The establishment of a Code of Practice for Jamaican journalists and media organisations as well as a Complaints Commission to adjudicate on complaints against journalists, as in other countries including the United Kingdom which has a Code of Practice and Complaints Commission, is now being considered.
The Press Association of Jamaica, the national organisation of journalists, already has a Code of Ethics which was established in the 1960s. But it has become almost useless because there is no authority to enforce breaches of the code.
The country cannot rely much on the media houses to impose strictly and thoroughly a code of practice or ethics. With the proliferation of media houses covering print, radio and television, the time has come for the establishment of a Code of Practice and Complaints Commission.
As a practising journalist for nearly 60 years, I would prefer a self-regulatory body but if journalists and media houses are not prepared to take this course then, as I understand the position, government is prepared to pursue a regulatory course.
Better yet, it would be a good thing if a joint approach were to be taken by journalists, media houses and government. The Mona School of Business, Press Association of Jamaica, Media Association of Jamaica and the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication, based on discussions on ethics and professional standards of Jamaican media, have now come forward with a draft code of practice and proposals for the setting up of a Complaints Commission.
In the preamble to the code and under the topic, "The role of the press", the draft states that all members of the press have a duty to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards, and that code sets the benchmark for those standards. "The code protects the rights of the individual and upholds the public's right to know.
The code is the cornerstone of the system of self-regulation to which the industry is committed. It is essential to the workings of an agreed code that it be honoured not only to the letter, but to the full spirit. The code should not be interpreted so narrowly as to compromise its commitment to respect the rights of the individual, nor so broadly that it prevents publication in the public interest," the draft says.
Continuing, the draft states that we Jamaican publishers, broadcasters and journalists believe that:
.The rights of freedom or expression and the freedom to receive and impart information are fundamental rights of all human beings.
.The agencies of mass communication, private and public, are carriers of public information, opinion and discussion essential to give practical effect
to the right of freedom of expression and the right of all individuals to access information.
.Those rights carry obligations that require media organisations to represent and reflect the public interest at all times and journalists to perform their professional duties with intelligence, objectivity, accuracy and fairness.
The declaration which follows states: To these ends, we declare acceptance of the standards of professional practice here set forth:
.Editors, journalists, publishers and broadcasters pledge to prevent violations of these standards.
.Editors, journalists, publishers and broadcasters will ensure that the code is observed rigorously by all their contributors.
.Editors, journalists, publishers and broadcasters agree to co-operate as swiftly as possible with all media complaints bodies, where they exist, in the resolution of complaints.
.Any media in which a publication or broadcast is adjudged by the media complaints commission to be in breach under any one of the provisions of the code, is obliged to publish or broadcast the adjudication and approved report of the commission without delay.
The draft went on to outline provisions of the code which covers accuracy, truth and fairness, opportunity to reply, privacy, children, children in sex cases, children in criminal cases, people in grief and trauma, victims of crime, harassment, listening devices, misrepresentation, conflict of interest, discrimination, payment for publishing or withholding information, financial journalism, confidential sources and the public interest.
Under accuracy, truth and fairness the proposed code states that newspapers, periodicals, radio and television stations shall take due care not to publish or broadcast untrue, inaccurate, misleading or distorted material or information.
Every effort should be made to publish the main points of view or interpretation of an event or issue, regardless of whether the journalist or media organisation agrees with such views. Journalistic reporting should also be free from bias and distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.
The Code of Practice and Complaints Commission was accepted last Saturday at a meeting of media representatives presided over by senior Jamaica and Caribbean journalist, Gary Allen, who is RJR's group director of operations at the Mona School of Business (MSB), University of the West Indies.
Veteran Jamaican and international journalist, Claude Robinson of the MSB, was given the task of refining the proposals as a draft model for another meeting of editors, journalists, publishers and broadcasters. I believe this new development will not only enrich the journalism profession but will serve the best interest of the public.
