Turning tragedies into click-bait media content to be devoured by the “masses” is a serious violation of the ethical standards in journalism and a direct deviation from the basic principles of the profession.
When reporting on the ongoing trial on the tragedy of a mother and child as a result of domestic violence, some media outlets have crossed the lines of professional journalism, highlighting details from the private lives of the victims which do not constitute information of public interest.
Not only having an approach like this does nothing to improve public awareness, not only does it not help spread awareness about the rate and consequences of domestic violence in the country, but it also violates the dignity of the persons in question and leads to their additional victimization.
Let us remind you that, according to Article 7 of the Code of Journalists, a journalist is bound to respect the privacy of a person, especially in situations of personal pain and grief. Article 8 of the Code, on the other hand, requires reporting without sensationalism in cases of domestic tragedies and court proceedings, with due respect to all the persons involved, without suggesting guilt, i.e. the outcome of the court proceedings.
Therefore, the Council of Ethics in the Media of Macedonia and the Court of Honor of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia urge journalists to make a clear distinction between the public interest and what the public is interested in.
Public interest requires publishing information that is of core importance for the entire community, in order to understand the functioning of institutions, the responsibility of the system and the protection of human rights.
Publishing intimate details, writing and circulating headlines that incite sensationalist curiosity, as well as allowing digital platforms to become a space for moral judgments and public lynching, before the conclusion of the judicial process, are in direct contradiction to these principles and to the professional responsibility of the media.
We emphasize that not every piece of information is to be published and not every detail constitutes news. The selection of content is an essential professional and ethical choice.
This case further reaffirms the need to improve and specify the ethical standards, including those aimed toward enhanced protection of victims, to limit the publication of details of people’s private lives when there is no clear public interest and increase the responsibility of the media for the content published and moderated on their digital platforms.
CME and AJM urge the media not to violate human dignity and to adhere to the basic principles of responsible, professional and ethical journalism.