National Institute of Mass Communication & Journalism, Ahmedabad

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Journalism is powerful, the people see the world through the lenses of journalists. We are responsible for creating transparency and a free flow of information to the common people. Here are the core ethics of Journalism that should always be abided by for anyone in this field of work.

5 Core Principles of Journalism

1. Veritas Vos liberabit (the truth shall set you free)

Among the cardinal principles truth comes first, journalists are the modern-day messengers, better be messengers of truth. We yield power, and thus we are entitled to respond. The way the world perceives the socio-political-economic world around them depends on us, and we are responsible for delivering unbiased news. Although we can’t know the truth in its entirety we should not fail to try our best to deliver what is true with diplomacy and appropriateness.

2.  Independent Voice

We should be independent voices; we should not think, work and act on behalf of special interests may it be political, corporate or religious. It is not necessary for us to declare to our editors – or our audience – any of our political affiliations, financial arrangements or personal biases, that might constitute a conflict of interest.

3. Two sides of a coin

To deliver precise and unbiased news, a lot of research and information is needed. When in pop culture we say that don’t judge me, it means that you have less information for judging me. Listen and investigate both sides of the story before coming to any conclusion.

4. Humanness

Another journalism ethics is humanness, whatever we publish and broadcast we should always have some empathy for the subjects involved - individual or a group. No emotions should be hurt intentionally and unnecessarily.

5. Accountability

A sign of true professionalism and responsible journalism is the capability to hold ourselves accountable. When we commit errors for whatever reason, we must correct them and our expressions of regret should be sincere and not cynical. We should always provide remedies when we have been wrong or unfair.

There is no value to journalism without ethics, the importance of ethics in journalism gives power to the field of journalism.

NIMCJ is a renowned mass media and journalism institute in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. They proffer specialized courses in radio journalism, broadcast journalism, print media, digital media, etc. To know more visit www.nimcj.org.

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