Guidelines for Network Relations

EJN Foundation Statement & Guidelines for Network Relations

Foundation Statement

The Ethical Journalism Network is a global coalition of media professional groups and journalism support organisations. It works across all platforms of the media, information and communications landscape. Its members agree to meet regularly, to share information and to support joint actions with the following aims

• To support and highlight actions of the Network members and supporters and their efforts to promote high standards of transparency, good governance, ethical conduct and self-regulation in journalism;
• To prepare reports and surveys on issues of interest for media and journalists that will raise awareness of the ethical and governance challenges facing media and journalism around the world;
• To create and support an information and communications portal of the Network dedicated to the promotion of ethics and good governance and to promote activities of all Network members in this area;
• To support actions that will encourage dialogue with the audience and wider society that will raise awareness of the important role played by ethical journalism in building democracy and informed society;
• To carry out practical actions, including training, raising-awareness and educational work at international level designed to strengthen journalism, to create editorial independence in media and to build public trust in journalism;
• To support the creation of transparent, accessible and independent systems of self-regulation, without political interference, that will respond to the concerns and complaints of citizens at national level while promoting and defending the global principles of media independence, information pluralism and ethical journalism.

The network is an informal association and is registered as a company in the United Kingdom. In 2015 it will seek status as an independent charitable organisation. The funding of the programmes and operations of the Network shall be the responsibility of the Network secretariat and the Director.

Membership of the Network is free and open to media, journalism support groups and professional associations that support its objectives. Supporters of the Network may at any time withdraw from the process by writing to the secretariat of the Network.

Registered in the United Kingdom: June 7th 2013

Guidelines for Network Relations

These guidelines reflect the Ethical Journalism Network’s aim to be a catalyst for change and to promote new debate among media professional groups on how to promote standards of journalism and to ensure media professionals lead the debate about future regulation. These are specified in the EJN Foundation Statement:

1. The Network does not replace, substitute or seek to compete with any of its supporters.
2. The Network is an information exchange.
3. The Network fully consults with all supporters on its work and activities
4. The Network will seek the advice, guidance and opinions of its supporters concerning proposals for development of its work
5. Meetings of the Network will be organised by the secretariat of the Network.
6. The Chair shall be nominated from among the Board members of the Network which is established in 2015 with the creation of the organisation as a charitable body.
7. The EJN Board established in 2015 shall authorise the established of national support groups from among the Network’s body of supporters. A Norwegian Support Group has been established.
8. There are no financial obligations involved in Network membership and the Network secretariat will not seek funding for activities or country programmes on behalf of Network members.
9. The EJN secretariat receives administrative support through a formal agreement with the Norwegian Institute for Journalism. The secretariat shall seek financial support to assist members of the Network to participate in its meetings.
10. The Network will not issue public statements on matters related to press freedom or safety of journalists but will maintain its focus of activities and website information on the issues of:
    1. promotion of good governance in media across all sectors of the communications and information landscape,
    2. promotion of ethical conduct in journalism and
    3. Raising-awareness on the need for new and effective forms of self-regulation and independent regulation of editorial content across all platforms of journalism.