INSTRUCTION FOR PARTICIPANT OF MONITORING

During the monitoring to reveal violation of Azerbaijan Code of Journalism Ethics participants will fill in special code tables. The materials with violations will be calculated in units – separate for each newspaper and all code positions indicated in the tables. Violation of several ethical principles could be found in one article and each of them is marked as a unit in a corresponding column of code table. Therefore, number of violations could exceed number of articles, in which they have been discovered.

NOTE: In this monitoring term “material” means all articles published in newspapers and magazines, including photos, except for weather forecast, advertisement, paid advertisements, television programs, crosswords, tests, horoscopes, quizzes and entertaining materials of such a type.

The coded table includes 50 code positions. Each position indicates a separate type of violations. The positions are divided into three categories and 13 sub-categories determined by methodology of monitoring. The last two positions are related to all categories and play the role of an additional indicator, which allows studying further behavior of the media violated such an important principle as “Media’s right to conscientious mistake.”

Category

Sub-category

Code position of sub-category

Code position of all category

True, accuracy and objectivity

Balance

1

1-14

Accuracy

2-5

Impartiality

6-8

Differentiation of fact and comment

9

Providing right to response

10

Respect for source of information

Reference to source

15-19

15-29

Photo manipulation

20

Correspondence of headline and announcement to content

21-22

Use of other’s material under journalists’ own name

23-25

Protection of Reputation)( insult of honor, dignity and principle of inviolability of private life)

Encouragement of discrimination

30-36

30-48

Insult

37-40

Damage to image by distribution of false information

41

Publishing of photo and names of juvenile delinquents, victims of violence and crimes

42-44

NOTE: Each category has several “empty” positions. For instance, the category ”True, Accuracy and Objectivity” lacks positions 11-14. They were specially left by authors for instruction for use in case of necessity: such types of violations, which do not correspond to the above-mentioned determinations, could be revealed. But these positions are absent for the monitors, until administration of this research takes a decision on introduction of additional code position.

 

Code positions (1-50)

1. Imbalance

2. Distortion of fact

3. Distortion of somebody’s opinion, expression and quotation

4. Distortion of documents

5. Distortion of details of circumstances and events

6. Journalist acts party to the conflict

7. Criticism based on unreal fact

8. Journalist’s agitation “for” or “against”

9. Lack of separation of fact and author’s comment

10. Violation of principle of right to response

15. Lack of reference to source of information without convincing explanations

16. Distortion of source

17. Fabrication of interview, statement and expression

18. Manipulation with quotations removed from context and documents

19. Violation of principle of confidentiality of source

20. Photo manipulation

21. Lack of correspondence of material’s headline to content

22. Use of other’s material under somebody’s name without mentioning of author

24. Publishing of material without author’s consent

25. Use of part of works of other authors without reference in the material

30. National (ethnic) discrimination or scornful attitude to national (ethnic) belonging

31. Racial discrimination or scornful attitude to sexual belonging

32. Religious discrimination or scornful attitude to religious belonging

34. Social discrimination or scornful attitude to social status

35. Political discrimination or scornful attitude to political affiliation

36. Disrespect for religious and cultural traditions and people’s feelings.

37. Insulting of official

38. Insulting of citizens (not official)

39. Slander

40. Violation of right to private life

41. Damage to business reputation (image)

42. Groundless publishing of photo and/or names and details helping to identify juvenile delinquents

43. Groundless publishing of photo and/or names and details helping to identify victims of violence and crime

44. Mentioning of national, ethnic, religious or other belonging of criminals and their victims, unless this information clarifies essence of crime and helps to solve it

49. Number of published corrections

50. Number of published refutations

NOTE: Violations of code position 10 (right to response) determined not on materials of newspapers, but on the basis of application of people, whom media refused of right to response. The heads of project must distribute appropriate announcement about that. The applications must be carefully checked and if groundlessness of response is revealed, this will be regarded as violation of ethical standards by a concrete newspaper and magazine.

Before the monitoring its participants will undergo special training. At the courses they will be trained how to determine type of violation and fill code tables. The lawyer will explain monitors what is regarded as insult, slander, damage to business reputation and violation of right to private life. But during work while revealing such violations, monitors and supervisors must consult with lawyer each time.