Ethical EJN Journalism Network The Trust Factor An EJN Review of Journalism and Self-regulation EDITED BY AIDAN WHITE The Trust Factor Published in London by the Ethical Journalism Network © Ethical Journalism Network 11 Vicarage Road, London, E15 4HD United Kingdom No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The contents of this book are covered by authors’ rights and the right to use of contributions with the Editor and the authors themselves. Designed by Mary Schrider [email protected] PHOTO CREDITS Page 30: “Amsterdam Airport: Flight MH17 Memorial (Explored)” by Roman Boed (https://flic.kr/p/omR2y3) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Cover: “Reading the newspaper” by James Cridland (https://flic. 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Page 70: “Mural” by David Hernández (https://flic.kr/p/fo1Bqa) is Jarvis (https://flic.kr/p/c7KrEC) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 licensed under CC BY 2.0 CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................................................. iv Western Balkans ........................................................................................................................... 1 Brazil .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Egypt ............................................................................................................................................ 17 Hungary ....................................................................................................................................... 25 The Netherlands ......................................................................................................................... 31 Norway ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Pakistan ....................................................................................................................................... 45 South Africa ................................................................................................................................... 5 United States ............................................................................................................................... 59 Venezuela .................................................................................................................................... 65 Contributors ............................................................................................................................... 72 Introduction >> AIDAN WHITE eople who work in journalism, like others in regulating – that is, they are managed and paid for by professional life, don’t like being told how to the industry and by journalists’ groups. do their job. They are notoriously sensitive P But does self-regulation work? Are journalists to complaints, even though they can be lacerating bound by ethical codes and free to act according to in their criticism of others. They prefer to run their conscience? Do media houses have credible internal own affairs by creating systems of self-regulation systems for dealing with conflicts of interest and to handle grievances and grumbling about their complaints from the public? Are there national work from members of the public. accountability systems, such as press councils, that are trusted by owners, journalists and, most But when these systems of self-regulation don’t importantly, by the public at large? work, public anger can lead governments to lay down laws that control how journalists work and The enclosed country reports, which have been what media are allowed and not allowed to publish. prepared by distinguished journalists and media leaders, seek to answer these testing questions. The recent scandals of phone-hacking and press bribery in the United Kingdom involving the The conclusions reveal that in the midst of global media giant News Corporation, owned by revolutionary change inside journalism and Rupert Murdoch, saw a major newspaper close media and at a time when the culture of public and journalists sent to jail, and provided shocking communications has seen a dramatic shift in the evidence of a failure of self-policing at individual, way people receive and disseminate information, corporate and industry level.1 the need for responsible and accountable journalism is greater than ever. One high profile victim of that controversy was the Press Complaints Commission, an industry But major questions remain over how to develop regulator of world-renown, but which proved to be accountability systems in tune with the new era of utterly ineffectual in curbing the excesses of tabloid information. journalism. The press were forced to reform their self-regulating system or face legal controls.2 The convergence of communications technologies, for instance, has rendered obsolete the traditional The controversy put the spotlight on how journalists divide between broadcast and print journalism, and media apply principles of self-regulation, not so why in most countries do we still have different just in Britain, but around the world. structures and rules for handling public complaints about the content of journalism in the press and on Across the globe there are dozens of regulatory bodies television? working at national level to regulate journalism. Some are defined by law and some are genuinely self- In some countries – Norway, the Netherland and Belgium, for example – all published journalism on any platform comes under the jurisdiction of a single press or media council. Are these models for others to follow? These country reports confirm that effective and credible self-regulation only exists in a small number of countries and varies dramatically in different parts of the world and even within regions. 1 For a full report on the scandals and the subsequent Leveson inquiry see: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140122145147/http:/www. levesoninquiry.org.uk/ 2 See The Leveson Inquiry http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15686679 iv | THE TRUST FACTOR An EJN Review of Journalism and Self-regulation In Europe, for instance, Norway has a fully- functioning self-regulator, which is a model of its A Checklist for Self-Regulation kind, and covers journalism on all platforms of media. In neighbouring Denmark the press council This checklist highlights the minimum conditions is equally robust, but it is a statutory body with necessary for effective regulation of journalism significant powers to impose its will if media step based on principles of independence and press freedom. out of line. In both countries the systems work, more or less supported by all stakeholders. At the Level of the Individual But it’s not easy getting the right approach. Even e Are there codes of conduct governing the work in areas where journalism has a rich tradition of of journalists? professionalism, such as the UK, when public e Are codes of conduct made part of contracts of outrage over press abuse boils over media struggle employment