Taking note of the changes the media landscape has undergone over the last two two decades, the Editors’ Guild of India on Tuesday released a revised ethics code for journalists.
The editors' body said that since any kind of external regulation could be misused to impinge upon press freedom, it was important to have a code of practice touching upon all aspects of the professional and ethical conduct of journalists.
The Editors Guild of India is pleased to release the updated Code of Practice for Journalists (Ethics Code). Our endeavour remains to keep EGI as a moral and ethical anchor for the industry. pic.twitter.com/qzknAK6r5i
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) February 4, 2025
Releasing the code, which was last revised in 2007, the press body highlighted rising corporatisation and consolidation of media under powerful business interests as one of the unprecedented challenges the media faced today. It also said the “always contentious relationship between the media and the government has faced unprecedented stress”.
The EGI code also stressed on abstaining from publishing information that promoted hatred or discrimination on the basis of age, colour, gender, creed, legal status, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.
The revised code included a separate section for reporting on elections for reporters and editors. Batting for fair and objective election reporting, the code directed journalists to “maintain a balance in coverage across the political spectrum” and “keep aside personal preferences and biases while reporting.” “If allegations are made by candidates against another candidate, there should be an effort to seek comments from the other side as well,” the code prescribed.
On presenting the findings of opinion polls, the code asked journalists to include information on the agency that carried out the poll, the methodology used by the agency and their sample size.
Accuracy, well-being, no plagiarism
The code contained separate components for editors and journalists. For editors, the guild said it’s important to maintain the “credibility” of a publication or channel by avoiding “intentional misstatement of facts” and “biased comments”.
It also cautioned against “sensationalism”, saying it “distorts the perspective and meaning of what is reported”. A media house “may gain attention and popularity one day, but practised over a period of time, sensationalism undermines the public's confidence in the editorial judgement” of the organisation.
Instead, the guild said “respect for accuracy is a better prop of popularity than sensationalism”. “It also serves better the people's right to know...Reliable facts should take precedence over conjecture and implied comments in the presentation of news.”
Editors were also urged to remember that they’re “responsible for the well-being of all the journalists of the organisation” and that their mandate “includes fostering relationships based on mutual respect in the newsrooms they head”.
“The editor must ensure fairness and transparency at all times and must strive – together with the organisation management – to have a robust redressal system in place for addressing complaints, if any,” the code said.
Journalists were told to uphold and defend the principle of media freedom and strive to “serve and protect the right of the public to be informed”.
They must also convey information in “an honest, accurate, equitable and fair manner”, acknowledge and accept “errors and inaccuracies promptly”, obtain material “by honest, straightforward and open means”, and protect the identities of their sources.
The code also urged journalists to refrain from letting personal views colour their judgement or actions and ensure fairness and objectivity while reporting.
Keeping up with the times, the code said journalists must “endeavour to produce work that is uniquely his/her own and is not either plagiarised or entirely produced with the assistance of AI tools”.
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