ГА «Беларуская асацыяцыя журналістаў»

RESPECTING our profession and understanding its great social importance;
 
BEING GUIDED by the intention to strengthen public confidence in mass media as one of the democracy maintaining institutions;
 
ACKNOWLEDGING the IFJ Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists as a standard of professional behavior while obtaining, storing, disseminating and commenting on information;
 
UNDERSTANDING that the profession imposes great responsibility on journalists;
 
members of the Belarusian Association of Journalists declare that they will observe the following principles of the professional ethics:
 
•    RESPECT the public’s right to know the truth, remembering at the same time that none has a monopoly over the truth.
•    PROTECT the right to obtain and disseminate information and freedom of expression.
•    STRIVE FOR maximum accuracy of information, in-depth and true argumentation while expressing opinions.
•    ADMIT publicly and consciously one’s own mistake.
•    CONSIDER unacceptable plagiarism, intentional misrepresentation and misinterpretation, ungrounded accusations, acceptance of a bribe for dissemination or refusal to disseminate some information.
•    RESPECT other peoples’ points of view and foster public discussion in mass media.
•    PREVENT racial, national, religious, sex, gender, political and other kinds of discrimination.
•    PROTECT rights and interests of third parties while seeking, storing and disseminating information.
•    PROTECT confidentiality of sources of information.
•    NOT TO PLEASE authorities, but remember that one of the functions of the mass media is to control authorities’ actions.
•    EXPRESS solidarity with the colleagues who are persecuted for journalist activities.
•    STICK TO the jurisdiction of the journalistic community and try to solve conflicts with colleagues avoiding authorities’ intervention.