The special rights, freedoms and protection of the media comes with special duties and responsibilities.

A responsible journalist is protected by freedom of expression but must respect certain conditions. Thus, despite the essential role of the media in a democratic society, journalists cannot in principle be relieved of their duty to comply with ordinary criminal law on the grounds that Article 10 offers them unassailable protection.

The media are given more freedom only if they act in good faith, base their reports on accurate facts and provide reliable and precise information observing the ethical standards of journalism.

In this section you can read about the obligation of the media to:

  • provide truthful information and to verify the accuracy of their sources
  • clearly differentiate between news and opinions
  • avoid using grossly offensive language towards an individual when its use is not justified

Resources

Last updated 05/10/2023