Two-day training by IREX on "Media Ethics" is over

A two-day training seminar by the American organization İREX  for Azerbaijani journalists on "media ethics" has finished on Friday. The theme of Friday's sessions were issues of disclosure by  journalists sources,  the conflict of interest, the role of new media and the credibility of the media (recognition  of errors by journalists.)

Training  was conducted by the Director of the Independent journalist  Union  of Romania, Johanna Avadani. To believe the information, the  journalist must specify a source. At the same time, we must take into account the safety of the source. Confidentiality of the source must be maintained if there is a threat to his life.

As for the conflict of interest, it is connected with the business interests of journalists. You have to choose between journalism and business. 

There was case in Romania, when it became  known about the activity of   the well-known journalist in the field of telecommunications. Despite the  law does not formally prohibit it, the editor suggested this man to write a statement of resignation.

As for the new media, the on-line media and social networks play an increasingly important role in people's lives. Internet freedom has become part of human freedom. At the same time, it is impossible to defend the honor and dignity  in the Internet.

There is only a jurisdiction of the U.S. courts over Internet. In the UK, once the court has decided on the Internet broadcast, but it was of a symbolic nature.

Internet is global is one and it covers not one country, but the world. What is prohibit in one country is not prohibited in another. Therefore, it is impossible to  punish someone on specific case. In this sphere it is important to pay particular attention to the protection of children from harm.

As for the credibility of the press, then the path to that is through the recognition of mistakes. If a journalist has made a mistake, by admitting and  correcting it, the  trust of readers will increase. Some sites and newspapers have even created a special section to specify the mistakes. "The trust of people is  a capital of journalists" should be the motto of journalists,  noted the training participants. -05C06-