Social Media Ethics: between fact and pluralism

Baku/17.03.14/Turan "Ethics in Social Media"  was the theme of the next conference of the international nongovernmental organization IREX, providing support to the establishment of high-quality media and the Internet community in Azerbaijan. The conference, which brought together journalists and experts in the field of online media , was supported by USAID and the British Embassy in Baku.

British Ambassador Irfan Siddig and representative of the U.S. embassy on media Jonas Stewart , anticipating the conference expressed support for social media from their governments as an important social communicative means.
Director IREX-Azerbajan, Angela Nikoara, called the  major problems collecting social media information: accuracy, reliability of the information security website , the legal framework , creative organization for journalists.
"Journalists should follow the principles of balance, objectivity, accuracy, integrity ," said the deputy head of the New Media Project of IREX Alasgar Mammadov.

Expert , recognizing the role of the growth of social media , their citation by the traditional SMC, at the same time noted that the ethical standards of social media have not been formed yet. "In the traditional media  we have the problem of balance , truth, now that problem migrated to the social network," he said.

Since  last year in Azerbaijan, the punishment for defamation  has been applied to the participants of social networks , after changes in legislation. One such active social "journalists" Mehman Huseynov, known  for scathing attacks on the site "Sanchag" (Pin) , called the Internet in Azerbaijan not free. "Pressure is made on me and other active participants in the social network," he said.

One of the main problems of the social networking, site editor of qafqazinfo.az,  Elbrus Erud regarded it as   copyright infringement. " Often, as only  we put out the news article,  they are immediately used by other resources and without reference to the source ," he said.

Khadija Ismayilova called legislation in the field of media and freedom of speech  repressive. " On the one hand the authorities  use the law against unwanted opponents, on the other hand, they forget  their existence  of  journalists rights are grossly violated," she said.

Video materials about the intimate life of Ismayilova were distributed, but the  government did nothing to stop  it, and did not punish criminals.

In the midst of the conference discussions  online joined Ioana Avadani,  expert from Romania, Ivor Gabor  from UK , Randy Covington from the USA, and shared their  vision of the ethical problems in social media.

Avadano clearly showed  a compromise between network social freedom and responsibility , referring to Azerbaijani colleagues : "We must respect the fact and pluralism of opinions." -0 –