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.

The information produced by the media is the result of choices that must be made in a spirit of fairness and justice. These choices can only be judged using a combination of qualitative and quantitative measures. While the length of an article or broadcast cannot be ignored, the importance of the information and the degree of public interest are often more pertinent, and in assessing coverage, it is important to look not only at one or two days’ stories but at how an ongoing story has been covered over a period of time.