Historical Chronology of Journalism Ethics

In 1954, the International Federation of Journalists studied the professional ethics of journalists and adopted a declaration of obligations for journalists in Bordeaux, France.

A Declaration of Ethical Principles was adopted at the Lima Conference of the Pan-American Association of Broadcasters in 1955.

In November 1971, the unions of journalists from the six European countries adopted a declaration of the duties and rights of journalists in Munich.

In November 1973, at a meeting of UNESCO, the International Association of Journalists proposed a draft code of professional ethics.

In August 1977, under the auspices of the Arab League, Arab journalists drafted a code of professional ethics for Arab journalists.

Special mention should be made of the declaration on the obligations of journalists adopted by the International Federation of Journalists in Bordeaux, France, in 1954. The Declaration, the Declaration of Principles of Conduct for Journalists, was adopted at the Second Congress. The Declaration identifies eight standards for journalists’ professional activities. The first of these standards is: Respecting truth and respecting the public's right to knowledge is a journalist's primary responsibility. The second criterion is that, in order to fulfill this responsibility, journalists must uphold two principles: the freedom to faithfully collect and publish news, and the right to impartial comment and criticism. Item 7 of the standard also specifically declares the following behaviors as "serious professional crimes": plagiarism, plagiarism; slander, slander, defamation and unfounded accusations; publishing information or deleting facts because of accepting bribes.

What "Many Voices, One World" does not mention is the International Convention on Journalism Ethics. "Journalism Dictionary" (Editor-in-Chief Gan Xifen) explains this as: The Convention was drafted by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and issued by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954. Journalists associations of member states shall refer to and implement it. The main contents of the statute are: 1. Do not distort or conceal facts; 2. Do not criticize, slander or plagiarize for personal gain, and do not regard rumors as facts. If there is any inaccurate report that damages someone's reputation, it should be corrected immediately; 3. Do not do it because of necessity. Satisfy the curiosity of readers and reveal personal privacy; 4. To report the situation of a country to a fair level, you must first have a full understanding of the country; 5. The regulations are abided by journalists from all countries and cannot be used by governments to interfere with the control of press freedom. reasons.

Developing regional and international cooperation is a major trend in the world. History has proven that formulating a self-discipline creed of professional ethics and gaining knowledge on certain ethical standards will also play a certain role in strengthening news cooperation and exchanges between regions and internationally.