PMA, MAN launch CoC to improve conflict sensitive reporting in South Asia
KATHMANDU/November 24: To improve conflict sensitive reporting and journalist safety across South Asia, on 23 November 2021, Public Media Alliance (PMA) and Media Action Nepal (MAN) launched the Code of Conduct (CoC) for journalists and media outlets.
Contributed by 30 journalists from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka who gathered virtually in September 2021 to strengthen their capacity in conflict sensitive reporting, journalist safety, and self-regulation, the CoC aims to guide journalists and media workers on how they can cover pertinent areas in an informed, fair, and safe manner. The participants – from journalists to academics and editors – worked collaboratively to develop a regionally relevant CoC to strengthen media credibility.
The draft Code was reviewed by regional stakeholders, including press council representatives, media academics, and journalists, leading to this, the final document: Code of Conduct to Improve Conflict Sensitive Reporting and Safety of Journalists in South Asia.
The areas covered by the CoC include minimizing risks to communal harmony through an intersectional and impartial journalism, human rights and gendered approaches to reporting, confidentiality of reliable sources and a set of recommendations for further improvements.
Dhruba Hari Adhikary, Senior Journalist, Nepal, Sunanda Deshapriya, Senior Journalist, Sri Lanka, Sandhya Ravishankar, Journalist, India, Dilrukshi Handunnetti, Executive Director, Center for Investigative Reporting, Sri Lanka, Laxman Datt Pant, Chairperson of Media Action Nepal and Dr. Sadia Jamil, Chair at Journalism Research and Education Section, IAMCR, addressed the launching event moderated by Sally-Ann Wilson, CEO of Public Media Alliance.
This CoC was developed with support from the UNESCO New Delhi Office, and the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).
