CODE OF ETHICS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@aecl.ca>]

.....now if only they would just adhere to it ! (comments added) -- Jaro.

http://www.oneworld.org/slejf/ethics.htm
CODE OF ETHICS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS
The following Code of Ethics was ratified at the 6th World Congress of
Environmental Journalists held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 19 - 23,
1998.

1. The right to a clean environment and sustainable development is
fundamental and is closely connected to the right to life and good health
and well being. The environmental journalist should inform the public about
the threats to the environment - whether it is at the global, regional,
national or local level.

2. Often the media is the only source of information on the environment. The
journalist's duty is to heighten the awareness of the public on
environmental issues. The journalist should strive to report a plurality of
views on the environment.

[comment : unfortunately "plurality" is taken to mean both fact and fiction
!]

3. By informing the public, the journalist plays a vital role in enabling
people to resort to action in protecting their environment. The journalist's
duty is not only in alerting people about their endangered environment at
the outset, but also in following up such threats and keeping them posted
about developments. Journalists should also attempt to write on possible
solutions to environmental problems.

[comment: unfortunately journalists are typically unqualified to discern
"possible solutions" from "impossible solutions" and tend to write about the
latter]

4. The journalists should not be influenced on these issues by vested
interests - whether they are commercial, political, and government or
non-governmental. The journalist ought to keep a distance from such
interests and not ally with them. As a rule journalists should report all
sides in any environmental controversy.

[comment: unfortunately they don't perceive environmental NGOs' vested
interests & assume they don't have any]

5. The journalist should as far as possible cite sources of information and
avoid alarmist or speculative reportage and tendentious comment. He or she
should crosscheck the authenticity of a source, whether commercial, official
or non-governmental.

[comment: I guess they skip number 5 habitually ?]

6. The environmental journalist should foster equity in access to such
information and help organizations and individuals to gain it. Electronic
retrieval of data can provide a useful and egalitarian tool in this regard.

7. The journalist should respect the right of privacy of individuals who
have been affected by environmental catastrophes, natural disasters and the
like.

8. The environmental journalist should not hesitate to correct information
that he or she previously believed was correct, or to tilt the balance of
public opinion by analysis in the light of subsequent developments.

[comment: there's another rare beast !]

The original draft for this code of ethics was prepared by a committee of
three senior International Federation of Environmental Journalist (IFEJ)
members.

Dr Dharman Wickremaratne - Sri Lanka Environmental Journalists Forum (SLEJF)
Chairman 
Darryl D'Monte - Forum of Environmental Journalists of India (FEJI) Chairman

Dr Robert Thomas - Visiting Professor, Loyola University Chair in
Environmental Communications & Member of the Society of Environmental
Journalists, USA 

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