Introduction
The Ethical Journalism Initiative (EJI) is a campaign and programme of activity developed by journalists and media professionals to restore values and mission to their profession. It aims to strengthen press freedom, reinforce quality journalism and consolidate editorial independence.
The EJI is launched as journalism adjusts to profound internal changes and as media face the challenge of reporting in an increasingly polarised world, characterised by extremism in religion and culture, public mistrust of traditional politics, and rising anxiety among communities about their future and their relations with their neighbours.
The EJI has been elaborated in the period since the publication of controversial cartoons in Denmark in 2005 and particularly after meetings of journalists and has been the subject of extensive consultation involving journalists, editors, publishers and broadcasters.
The Initiative was adopted by the IFJ at its World Congress in Moscow in 2007 and it has been the centrepiece of meetings of media professionals in Europe, the Middle East and Indonesia and was formally launched by the IFJ at the Global Inter-Media Dialogue in Bali in 2008.
The EJI puts ethical conduct back on the media agenda. At a time of dramatic change in the information landscape it strengthens democratic values through promotion of media quality and ethical journalism.
In a landscape of information overload and uncertainty, when global media and supranational organisations are weakening the grip of the nation state, when people are overwhelmed by a surfeit of information, when politics is scarred by extremes and corruption, when many in the media business have lost all sense of mission, we do indeed have to rethink our attitudes on how media and journalism contribute to democratic life.
For democracy to work it is not enough that media and journalists are free to express views, we also have to inform citizens. We need to communicate the whole picture. We need to analyse and set information in context. We have to make information intelligible and reliable so that people can assess, judge for themselves and make informed decisions.
The EJI takes up this challenge and raises awareness of how informed, accurate journalism and reporting in context helps create mutual understanding in the face of division, whether defined by language, culture, ethnicity or religious belief and strengthens democracy.
The EJI promotes, reinforces and renews commitment to the following ethical principles of journalism:
To respect the truth
To be independent and impartial
To promote professional social responsibility
To be open, transparent and accountable to peers
To act in the public interest[1]
The EJI is focused on promoting national, regional and global inter-media dialogue as an essential part of strategies for peace-building and development.
The EJI has emerged at a testing time for modern media. Social conflict and divided communities have revealed how media can be used to promote and disseminate falsehood, deceit and speculation, provoking misunderstanding, hatred and violence.
At the same time dramatic changes in the media landscape has seen quality journalism dramatically curtailed in recent years. Around the world corruption is rife in and around media. Even in countries where free speech is a cornerstone of democracy, changing market conditions and deep cuts in editorial budgets have had a devastating impact.
The EJI challenges the modern media obsession with celebrity, scandal and marketable sensation which can spread apathy and mistrust, fostering cynicism and discouraging involvement.
It points instead to the need for journalism that is bold and challenging and done well with lashings of style, drama and impact. It is affirmation of the notion that when the words flow and the images appear we should be inspired by the contribution they make to our quality of democracy.
Through ethical journalism we can identify the roots of division in society, put a focus on the potential for conflict and challenge the information deficits which contribute to ignorance and misunderstanding.
Above all we can reinvigorate attachment to the core ideals of mission in journalism – truth-telling, independence, public interest and professional responsibility – and the need for a communication ethic which promotes discussion and democratic exchange.
The EJI highlights excellence in journalism, good practice in media and puts the focus on practical actions to improve the performance of media through improved training, recruitment and editorial work.[2]
One message of the campaign is that politicians should not meddle in journalistic affairs. However, governments can contribute to building an enabling environment for media freedom by removing legal and practical obstacles to press freedom and by creating the conditions for decent, safe and fair employment conditions for people in journalism.
Additionally, the initiative sees the value of structures for dialogue involving media representatives, governments and civil society groups.
In sum, the EJI is a wake-up call to everyone in the news and media business that we must urgently reclaim our ethical traditions and rekindle faith in some old-fashioned virtues:
that standing up for principle through reputable journalism is how rights are protected;
that informed and committed reporters able to circulate the worries, fears and inquiries of people who have no institutional voice make a difference to democracy;
that at its best ethical journalism, though full of contradictions and expressed in a brilliant kaleidoscope of different cultures, is a key to cultural understanding, peace-making and healthy democracy.
1. Challenges of the current environment
These are difficult and challenging times for journalists. In addition to coverage of increasingly complex wars, civil conflicts, terrorism, foreign relations and economic developments, reporters and editors are faced with the daunting task of writing and commenting on social changes taking place across the globe.
The shifting social and cultural landscape often results in friction and strain as communities with different cultures, faiths and traditions adjust to living together. At the same time, however, the increasingly diverse worldwide mix of people, races and faiths has triggered a new political, economic and cultural dynamism across the globe.
The darker side of current societal upheavals is not difficult to see.
As societies change, intolerance is on the rise, with racism and xenophobia re-emerging as powerful perils and anti-foreigner political parties gaining in popularity. In Europe, for example, attacks on non-white minority groups are depressingly routine in many countries, leading to the growth of extremism among minority communities.
In addition, while politicians in most democracies insist they are committed to freedom of the press, journalists in all parts of the world are under pressure from governments and politicians seeking to muzzle press freedom in the name of a so-called “war on terror.”
The anti-terror campaign has in fact become a useful smokescreen for many governments seeking to crackdown on dissident groups accused of voicing extremist views or representing terrorist organisations.
At the same time, extremists and fanatics in many countries try to silence moderate opinion by attacking and issuing death threats against reporters. Such violence is especially rampant in developing nations – particularly Islamic countries - caught between the conflicting values of modernity and conservatism. In some Asian and Middle Eastern states, the conflict over who speaks in the name of Islam – the moderates or the radicals – is a daily occurrence, often fought on the streets.
This process has added to existing tensions and generated a new mood of intolerance in many countries where democratic pluralism is not fully matured.
As economic forces drive millions across borders in search of decent work and prosperity, social realities reveal an atmosphere of increasing uncertainty about the value of multiculturalism and tolerance.
The role of media – to reflect the opinions of all and to provide reliable information to societies made up of a mosaic of languages, religion and cultures with different historical perspectives – has never been more difficult, or dangerous. Recently there has been an unprecedented rise in killings of media staff and journalists, some of them targeted by political and religious extremists.
Nevertheless, there are hopeful signs. Previously indifferent governments are gradually paying attention to promoting minority rights, fighting discrimination and combating prejudice. And most significantly, once-shy minority groups are increasingly self-confident and assertive as they emerge from years of self-imposed silence and exclusion to take their rightful place in society.
Elsewhere, including in Islamic countries, once-silent civil society groups are also making their voices heard with confidence. Demands for reform, access to education and the rights of minorities and women are on the rise in many nations. Under pressure to change, governments are gradually opening up political systems, introducing democracy, recognizing the legitimate rights of women and minority groups.
2. The media response
Many newspapers, broadcasters and other media outlets have failed to take up the challenge of portraying the global social revolution. Instead of raising awareness and challenging ignorance, many media stoke the fires of intolerance and racism.
Although more reporters are challenging prejudice and broadcasters, particularly those with a public service mandate, are increasingly focusing on minority issues in their programmes,[3] there is some alarming and near-hysterical coverage of minorities. Across the globe media are guilty of providing a simplistic, one-sided view of “the other.”
Sensationalist reporting may help sell papers in an increasingly competitive media environment but it has contributed to an increasingly fearful climate between communities. The changing media landscape, which has led to declining investment in editorial quality and a decline in social and employment conditions in many areas, has lowered morale in journalism and undermined attachment to traditional ethical values.
When the news agenda becomes dominated by inaccurate, inflammatory and biased articles – giving prominence to those who engage in hate speech and populist, anti-foreigner rhetoric – racism is exacerbated and intolerance is bolstered.
In Europe, the Middle East and Asia regional conflicts based upon communities divided by language or religion or ethnic make up provide the backdrop for a news agenda dominated by images of violence and apparently senseless confrontation. The need for journalism to provide balanced, inclusive and informed coverage has never been tougher or more important.
3. Global Media and Regional Challenges
The issue of plurality of opinion remains a crucial question in the age of global media. In spite of the opportunities provided by the Internet for more active engagement of individuals in the public communications space, the global news agenda remains dominated by a small number of key news agencies and satellite television channels.
Some of these key players (including BBC world Service, CNN and Al Jazeera) have considered calls for a common approach in reacting to exceptional crisis through setting up permanent links between newsrooms.
Initiatives to hold annual meetings of representatives of all major news channels operating in global danger zones are useful and important. This is also important for international news agencies, whose information dominates the foreign news reporting of thousands of regional and national publishing outlets.
Existing networks allowing media professionals from different cultural backgrounds to discuss common challenges can be reinforced. [4]
The growing importance of regional news channels – such as those broadcasting to the Arab world or major new players in the Indian sub-continent – are a new factor in the world of broadcasting. The impact of channels like Aljazeera, Geo TV and NDTV and their ability to reach millions of people is an indication of the rising power of regional media. These new players can provide a bridge between different regions and can focus on areas of common interest such as security of journalists in war zones or exchange of information on existing or potential risks.
4. Online Journalism Must be Ethical, too
Any discussion of challenges facing media has to cover the question of the impact of the new wave of content in media inspired by use of the internet and new communication technologies.
User Generated Content (UGC) as it is called is often described as a nightmare for ethical journalism. Already today, some of the most compelling pictures/broadcasts – for instance dealing with the 2005 Tsunami or the execution of Saddam Hussein in 2006 – were provided not by professional reporters but by people who just happened to be there and had access to mobile telephone cameras or digital cameras connected to portable phones.
The Internet is another challenge. The millions of web-sites available on line may be dominated by social networking, tourism, travel, pornography and good old fashioned shopping and marketing of every description, but there are numerous examples of hate speech, intolerance and war-mongering. Websites that are quasi-journalistic often use unverified information and give voice to rumour and speculation.
They raise a number of disturbing questions such as: who is responsible for the content? Who is liable for damage that may be cause? Is there any possible ethical standard that can be applied to web material? How do we balance the need for free expression on line with respect for humanity? The EJI needs to promote a dialogue that can be used to highlight the need for quality.
Most of the credible news sources available on the Internet are provided by traditional media outlets and by journalists, who lead the community of quality web logs. These have an increasingly important role to play in reinforcing ethical values in an online environment.
5. No to new journalistic codes of conduct, yes to ethical journalism
The global crisis of intolerance has intensified calls for a new code of conduct for journalists. But these have been forcefully rejected. Journalists rightly fear curbs on press freedoms and remain adamant that there must be no new rules, codes or regulations that may encourage political interference in media affairs.
Nevertheless, how do we reinvigorate existing standards to take account of the need for informed and professional journalism in a world racked by conflicts?
Writing about more complex, diverse societies requires sensitive, careful handling. Articles dealing with the complexity of conflict need to be informed and in context and written with the same care, objectivity and impartiality given to other issues. Above all, care must be taken to avoid hate speech and incitement to hatred and a perpetuation of bias.
Good journalistic conduct requires, for instance, that politicians are taken to task when they propagate intolerance, xenophobia and racist views. Widespread negative assumptions about immigrants need to be questioned and tested. Both sides of a story have to be considered. The background to race riots for instance – feelings of frustration engendered by rising unemployment and racist recruitment policies of some employers – must be explained. The actions of one extremist or an entire group should not lead to the demonisation of entire communities.
Many of these norms were included in the declaration of principles on the conduct of journalists adopted by the IFJ World Congress in 1954.
That declaration points out very clearly that a “journalist shall be aware of the danger of discrimination being furthered by the media and shall do the utmost to avoid facilitating such discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinions and national or social origins.
Those principles need to be given more substance and potency in difficult and fearful times. Although many journalists today strive to maintain high standards, media groups, in ferocious competition for readers and viewers and trying to cope with revolutionary changes in the media market, are cutting back on full-time employment and reducing investment in training and investigative journalism.
6. Setting Standards for Quality and Transparency
Journalists seeking to perform their tasks to the best of their abilities need to tackle an array of difficult but urgent issues. These include:
Debating “self-regulation” to ensure it is viewed as another manifestation of sound editorial judgment rather than self-censorship;
Ways of encouraging journalists to be better informed to avoid manipulation by extremists or unscrupulous politicians;
Ensuring impartiality and application of core principles of ethical journalism when covering highly-charged issues of crime, immigration, community relations, immigration, religious belief and terrorism at a time of high public anxiety;
Practical actions to be taken to improve quality media and eliminate prejudice within the industry, including through the recruitment of minorities in the newsroom;
Discussion of these complex issues with other civil society groups and policy-makers without compromising editorial independence;
For their part media owners in all sectors can contribute by ensuring that media set internal standards of management and administration that provide models of transparency and accountability. These include:
Setting out mission statements that establish the role and objectives of media;
Making public declarations of details of ownership and funding of media;
Agreeing internal rules covering conflicts of interest and financial activities and that respect editorial independence;
Respecting and supporting credible systems of self-regulation;
Establishing structures for social dialogue internally
Establishing effective mechanisms for dealing for dealing with complaints from readers, listeners and viewers.
A draft set of guidelines on these issues, particularly related to strengthening the credibility of media in tackling corruption and misconduct in public affairs, is set out in the final section of this text.
Ethical Journalism Initiative
Programme of Activities
These proposals have been developed by journalists and representatives of regional and international media professional organisations. [5]
1. Audit on editorial policy, guidelines, training and recruitment
The EJI campaign will support mapping projects and actions to examine what actions media and journalists’ organisations are taking at national level to promote quality and sound journalistic practice in covering minority groups and dealing with conflict situations. In line with the five core principles of the EJI, the mapping projects will analyse structures within media aimed at ensuring transparency and editorial independence and supporting self-regulation and effective mechanisms to deal with complaints from readers, viewers or listeners.
2. Conferences to launch the Ethical Journalism Initiative
The EJI is being launched at regional conferences of editors, journalists and journalists’ organisations involving key representatives as well as researchers on the subject in Europe and Asia.
In Europe the EJI launch conference will coincide with the European Year on Intercultural Dialogue. At a global level the EJI launch will coincide with the conclusion of the initial phase of the Global Inter Media dialogue sponsored by the governments of Norway and Indonesia.
3. Handbook for journalists, editors, programme makers
A publication highlighting best ethical practice and giving practical tips and advice for encouraging a culture of sound, considerate judgment in the newsroom will be produced. This will be done in cooperation with journalists’ organisations, publishers, broadcasters and organisations active in the field of media and minority rights. The handbook will consider how to deal with ethical dilemmas; it will include examples and case studies from across the world addressing the difficult editorial choices journalists and editors face when reporting community tensions, social strife or conflict situations. The handbook will propose guidelines for establishing structures for openness and transparency within media.
4. Information network
Using existing resources through partnerships, it is proposed to establish a web-site which will collect information on existing initiatives promoting quality journalism in intercultural dialogue, provide journalists with links to resource and information web-sites and establish a forum for exchange of information among journalists and media professionals.
The web-site will focus on show-casing practical initiatives undertaken by media or journalists’ organisations that explain editorial policies on reporting minorities and conflict; establish internal structures for transparency and dealing with conflict of interests; promote effective mechanisms of self-regulation, improve knowledge and relations with different communities in society.
This would include reliable sources which could be accessible for interviews or simply for consultation in case of doubt on inter-cultural topics.
The aim of the information network is to give journalists and editors access to examples of best practice to promote sound editorial judgment and high standards of quality in journalism.
5. Training seminars for journalists
The best result in aiming for better understanding of different cultures and promoting sound and considered editorial judgment in a training environment can be achieved by training journalists who come from different cultures and background on different topics and professional skills.
The training will focus on editorial decision-making, how news are selected and presented while always focusing on newsworthy topics and issues that the journalists would normally report. Each training session will create jointly produced material available for publication or broadcast by media.
By working together in teams with journalists from different cultures, countries and backgrounds and by highlighting the different choices journalists and their editors make when producing news, the training will strengthen editorial decision-making and a willingness to question their choices in the journalists.
In addition, training on newsroom management with editors will include sessions on how to create space for debate and better mechanisms for editorial decision-making, how to support effective mechanisms for self-regulation and establish rules for transparency inside the media company.
6. Monitoring violations of independent and ethical journalism through surveys and reporting on issues of ethical concern
Through partnerships with existing structures the campaign will monitor violations of ethical standards as established by the five core principles of the EJI and journalists’ codes of conduct. The campaign web-site will be the tool for collecting this information. The focus of the campaign will be to show how to do avoid violations and how to produce better quality in reporting.
7. Twinning projects
In addition to the training seminars the project will support twinning projects between media organisations to facilitate exchange of journalistic material and working visits between journalists from the participating media. Potential participants for twinning between media organisations will be identified through the organisations of publishers and broadcasters as well as through the training programmes and the project web-site. It will build on existing initiatives.
8. Journalism – a thinker’s library
The current debate often suffers from lack of insight and rigorous intellectual argument. To raise the level of the debate and to put quality and thoughtful editorial decisions on the top of the campaign’s agenda it is proposed to create on the campaign web-site, the thinkers’ library for journalists.
The Ethical Journalism Initiative would commission well-known and respected figures working in journalism or in media studies to write essays on key questions currently facing the profession. These would include:
Free expression and religious rights: linked or in contradiction?
1st amendment or Article 10 – A journalists’ Choice?
Reporting migration – Economic benefits, cultural challenges?
Words are weapons too – the impact of language in reporting
Seeing is believing: editorial choices and the impact of media images
Money Talking in Media: Private Voices and Public Values
Citizen journalism – blogging, standards and the voice of the people?
Still gatekeepers – can the public influence the media?
These essays would provoke discussion among the profession, give sustenance to those wanting to argue about editorial choices and provide a thought-provoking background to public debate.
Finally, the initiative will be a powerful reminder to journalists that their key task is to provide accurate information, objectively, rapidly and independently to a public seeking to understand the complexities and challenges of today’s world.
Ethical Journalism Initiative
Core Values and Principles
The Ethical Journalism Initiative acknowledges that freedom of the media, free flow of information and ideas and open discussion, without the interference of public authorities, is fundamental to the development of free, stable and democratic societies.
Media freedom is a prerequisite for the establishment of mutual understanding and good relations among states and their peoples.
The Ethical Journalism Initiative reaffirms adherence to the principles of freedom of expression, freedom of media and free flow of information as laid down in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, as covered by the OSCE principles and commitments, and as set out in other international conventions and agreements including those of UNESCO and the Council of Europe;
The Ethical Journalism Initiative, recognises the vital contribution of free media to building mutual respect, cooperation and stability in the context of different values and cultures, under internationally recognised standards of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law;
The Ethical Journalism initiative supports a more active and better informed public debate in order to achieve the objectives of tolerance, stability and mutual understanding.
Truth, Independence and Professional Social Responsibility
Core ethical standards for journalists embrace respect for the truth, the need to be independent and impartial and seeking to do no harm.
The EJI aims to help media professionals in their efforts to define, agree and implement appropriate ethical standards. Such standards require
that media should avoid ethnic, racial or religious hatred, xenophobia, or language which incites violence;
that journalists should strive for balance and fairness ;
that should be plurality in the media combining high quality, accurate reporting and a range of opinion;
that media should be prepared to correct inaccuracies and make prompt correction where necessary;
that journalists should in their work respect human dignity and the rights of others.
Above all, ethical journalism requires respect for the truth and the right of the public to truth through the honest collection and publication of information whatever the mode of dissemination. Ethical conduct is also essential in the expression of fair comment and criticism.
Journalists should report only in accordance with facts of which they know the origin and never suppress essential information or falsify documents and they should use fair methods to obtain news, photographs and documents.
At the same time, ethical journalism recognises the importance of democratic accountability. Professional social responsibility involves a commitment to seek to do no harm. Ethical journalists shall do the utmost to rectify any published information which is found to be harmfully inaccurate.
Professional secrecy is a cardinal principle of journalism and requires that reporters protect the anonymity of the source of information obtained in confidence.
Journalists need above all to recognise the danger of discrimination being furthered by media, and do the utmost to avoid facilitating such discrimination based on, among other things, race, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinions, and national or social origins.
Within journalism it has been long accepted that plagiarism, malicious misrepresentation, calumny, slander, libel, unfounded accusations, and corrupt practices, such as the acceptance of a bribe in any form in consideration of either publication or suppression, are grave professional offences.
Journalists who aspire to high standards must, of course, be independent. That means that there should avoid attachment to partisan political, commercial or other interests that interfere with or have the perception of interference in their work.
Ethical Journalism Initiative
Setting Standards: Some Guidelines for Media
Widespread corruption, secrecy in government and poor standards of accountability threaten the fabric of public life even in established democracies.
The watchdog role of journalism and independent media is vital to the creation and development of democratic culture. Where no such culture exists, due to inadequate legal protections and the denial of fundamental rights by the arbitrary exercise of political power, media are severely limited in their capacity to expose corruption and monitor standards of public probity.
The creation of a legal and policy framework that ensures media freedom, independence and pluralism must be at the forefront of any initiative aimed at promoting good governance and democratic development.
Ethical journalists and independent media have a critical role to play in monitoring and exposing poor governance and malpractice in public life.
The watchdog role of media is essential in building public confidence in the democratic administration of society particularly where it concerns an open and inclusive process of development and the monitoring of public and private power.
The capacity of news media to report effectively and responsibly on the affairs of political, corporate and civil society institutions and to expose them to public scrutiny depends on the recognition and active promotion of media freedom and independence and citizen’s right to access to information by the state and public authorities.
In order to ensure continued public support for independent journalism, news media have to show their attachment to the values and principles of transparency, good governance and the ethical behaviour.
It is vital for news media to restate and reaffirm the values of independent journalism and the mission of media in democratic society.
In particular, media and the journalists who work for them should provide leadership by ensuring their own activities meet the high standards they rightly expect of all other public and private institutions.
Journalists and news media, in pursuit of this objective, recognise the following principles:
That the credibility of news and information depends on the highest ethical standards in the gathering, presentation and circulation of news material;
That news media must be committed to maintaining the highest standards of journalism, freedom of the press and pluralism;
That all issues relating to the ethics of journalism are dealt with by journalists and media professionals alone;
With these principles in mind, journalists' groups and news media organisations should consider adopting the following guidelines to promote editorial quality and internal and external transparency:
Media should define and publish, where appropriate, an editorial mission statement;
Media should establish and implement appropriate internal rules and regulations, in line with international standards, that guarantee the editorial independence of journalists and set out norms of ethical practice, including
The right of journalists to act according to conscience;
A transparent policy on receipt of inducements, gifts and facilities provided by public or private interests;
internal systems of accountability and a transparent mechanism for dealing with external complaints.
Media and journalists should agree and observe a code of editorial conduct regarding ethical behaviour based upon the principles of fairness, accuracy, respect for the truth, the need for clearly attributed sources, respect for non-discrimination and tolerance, and protection of sources;
Media should ensure clear separation of advertising material and paid for space from editorial content in all publications, whatever the mode of dissemination;
Media should implement internal standards for monitoring the personal interests of employees and owners that may compromise editorial independence and which must be made known to the Editor in Chief;
Media should make available information on the external interests and ownership profile of the organisation;
Media should make available information regarding any benefits providing a pecuniary advantage provided by public authorities, including information on engagement in projects or activities funded by international organisations;
Media should provide employment conditions and/or working relations that reflect adherence to national and international labour standards and take account of the paramount need to provide safe and secure conditions for the exercise of journalism;
Media should set up and publish details of a mechanism for dealing with complaints and making corrections where errors of fact have been made;
Media should appoint or designate a member of the staff to act as an ombudsman or contact person to whom concerns and problems of an ethical and professional nature can be addressed.
For Further Information:
International Federation of Journalists
www.ifj.org
International Press Centre
155 Rue de la Loi, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Tel : +32 2 235 2209 E-Mail : ifj@ifj.org
[1] A summary of the core values and the principles of the Ethical Journalism Initiative are attached to this document.
[2] Details of the Programme of work of the Ethical Journalism initiative are attached to this report.
[3] The European Broadcasting Union, for instance, has developed a special programme of work (see http://www.ebu.ch/en/union/under_banners/CulturalDiversity.php), which includes some co-productions in the field - where minorities are put on screen.
[4] One example is that of the EBU which gathers all national Arab broadcasters from the Middle East and North Africa (including Israel) and European public service channels but has rarely been used to convey messages for cultural dialogue. ASBU - the Union of the Arab States Broadcasters - is the sister Union of EBU and provides another natural arena where these problems can be discussed.
[5] These recommendations were agreed at a meeting of professional groups on July 11th 2007. Those involved are European Broadcasting Union, Association of Commercial Television, European Publishers Council, European Newspaper Publishers Association, International Federation of Journalists/European Federation of Journalists, Association of European Radio, and European Federation of Magazine Publishers. Also participating in this process, are the International Press Institute and the World Association of Newspapers.