, ethnic or any other group with the acts of a particular section within a community.

9. Members of the Rrommedia.net should avoid using adjectives or adverbs when describing any group or organisation, as any so used implies a judgement.

10. Members of the Rrommedia.net should offer a reasonable right of reply to offended groups even when the offence was caused by a contributor, and not by a member of the station's staff.

11. Members of the Rrommedia.net should not equate the state with either nation or religion.

12. Members of the Rrommedia.net, editors and journalists must provide fair and equal reporting on, and treatment of, all groups and sectors of the community in all programming.

Rroma media and community

1. Members of the Rrommedia.net have a special responsibility to inform about all relevant Rroma issues on European level.

2. Members of the Rrommedia.net duty is to articulate interests and problems of Rroma and present them to the mainstream societies and media.

3. Members of the Rrommedia.net should be engaged in advocating Rroma issues.

4. Members of the Rrommedia.net, especially those community based, should pay a particular attention to problems and positive developments of their respective community.

5. Members of the Rrommedia.net should be open and accessible for all members of Rroma community, as well as members of other communities.

6. Members of the Rrommedia.net have a duty to initiative and realize activities that come up from Rroma community and are aimed to solve problems of Rroma communities.

7. Commercial contents of members of the Rrommedia.net should not endanger the role they have in regard to Rroma community.

Kotor, September 2004