Code of professional ethics for journalists of azerbaijan

PRİNCİPLE 3: Protection of honour and dignity, inviolability of personal life

3.1 Journalists shall not condemn people for their nationality, race, sex, language, profession, religion, and place of birth or residence and shall not highlight such data.

3.2 Journalists shall respect the honour, dignity, and inviolability of personal life of the person he/she meets with and writes about.

3.3 Journalists may not disseminate facts about citizens’ personal lives without their consent, unless dissemination of such information does not violate the rights of the society, is lawful, does not contradict social interest and is of public unimportance.

3.4 Journalists and mass media entities must correct their errors wholly and as soon as possible, regardless of the person who identified the error.  The correction should indicate whether the related article was erroneous in whole or in part. 

3.5 When publishing personal letters, the author, the person to whom the letter is addressed to, or their heirs, should be asked for permission.

3.6 Names or images of victims who suffered from accidents or crime must not be disclosed without their consent. This is possible under special conditions and if the victim is a public figure.  If the crime was committed by teenagers or children (persons below 18 years of age), journalists should refrain from disseminating the names or pictures of the criminals.

3.7. Journalists should respect the right to presumption of innocence of persons who are suspected of committing crimes and should introduce such persons not as criminals, but as persons who have been detained for being suspected of committing crimes. 

3.8. If a mass media entity disseminated information on detention or indictment of a citizen as a suspect and if his/her innocence was later proven, the media entity must inform the public in this regard.

3.9. Journalists shall not take advantage of children’s innocence and trust; shall respect their rights and demonstrate a special responsibility in communicating their views; and shall seek to avoid interviewing children without the consent of their parents or lawful guardians.  Journalist shall not publish information or photographs about private life of a child unless there is an over-riding public interest.  Journalist shall protect the identity of children involved in or affected by tragedy or criminal activity.

3.10. If a person is charged with committing of a crime, journalists shall not prepare reports which could undermine the objectiveness of the court in this issue and opinions from all involved parties should be reflected in such reports.  If victims of a crime have not given their consent to be identified, journalists shall treat the identities of such individuals with sensitivity.  This rule is especially important in cases involving sexual assault. If witnesses have not consented to being identified and if their identification does not have any public importance, journalists shall treat their identity with sensitivity.

3.11 Journalists shall refrain from glorifying or unnecessarily sensational reporting about crime, violence, brutality and suicide.  Journalists shall be careful not to be used as a means by those who promote, incite or use violence; instead, journalists shall report on their activities with due constraint and only if there is a clear public interest.

3.12. Journalists or editorials should not prepare reports that exaggerate terror acts; reports that serve the interests of terrorists; reports that create fear or those which promote or justify terror acts.