SELF-REPRESENTATION:

A journalist shall conduct him/herself with propriety at all times when performing his/her duties.

DRESS:

A journalist shall dress decently and observe etiquette as the situation demands.

INTERVIEWS:

Since it is not an obligation for any person, public or otherwise, to talk to journalists, sources must be informed that they are being interviewed for a story and a journalist shall not insult, abuse or embarrass interviewees.

THE RIGHTS OF THE INFORMANTS:

A journalists shall respect the rights and liberties of the informant.

LANGUAGE:

A journalist shall conduct an interview in a language the interviewee is competent in and may, where necessary arrange for an interpreter.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

A journalist shall strive to avoid situations that will bring a conflict of interest with his/her profession.

CHEQUE - BOOK JOURNALISM:

A journalist shall not offer, demand or accept payment in order to include or exclude material on a story he/she is writing.

POLICY:

A journalist shall observe the editorial policy of the media house for which he/she is working.

MATERIAL:

All material produced by journalists shall be credible, balanced, fair and verifiable to all sides. In the same vein, headlines should reflect the gist of the story to avoid misleading the audience. Distortion should be avoided, as should discriminatory and inflammatory language, slants involving racism, tribalism, religion, and other social categorizations.

DISTINCTION IN PRESENTATION:

A journalist shall avoid traumatizing, shocking or obscene pictures as much as possible. Pictures must be used appropriately, not for the sake of sales promotion. A journalist shall not publish pictures that infringe on individuals' right to privacy.

QUOTATIONS:

Quotations must be accurate, and any additions or subtractions must be indicated by brackets or ellipses respectively.

ACCURACY:

A journalist shall strive for accuracy and thoroughness in the writing and reporting of news.

PICTURES:

A journalist shall ensure that the picture and captions relate to the story.

PLAGIARISM:

A journalist shall avoid plagiarism.

CORRECTION:

Whenever it is realised that a significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distorted report has been published, it should be corrected promptly and with due prominence and an apology published whenever appropriate.

OBJECTIVITY:

In reporting news, a journalist shall strive for objectivity.

NEWS AND OPINIONS:

A journalist shall distinguish clearly between news reports, speculation and expressions of opinion.

HEADLINES:

News headlines should be fully warranted by the contents of the articles they accompany. Photographs and broadcasts must give an accurate representation of an event. Media Council of Malawi

BALANCE AND FAIR PLAY:

A journalist shall make every reasonable effort to present all sides of the story. A fair opportunity for reply should be given to organizations or individuals.

ADVERTISING:

Advertisements and public announcements shall be accurate and clearly distinguishable from news items.

A JOURNALIST AND COURT CASES:

In reporting matters that involve or may involve litigation: (a) a journalist shall avoid practices which would tend to interfere with the right of an individual to a fair trial. (b) A matter that is pending court decision must not be commented on in a manner that would prejudice the outcome.

THE RIGHT TO KNOW:

While facilitating the public's right to know, a journalist shall observe the following limits:

• A journalist has an obligation to protect confidential sources of information.
• A journalist shall not identify victims of sexual assault or publish material likely to contribute to such identification unless, by law, he/she is at liberty to do so. Similarly, a journalist shall not, even where the law does not prohibit it; identify children under the age of 13 who are involved in cases concerning sexual offences, whether as victims, witnesses or defendants.
• A journalist shall avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to a person's race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, sex or sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability unless such reference is relevant to the story.
• A journalist shall generally not obtain or seek to obtain information or pictures through misrepresentation or subterfuge unless it can be justified that such materials cannot be obtained by any other means.
• A journalist shall generally avoid identifying relatives or friends of persons convicted or accused of crime, unless the reference to them is necessary for the full, fair and accurate reporting of the crime or legal proceedings.

RIGHT TO REPLY:

Individuals and institutions should be given the opportunity to reply to statements made about them in the media.

PRIVACY:

A journalist shall respect the individual's private life without intrusion or harassment.

TRANSPARENCY:

A journalist shall always strive for transparency.

REFUTALS:

Media houses may publish refutals as long as they are meant to clarify the issue at stake. The medium that published the story that is being refuted may run the refutal free of charge. Media houses have the liberty to comment on any refutal.