Media Laws and Ethics
– Do not publish any inflammatory Video or Text story biased against any person, institution without any proof.
– The name and the picture of the female rape or abduction victim should not be disclosed in any content pieces. It is punishable under section 228-A of the Indian penal code.
– Copying information from another media publication in word to word and in essence falls under the purview of plagiarism. This is strictly not allowed.
– If content is being used from another publication, attribution to the concerned publication and writer / creator should be given.
– In case of death of a person, it’s critical to verify the identity of the deceased person and family.
– Do not publish details related to an ongoing investigation in the final content piece without permission of the bereaved family and concerned authorities.
– Avoid taking names of victims.
– Do not play up caste or religious details of any story. A story is about character and incident and not about the caste.
– If the content piece says Source, then the concerned reporter should have actual details of the source with recordings.
– Using Video and photography to intrude into the personal moments of another person irrespective of how powerful the person is should be avoided.
– Avoid derogatory remarks against a dead person who is at the centre of any content.
– If there are errors in content, then it is the core company’s responsibility to publish an apology with regret.
– A reporter should always store evidence for longer duration. In case a conflict arises in the future, the reporter will be asked to furnish evidence or face punitive action.
– The obscenity metric of a picture posted in content should be judged on the following parameters – Does the picture represent pornography? Is the company making money by using titillating pictures to scale sexual feelings in adults? Is the content promoting visual pornography?
– Verify facts with pictures, documents and videos when publishing stories around communal violence.
