Community Radio Pledge (pdf) - amarc

Contradiction : There are times when your friendship, relationship, politicalor any other kind of involvement militates with journalistic interests. Can ajournalist who is a press advisor of any company expected to expose thefraud being committed on consumers by his company? Can you downplaythe news filed by the board member of your radio which he might have doneafter taking part in the rally? Your son-in-law is a highly placed officer, hehas indulged in corruption and facts have spilled down. Can you carrythat? There can be simply numerous such instances, which do not gel withthe ethic of journalism leading to a professional dilemma of its own kind foryou. Journalists must present themselves as journalists in situation as theseand not as colleagues.Deep throat : Nepalese journalism has seen good use and abuse of theanonymous sources. There are certain sources in journalism which haveneither shape nor form. Such formless sources in journalism compriseobservers, responsible authority, eye-witnesses, commentator, source,expert, and intellectual and so on. The continual use of such sources whichthe producer and reporter never know can whittle away the credibility of theradio stations. It all casts negative impact on listeners.The law allows journalists to the right to protect their sources. This howeverdoes not mean one can do whatever one feels like to do. There must be adefinite proof whenever we are broadcasting anything. Apocryphal storiesshould not go. The right to keep the source as secret has got to do with theright to deny disclosing the source of the news since the practice is to askhow and from where the news was unearthed while the news is about to bebroadcast. What should not be forgotten is the broadcasters have to submitthe proof backing the news story in the event it proves to be a controversialone.Gift : Gift makes man prejudicial. He accepts gift and unwittingly ends upbacking the cause of the one who has given him a gift. It is a human weakness.A newly opened helicopter operator can offer free flight to the Himalayanregion or any development agency can do that to ensure publicity. The onewho offers gifts or sponsors visits expects good coverage of the eventsassociated with him. Issues like these raise some ethical questions in frontof journalists. Could these events be newsy had he not come in contactwith the sponsor? Could you have given as much importance to the eventhad your own organization deputed you to file a report on the issue athand? Should the listeners listen to the balderdash coming from you justbecause you have hit a sponsor or you have received a gift? Are youadhering to the ethics of journalism or not?Sitting on the news : Journalists should not hold news in anticipation ofgoodies or amenities. For example, Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrologypublicizes the test conducted on certain brand of edible oil saying that the54