Genuine news is the product of one or more journalists, disseminated by a media publishing or broadcasting organization. Journalistic activity involves a series of investigative steps and a gathering of information that is then processed and disseminated. This activity should not be hindered or subjected to unwarranted constraints.

Further, coverage, as well as the timing of broadcast or publication, is at the discretion of the media.

The information the public receives from the media is the product of various types of editorial decisions. Information can be presented in different forms (for example, news stories or commentaries), at different lengths, with or without images and so on. These choices are a matter of editorial judgment by journalists and are the prerogatives of journalists and media management. The media and journalism professionals must remain free to report events and comment on them without hindrance, or threat or reprisal. The press is not required to conform to any particular ideology. Each media organization can, therefore, publish stories of its own choosing and accord them the prominence it deems appropriate.

It is the duty of the media and of journalists to provide the public with comprehensive and accurate information.

The quality of that information is determined by journalists’ training and the discipline they exercise. This should be interpreted as encouraging and not as a dry or conformist approach, lacking all imagination, but rather, as one of thoroughness, accuracy, integrity and deep respect for the individual and for the facts.

It is also the responsibility of the press to guard against attempts by individuals, groups or organizations to manipulate public opinion with incomplete or slanted information by enlisting the aid of willing or unsuspecting journalists. The media are responsible for all that they publish or broadcast, and should never try to excuse lapses in professional standards by blaming them on administrative problems, time constraints or other such reasons.

Press outlets should define and make public their editorial policies. They should foster a high degree of professional ethics and support the ongoing training of their staff. The fact that media outlets are responsible for what they publish or broadcast in no way absolves individual journalists or other information professionals of responsibility for their own actions and output.