STArTInG A LOCAL RADiO stAtiOn - Nai

Section 7: ethics and media law8. Journalist shall not surrender to pressure from governmental and/or nongovernmental officialsand shall not commit self-censorship.9. Journalist shall avoid revealing the sources that want to remain anonymous, and shallequally avoid using information obtained from unreliable sources. Journalist shall not publish/broadcastoff the record information unless release of such information serves nationalinterests.10. Journalists shall not accept bribes and/or gifts for publishing/broadcasting and/or notpublishing/broadcasting.11. During an interview, journalist shall have polite behavior with the interviewee and shallnever ridicule or make fun of others.12. When a journalist makes a mistake in his/her work and later on perceives it, he/she shouldcorrect the mistake through possible ways as soon as possible.13. Journalist shall not use freedom of expression as a tool to insult, humiliate, accuse and defameothers or use abusive language against others.14. Journalist shall respect intellectual rights of others and avoid plagiarism in particular.15. Journalist shall respect individuals’ privacy and shall not disclose their secrets.16. The identity of media outlets should be transparent, and their name and values should notbe misused.17. Media outlets shall produce and broadcast educational programs as a practice of fulfillingtheir social responsibility.18. Advertisements and announcements shall be presented in a way that will not leave anyroom for doubt regarding their actual nature.19. It is solely up to the discretion of the journalists to commit themselves to fulfilling the ethicalresponsibilities that concern the process of their journalistic work. These principles shouldby no means serve as a tool for government interference.CRUCIAL ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONSYour radio station serves its local community, but the station is also a member of another community:the independent journalism community. All staff, volunteers and advisory board members should understandand respect the definitions of acceptable conduct for your station’s journalists. Here is a suggestedguide to the ethical conduct of your station’s journalists and program producers.Financial and political impartiality are core values of any independent radio station. They are the keyto protecting your station’s credibility and earning trust from your listeners. For example, this meansthe station would not favor one political group over another. Unfortunately, some media organizationsin Afghanistan fall short on this principle because they serve the interests of political groups or accept76 STARTING A LOCAL RADIO STATION: A MANUAL FOR AFGHANISTAN