India’s Norms of Journalistic Conduct
Principles and Ethics
The fundamental objective of journalism is to serve the people with news, views, comments and information on matters of public interest in a fair, accurate unbiased, sober and decent manner. Towards this end, the Press is expected to conduct itself in keeping with certain norms of professionalism universally recognised. The norms enunciated below and other specific guidelines appended thereafter when applied with due discernment and adaptation to the varying circumstance of each case, will help the journalist to self-regulate his or her conduct.
Accuracy & Fairness
1. The Press shall eschew publication of inaccurate, baseless, graceless, misleading or distorted material. All sides of the core issue or subject should be reported. Unjustified rumours and sur-mises should not be set forth as facts.
Pre-publication Verification
2. On receipt of a report or article of public interest and benefit containing imputations or comments against a citizen, the editor should check with due care and attention its factual accuracy apart from other authentic sources with the person or the organisation con-cerned to elicit his/her or its version comments or reaction and publish the same with due amendments in the report where necessary. In the event of lack or absence of response, a footnote to that effect should bc appended to the report.
Caution against defamatory writings
3. Newspaper should not publish anything which is manifestly defamatory or libelous against any individual or organisation unless after due care and checking, they have sufficient reason to believe that it is true and its publication will be for public good.
4. Truth is no defence for publishing derogatory, scurrilous and defamatory material against a private citizen where no public interest is involved.
5. No personal remarks which may be considered or construed to be derogatory in nature against a dead person should be published except in rare cases of public interest, as the dead person cannot possibly contradict or deny those remarks.
6. The Press shall not rely on objectionable pad behaviour of a city Zen for basing the scathing comments with reference to fresh action of that person. If public good requires such reference, the Press should make pre-publication inquiries from the authorities concerned about the follow up action, if any, in regard to those adverse action.
7. The Press has a duty, discretion and right to serve the public interest by drawing reader’s attention to citizens of doubtful antecedents and of questionable character but as responsible journalists they should observe due restraint and caution in hazarding their own opinion or conclusion in branding these persons as ‘cheats’ or ‘killers’ etc. The cardinal principle being that the guilt of a person should be established by proof of facts alleged and not by proof of the bad character of the accused. In its zest to expose the Press should not exceed the limits of ethical caution and fair comments.
8. Where the impugned publications are manifestly injurious to the reputation of the complainant, the onus shall be on the respondent to show that they were true or to establish that they constituted for comment made in good faith and for public good.
Parameters of the right of the Press to comment on the acts and conduct of public officials
9. So far as the government local authority and other organs/ institutions exercising governmental power are concerned, they cannot maintain a suit for damages for acts and conduct relevant to the discharge of their official duties unless the official establishes that the publication was made with reckless disregard for truth. However judiciary, which is protected by the power to punish for contempt of court and the parliament and Legislatures, protected as their privileges are by Articles 105 and 194 respectively, of the Constitution of India represent exception to this rule.
10) Publication of news or comments/ information on public officials conducting investigations should not have a tendency to help the commission of offences or to impede the prevention or detection of offences or prosecution of the guilty. The investigating agency is also under a corresponding obligation not to leak out or disclose such information or indulge in disinformation.
11) The Official Secrets Act 1923 or any similar enactment or provision having the force of law equally bind the press or media though there is no law empowering the state or its officials to prohibit, or to impose a prior restraint upon the press/media.
12) Cartoons and caricatures in depicting good humour are to be placed in a special category of news that enjoy more liberal attitude.
