Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.

[Shamsul Islam Naz]

Be Accountable

Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.

Journalists should:

— Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.

I would add: Journalists should not hide behind arguments that the public doesn’t care about internal matters. Many in the public do care, and journalists should be accountable to them.

— Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.

— Admit mistakes in full detail and correct them promptly, giving the correction similar play to the error.

I would add: Corrections should clearly and specifically say what was wrong. A reference to the topic of the error is not sufficient. Recognize that errors can spread swiftly on digital channels. A journalist who published or promoted an erroneous story on multiple platform should make at least similar efforts to spread the correction. For instance, if a story was promoted twice on the organizational Twitter account and by several staff members on personal accounts, the correction should be noted twice on the organizational account, as well as on the personal accounts.

— Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.

— Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

I would add: With rare exceptions, journalists should identify themselves fully in social media profilesand in direct contact with sources. One regular exception would be in consumer reporting, sunshine law tests or restaurant reviews, where the journalist is trying to report how a business or agency treats the general public. In those cases, the journalist does not have to actively identify, but should not misidentify if asked his or her purpose or profession.

Should the code address one of the most common questions I hear in discussions of social media ethics for journalists: Should we maintain separate private and public accounts? I personally think the code should allow flexibility on this issue. But it should admonish journalists to identify themselves (and their organization, unless they are freelancers) in any accounts they might use professionally. And a reminder might be in order that personal accounts should not be used in a way that compromises their professional integrity.

What do you think? Perhaps you disagree with my suggestions. Perhaps I have missed some points where the SPJ Code needs to be updated. I’ve probably said more than the ethics code should in some areas that I raised. I think the Code of Ethics is perhaps SPJ’s most important contribution to journalism and I don’t hear it cited very often in today’s debates. If it doesn’t need an update, at the least SPJ could serve journalists well by leading a discussion of the current ethical issues and decisions and how this code can guide us.

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Shamsul Islam Naz
Secretary General 
PAKISTAN FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
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[Haris Khan]

Will Dr.Shahid Masood,Najam Sethi,Talat Hussain,Sana Bucha and Jasmeen Manzoor explain that why they change their TV channel like fashion cloths.Dr.Shahid changed his channel five times in last three years,Najam Sethi changed his paper and TV channel twice in one year.He left Dunyya and joned Geo TV.Talat Hussain started from PTV,landed at ARY,then joined ATV,then joined Aaj and now working for Dawn.Jasmeen left Business Plus two years ago and joined ARY,then joined Samaa.What is their problem.Sana Bucha and her new husband are modren black mailors.She left Geo and joined Express,then joined Dunyya and now back to Geo within three months.What is their problem.Will they explain their position?How could these people teach us morality?

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[Abdul Sami]

Dear Haris,

The Name as you cote all are working perfectly and expressing the feelings of viewers specially Dr. Shahid Masood and Najam Sethi are like a academy for the viewers, all of are countable and remarkable performance Plate form is not issue for anyone and viewers, BUT if u have any problem with these switching please explain..? I think you try to switch but everyone refuse to you to except.

Please try again, don't try to wast you time in these useless activity of monitoring of switching. OK

Abdul Sami
ARY News
Karachi

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Abdul Sami

ARY News

Karachi