EDITORIAL POLICY GUIDELINES & OBJECTIVES
General
The character and philosophy of Abbay Media Broadcasting PLC (Abbay TV) news and information outlets are shaped by the editorial guidelines and objectives outlined below. These have been discussed and adopted by the Management of Abbay TV, and comprise the broad rules governing all editorial content in our media platforms.
Divided into four parts, they deal with broad and specific issues of policy, professional, operational, and administrative guidelines as well as journalistic conduct in the sourcing and compilation of news, features, documentaries, entertainment programs as well as editorials and commentaries.
While placing obligations on the Paper and every member of the editorial staff, they require the unmitigated personal and philosophical commitment of all editorial executives and staff.
The management of the Abbay TV Editorial Committee is mandated to meet regularly to monitor progress in the achievement of these objectives and the policy guidelines as established and required by Abbay TV’s management.
PART I
(A) POLICY GUIDELINES
Abbay TV believes its news and information outlets (See Schedule “A” for a list of these outlets) have a vital role to play in the development of Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa and the countries of East Africa and elsewhere in Africa where the media house is and might be present
This belief is based on the acknowledged responsibilities and influential power of a free Press in modern society. Abbay TV recognizes that:
- Freedoms of Speech and of the Press are basic elements of any democracy or an emerging democracy. A free, independent Press is among the most important institutions in a democratic country.
- As a social institution, the Press discharges crucial duties by carrying information, debates, and analytical and critical comments on society. The Press is, therefore, particularly responsible for allowing different views to be expressed.
- The Press protects the Freedom of Speech and of the media and it should not yield to any pressure from anybody or any institution that might want to prevent the free flow of accurate factual information, free access to sources, and open debate on any matter of importance to society.
- It is the duty of the Press to broadcast and publish information that should be in the public domain, on what goes on in society and to uncover and disclose matters that ought to be subjected to public debate, analysis, scrutiny, or criticism in keeping with the universally acknowledged principle that the media’s primary responsibility is to the people.
- It is the duty of the Press to protect individuals against injustices or neglect committed by public authorities and institutions, private concerns, and others.
Core values
1. Abbay TV’s news and information and entertainment programs outlets must remain independent of vested interests or external influences. Abbay Media is publicly quoted, and its structure, ownership, and editorial policies are known to all. Its news and information outlets are committed to being comprehensive and accurate in content and their commentaries are fair and considered. Their constant objective is to ascertain and verify the truth of what they publish insofar as this can be established.
2. Veracity and accuracy in reporting are an integral part of editorial policy and editors will only broadcast and publish that which they believe to be true, fair, and accurate. Every effort will be made to ascertain the factual accuracy of stories through, for instance, cross-checking of facts and the mandatory use of Video and tape recorders or other recording devices.
3. All editorial content will be selected for its inherent news value and not to appease, augment or respond to political, commercial, or any other interests. In this respect, all advertisements and advertising-related material will be signposted as such. Editors and journalists must test the value of each story, report or program to be aired by interrogating the extent to which it satisfies the “so what?” element.
4. Abbay TV’s news and information outlets will differentiate clearly between views and opinions on the one hand and news and reportage on the other. The former, whether they are the opinions of external/guest commentators or analysts or of Abbay TV itself, will be clearly identified in designated columns or programs. In the case of contributors, documentary programs will carry a biographical line setting out their qualifications and, where appropriate, political stance and affiliation. In general, though, the trend must be towards a wise mix and balance of reporting, analysis, and interpretative journalism to help our audiences and readers better understand the issues that are part of their everyday lives.
5. The Abbay TV Group’s outlets stand for racial, ethnic, religious, and communal harmony and political/party tolerance as well as other forms of pluralism: They aim to help audiences of all races, faiths, and nations to see events in perspective, and to understand their interrelationships.
6. Abbay TV supports the principles of democracy as they are most widely understood, that is, good governance, transparency and accountability, regular, free, and fair elections as well as social equity. It also supports the role of responsible and credible Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the promotion of democracy and good governance. It supports and promotes the protection and promotion of human rights and civil liberties.
8. It supports and promotes public debate on matters of national importance with a view to bringing about behavioral and policy change for the common good.
9. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, Abbay TV supports and promotes the protection and conservation of the environment whilst promoting sustainable development. Abbay Media also supports the most economically vulnerable members of society through its various Social Responsibility Programs. In this regard, Abbay TV deliberately promotes and encourages environmental journalism, appropriate research, and the adoption of new technologies aimed at enhancing the quality of human life.
10. It will promote media freedom in the nations where it operates, balancing this value with a well-developed sense of responsibility.
11. It will promote the national efforts of the people of East Africa to develop and harmonize their institutions for the common good and will encourage regional integration where this is practicable and demonstrably to the advantage of the people of those countries involved. It should bring, where possible, first-hand and independent news coverage and views and not exclusively a repetition of articles published by others and agencies.
12. Its vision will not be confined to its immediate market within the Horn of Africa but will be driven by the objective of establishing itself as the media of Africa for Africa.
13. Abbay TV’s news outlets in their commentary programs will vigorously support the interests of the underprivileged and disadvantaged groups or persons and will work to combat injustice without fear or favor; they will seek to be sensitive to gender issues, the interests of the rural populations and of all forms of minority.
Role of editors
Editors shall not shy away from objective and generally constructive criticism of any group or person, action or policy where such criticism is considered in conscience to be well founded, based on a full and accurate assessment of the factual realities, and offered in the interests of the public at large.
Social obligations
- Abbay TV supports a free enterprise, market-driven approach to economic development, but its editors will encourage discussion and debate on alternative ideas. Its news and information outlets aim to appeal to wide audiences within the context of their editorial and marketing parameters and no one sector, community, profession or editorial objective will dominate the media platforms. In this regard, any planned editorial campaigns or crusades on any issue will be referred to Abbay Media Broadcasting or respective Board editorial committee(s) for prior discussion.
2. Public awareness is an essential ingredient for national mobilization. In that regard, Abbay TV will support society’s efforts to deal with national disasters such as flooding, drought, famine, outbreak of epidemics like the HIV/Aids epidemic, and other forms of humanitarian crises.
Professional obligations
Abbay TV’s news and information outlets will be authoritative without being didactic; they will be intelligent and broad in their coverage. They will encourage the intelligent expression of African thought and perspectives by way of regular contributions from outsiders able to offer unique professional expertise and reasoned diverse opinions on topical issues about the continent. They will avoid generalizations where the specific is more accurately appropriate. Through their coverage and style, they will maintain a national and international flavor.
A constant search is required for higher literary, fluency, and grammatical standards among editorial staff, pre-eminently in the pursuit of legibility, comprehension, accuracy, and balance. Specific consideration is given in this area to the question of phrasing of headlines and captions. Constant care will be taken to ensure that headlines accurately reflect the theme and tone of the article they are based on.
Format and Designs
The typographical layout of Abbay TV’s news platforms, including the online editions, must of necessity change from time to time, but the fundamental principle, which applies to broadcast, online print, and to online presentations, is to present editorial content in an attractive but disciplined, sober, consistent and non-sensationalist format.
Staff Development
Abbay TV is committed to training and developing its editorial staff to internationally recognized best practice standards. Staff recruitment is, therefore, rigorous, the policy is to seek qualified journalists or trainees of proven quality with good educational and professional attainments, who will undergo structured training programs, including, whenever possible, exposure overseas.
Every effort will be made to maintain geographical, ethnic, and gender balance among those employed in whatever capacity in Abbay TV.
PART 11
(A) EDITORIAL OBJECTIVES
This section deals with specific objectives, which place obligations on each member of the editorial staff. They should be treated as mandatory expectations in the individual’s day-to-day editorial work. Their application will be reviewed regularly with the Editorial Manager.
1. It is the company’s objective to make – Abbay TV’s outlets comparable in authority, balance, credibility, and presentation with leading media platforms in other parts of the world. In this regard, it will provide the expertise necessary for a general and marked uplift in professional skills and standards. To pursue this objective, its training editors will assist staff in improving their professional performance. Staff are required to consult their training editor in any area of doubt. They are equally required to take seriously any weakness identified by the training editor in their day-to-day work and make every effort to rectify such weaknesses. Abbay TV will seek reciprocal arrangements with other media houses to facilitate limited exchange visits between the journalists of both groups for purposes of improving our and their staff’s professional skills, standards, and areas of specialized knowledge.
2. Our media platforms will avoid such “non-news” content as empty statements of a general nature, occasions, or releases where publicity for individuals, groups, or organizations is the sole dominant objective.
3. Our news outlets must reflect a bias against routine assignments and political or charitable functions that are known to have little or no news value. The outlets will be dominated by evidence of enterprising news management.
4. News stories and programs which come from sources outside Abbay TV will not be accepted at their face value. Background information, names, ages, titles, and contrary points of view (if appropriate) will be thoroughly ascertained before a story is submitted for publication. Where further depth is required – either explanation or history – this will always be provided so that news coverage is never untruthful, willfully misleading, superficial, unbalanced, or incomplete. In this regard, the library and the Internet facilities will be used extensively and intelligently.
5. Specialized language and expressions (e.g. such as in medicine, economics, religion, and court cases) must be accurately and carefully interpreted into understandable media working language.
6. Normally, lists of names at official functions should be eliminated from the text of stories.
7. Stories must concentrate on events themselves, not on the names of officials associated with them. A magistrate’s name and title, for example, should not be published unless his/her actions, remarks, or other involvement are pertinent to the case or the story.
8. Pedantic facts, whose broadcast is unnecessary, for example, car registration numbers in court and theft stories, lists of minor personal effects, funeral arrangements, etc, should be avoided.
9. Indisputable and straightforward facts should not be attributed to spokespersons. The indirect speech will not be attributed, sentence-by-sentence, to the speaker. One attribution should cover several sections and parts, provided the correct words are used.
10. Outdated clichés will not be used. Examples: hike, for rise or increase; hail for praise; nab for arrest; probe (in text) for investigation or inquiry into, jetting in for flying in. Equally, words such as lash, fire, bash, roast, and rap for criticize will not be used in the text except in direct speech, and not at all in headlines. Likewise, standard language will be used.
11. Except for regional or provincial editions coverage must avoid the strictly parochial and concentrate on news of national interest. Selection of news will be done with this goal in mind and correspondents will be conscious that their contributions should interest audiences all over the particular country or region. Similarly, non-news events like street and bar brawls, except where they result in large-scale violence or involve newsworthy individuals will be avoided.
12 Abbay TV’s editorials will base their conclusions on demonstrable and comprehensive research. They will be balanced, constructive, and informative and will represent the authoritative voice of Abbay TV and not only that of the writers. Like all other editorial content, leaders will justify the space they occupy in cogent, repetitive, and reasoned arguments. Editorials will be regarded as the flagship of the various media platforms and planned with appropriate care. Except in rare circumstances, they will comment on the most significant events of the day. Like news stories, they should contain facts not generally known. They will not be spiteful, prejudiced, propagandist, or extremist; they will avoid the bizarre and offensive and will always maintain standards of decency and good taste. Wording should be temperate and non-inflammatory. Where an editorial is based on an issue in any of the African countries, efforts must be made to verify the facts with the appropriate officials in the respective countries and not unnecessarily or gratuitously contribute to inter-country tensions.
13. Features, except those clearly identified as those of contributors whose views have been solicited by the newspapers on the basis of their specialist value, will be informative, solidly researched, balanced, simply written, and will present facts. “Essay-type” features are forbidden. Features writers and other writers will avoid the assumption that they are participants rather than observers.
14. Feature “fillers” are forbidden. These are categorized as irrelevant space takers, used in the absence of worthwhile material and generally provided by external services. All features must earn the space they occupy. Acceptable articles in that category will include topical world backgrounders, human-interest features of special appeal to the readership, and those with particular relevance to the Horn of Africa.
15. Special attention must be paid to the activities of the Ethiopian Community and the institutions related to it to enable citizens of the Horn of Africa to understand their place in and contribute to the wider community of nations.
16. In its coverage of the African continent, Abbay TV’s outlets will originate original African content positioning Abbay TV as the Horn of Africa for Africa and thereby counterbalancing editors’ potential excessive reliance on international news agencies for news about the continent. As a starting point, editors are required to use Abbay TV journalists or commissioned reporters to report on Africa, where possible, in order to benefit from the investment in training and the understanding of, for instance, Abbay TV’s Editorial Policy and culture. In particular, every effort must be made to ensure full utilization of Abbay TV editorial resources in the coverage of events happening within Ethiopia and Horn of Africa with appropriate focus being placed on the interpretation and detailed discussions and analysis of those events.
17. Unsolicited features submitted for airing by commercial and other vested interests and pressure groups will, generally, not be accepted. If, exceptionally, any such feature is judged to have particular news value and be worthy of airing, it will be edited to correspond with the style of the particular publication or other outlet and its source will be clearly identified.
18. Women’s coverage should not be confined to cosmetic and domestic issues but must concentrate on the many important women’s issues in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa today. The contents in the women’s programs, where these exist, must be properly discussed and planned at editorial conferences and should be relevant, topical, and professionally presented.
19. Coverage of news related to the youth should go beyond the apparent preoccupation with simple consumerism and all forms of instant gratification and should aim at focusing on the youth programs that add value to the general development of societies and expressing the views, raising questions and focusing on preoccupations of the region’s youth.
20. Editors must make every effort to eschew material that is vulgar or tasteless. Such content as irresponsible celebrity gossip, salacious airing or stories has no place in any of our platforms and only takes up valuable space that could be better dedicated to more edifying issues.
21. Pictures/graphics, including cartoons that make our media platforms lifeless and dull will be automatically rejected unless they are of major significance. Pictures/graphics will be lively and well-composed and earn their place on our platforms.
22. Public relations material, both written and pictorial, must be used judiciously. This should not, however, prevent the use of stills in picture reviews, company results, and other Press releases where such material concerns topics of genuine public interest. All stories based on PR material so used will, however, be re-written in the news style of Abbay TV, any self-indulgence removed and its inclusions judged solely on its news value. Special care will be taken, however, not to alter or misrepresent the essential factual content of the PR communication.
23. Foreign or international stories will not always be confined to their designated sections, but will, depending on their newsworthiness, be considered as lead stories for the day, taking cognizance of the fact that the public needs to be informed of significant events outside its own national borders. However, editors will take particular care to edit such stories for style, tone, and taste, bearing in mind the African context of their primary audience.
24. Sports coverage must reflect both popular and minority interests. The sports sections will carry, regularly and without fail, the results and, where appropriate, commentaries on all international and national sports events where there is a reasonably significant following in the Horn of Africa and the African region.
25. The standard of sports airing and presentation will not deviate from those required elsewhere in the Group’s platforms.
26. Commentators (on staff or outside) should always be identified not just by name, but also by affiliation.
27. Abbay TV will practice issue-based as opposed to excessive or continuous personality-based journalism that tends to create an impression that the issues are driven by personal agenda and vendetta and in the process eschews journalism that is based on attributable and unsubstantiated rumor and gossip in relation to public figures.
28. While recognizing the fact that as individuals, journalists would ordinarily have their own political views and/or political party affiliations or religious affiliations, journalists working for the Group are expected to subordinate their individual political or religious views and to remain apolitical and neutral on religious matters in the course of discharging their official duties so as not to allow their political or religious affiliations or views to influence their editorial judgment.
29. As part of the effort aimed at encouraging enterprising news management, the Group will, through Abbay TV Editorial Board Committee, organize periodic Editorial Agenda Setting Sessions to discuss and debate editorial management and direction with the respective editorial staff.
30. Board’s Oversight Responsibility on Editorial Matters: Abbay TV’s Editorial Board Committee will, on behalf of the Board, bear the principal oversight responsibility for the Group’s operations which concern the editorial content of Abbay TV’s broadcast activities and as such, the Committee will serve as a leading guardian and custodian of the Editorial Policy Guidelines and Objectives.
31. Periodic Reviews of the Editorial Policy Guidelines and Objectives: The Editorial Policy Guidelines and Objectives will, under the Board’s guidance, be subjected to periodic reviews from to time.
Journalists should regularly refer to these guidelines to assist them in structuring their writing, production, and presentation to the required standard. The performance will be judged on their ability to interpret and implement these guidelines.
(B) OPERATIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE OBJECTIVES
- Abbay TV management will ensure that all journalists employed are able to write and speak Amharic and English clearly, and concisely Amharic and English are fully up to date with the modern usage of the language. Journalists must have reasonable numeric competence.
2. With the basic objective of encouraging a culture of meritocracy, recruitment will be based on aptitude tests and oral interviews, and as much as possible reflect the social, gender, religious, and other demographic diversities of the respective countries in which Abbay Media operates.
3. Editorial conferences will be routinely held to review the planned content for Broadcast and online. The conferences will be held at appropriate times in the mornings and afternoons and will involve assigning editors, chief subs, and managing editors.
4. The morning conference will be both a post-mortem session concerning the previous day’s efforts, and a comparison with the competing publications as part of efforts to monitor and improve on quality, as well as a comprehensive review of the pending news docket.
5. The afternoon conference will review the coverage at hand and possible later developments, selecting possible lead stories for each medium, and identifying content from Abbay TV’s African correspondents, for syndication and for common usage across the regional platforms.
6. News collection and management are the powerhouses of Television. Its organization must be lively, flexible, enterprising, and well-informed. All reporters will be deployed on arrival not only to regular diary assignments (e.g. police, courts, and hospital calls), but also to running and developing stories – sequels to earlier headlined events, building new features, and inquiring into leads and tips.
7. The news editor(s) will analyze the subject content of the particular news or investigative documentaries and the competition, and record all forthcoming events and developments in the diary, specifically including all follow-up possibilities.
8. The news editors’ diary will be dominated by evidence of enterprising news management and NOT routine assignments and political or charitable functions that are known to have little or no news value.
9. As news coverage is a round-the-clock affair, the news desk will have effective coverage up to midnight throughout the week. Late news will appear in the following day’s paper, not the day after. Reporters and sub-editors will be assigned to night duty and the publications and broadcasts will be sufficiently flexible to accommodate any late newsbreaks.
12. Whether or not they are at the office or on assignment, all journalists are obliged to be on the alert for news events or background information of interest to our news outlets, particularly in their specialized fields.
13. The Internet editions will have full interactivity of stories and offer Abbay TV’s website visitors enhanced utility by enabling easy online broadcasting and printing, e-mailing, feedback, and customization.
14. Stories acquired from the online print editions for publication on the website will be repurposed and edited to augment their international significance and particular interest to Africa.
PART III
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES: CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS FOR ABBAY TV’S JOURNALISTS
The following code is intended as a guide for everyone working for Abbay TV and is based on the premise that all journalists have a duty to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards. It is founded on the individual’s fundamental right to be informed and to freely receive and disseminate information.
Accuracy and fairness
- The fundamental objective of a journalist is to report fairly, accurately, and without bias on matters of public interest. All sides of a story should be reported. It is important to obtain comments from anyone mentioned in an unfavorable context.
2. Whenever it is recognized that an inaccurate, misleading, or distorted report has been published, it should be corrected promptly. Corrections should report the correct information and not restate the error except when clarity demands. Ideally, corrections should be made in a regular format and similar position as promptly as possible after the error has been detected.
3. Corrections do not normally require an apology and apologies should normally be made on the basis of legal advice.
Opportunity to reply
A fair opportunity to reply to inaccuracies should be given to individuals or organizations when reasonably called for. If the request to correct inaccuracies in a story is in the form of a letter, the editor has the discretion to broadcast it in full or its abridged and edited version, particularly when it is too long. However, the editor should not omit or refuse to broadcast important portions of the reply/rejoinder, which effectively deal with the accuracy of the offending story. If the editor doubts the truth or factual accuracy of the reply/ rejoinder, even then, it is his/her duty to air it with the liberty to append an editorial comment doubting its veracity. Note that this should be done only when this doubt is reasonably founded on impeccable evidence in the editor’s possession. The editor should not, in a cavalier fashion, without due application of mind, append such a note as: “We stand by our story.”
Letters to the Editor
In the case of online print media, an editor who decides to open his columns on a controversial subject is not obliged to publish all the letters received in regard to that subject. He/she may select and publish only some of them either in their entirety or the gist thereof. However, in exercising this right, he/she must make an honest attempt to ensure that what is published is not one-sided but presents a fair balance between the pros and cons of the principal issue. The editor has the discretion to decide at which point to end the debate in the event of a rejoinder upon rejoinder being sent by two or more parties to a controversial subject. It is Abbay TV’s aim not to suppress the publication of letters to the editor merely on account of the editors’ disagreement with the underlying messages or arguments.
Unnamed sources
Unnamed sources should not be used unless the pursuit of truth will best be served by not naming the source or in the event the source requests his/her anonymity to be respected. When the material is used in a report from sources other than the reporter’s, these sources should be indicated in the story. If unnamed sources are quoted, the article should indicate the reason why the source did not want to be disclosed.
Confidentiality
In circumstances where complete confidentiality is assumed as a condition of obtaining the story, that situation needs to be respected and considered according to the existing legal framework. In general, journalists have a moral obligation to protect confidential sources of information.
Misrepresentation
1. Journalists should generally identify themselves and not obtain or seek to obtain information or pictures through misrepresentation or subterfuge.
2. Unless in the public interest, videos, documents, and photographs should be used only with the express consent of the owner.
3. Subterfuge can be justified only in the public interest and only when the material cannot be obtained by any other means. The public interest includes: Detecting or exposing crime or serious misdemeanor or anti-social conduct; protecting public health or safety; preventing the public from being misled by some statement or action of an individual.
Obscenity, taste, and tone in reporting
The media should not broadcast anything that is obscene, vulgar, or offensive to public good taste. A story, video, photograph, or /cartoon of questionable taste should have significant news value to justify its usage.
Generally, what is in good taste is to be determined by the prevailing social norms. But the following basic tests should be applied.
1. Is the depiction of a particular scene and the language used likely to be regarded as filthy, revolting, repugnant, dirty, or lewd?
2. With regards to pictures, the following should offer guidelines:
(a) Is it vulgar and indecent?
(b) Is it mere pornography’?
(c) Is its airing meant merely to make money by titillating the sexual feelings of adolescents and adults among whom it is intended to circulate? In other words, does it constitute an “unwholesome exploitation” of sex for the sake of money?
(d) Is it invasive of anyone’s privacy? If this is the case, a further question should then be asked as to whether the use of any such photo is nonetheless justified by a clear and indisputable public interest in doing so.
3. In the same vein, the airing of photographs showing dead or mutilated bodies, bloody incidents, and abhorrent scenes should be avoided unless the publication of such photographs will serve the larger public interest.
Paying for news and documentaries
When money is paid for information, serious questions can be raised about the credibility of that information and the motives of the buyer and seller. Therefore, in principle, journalists should avoid paying for information.
Plagiarism
Using someone else’s work without attribution – whether deliberately or thoughtlessly – is a serious ethical breach. However, borrowing ideas from elsewhere is considered fair journalistic practice so long as the source is acknowledged.
Words directly quoted from sources other than the news writer’s own reporting should be attributed. In general, when other work is used as the source of ideas or stylistic inspiration, the final result must be clearly different and distinguishable from the original work of the reporter.
Discrimination
In general, the media should avoid prejudicial or pejorative references to a person’s race, tribe, clan, religion, sex, or sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness, handicap, or political orientation. These details should be eschewed unless they are germane to the story. Everyone should be accorded equal treatment as news subjects or sources and journalists should not deliberately deny the right of any group to exposure in the media. Generally, a reference to one’s nationality.
Recording interviews and telephone conversations
Except in rare and justifiable cases, journalists should not tape anyone in the course of an interview without that person’s knowledge and agreement. An exception may be made only if the recording is necessary to protect the journalist in a legal action or for some other compelling reason such as coverage of public meetings and if other approaches don’t work. On the other hand, the use of recorders for interviews, speeches, or press conferences with the knowledge of the subject is encouraged to protect against error and to protect against possible charges of misquotation.
Privacy
The public’s right to know often needs to be weighed vis-à-vis the privacy rights of people in the news. Intrusion and inquiries into an individual’s private life without the person’s consent are not generally acceptable unless public interest is indisputably involved. Public interest must itself be legitimate and not merely based upon prurient or morbid curiosity. Things concerning a person’s home, family, religion, tribe, health, sexuality or sexual orientation, personal life, and private affairs are covered by the concept of privacy except where these impinge or can reasonably be presumed to impinge upon the public well-being.
Intrusion into grief or shock
In cases involving personal grief or shock, inquiries should be carried out and approaches made with sympathy, empathy, and discretion.
Financial journalism
Even where the law does not prohibit it, journalists should not use for their own profit the financial information they receive in advance of its general publication nor should they pass that information to others.
Utmost care should be exercised by journalists in giving any interpretation of financial information.
Conflict of interest and unfair advantage
Abbay TV practices a policy of zero-tolerance for corrupt practices. In this regard, its journalists and editors must be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know the truth. Gifts, bribes, brown envelopes, favors, free travel, free meals or drinks, special treatment, or privileges can compromise the integrity of journalists, editors, and their employers. Journalists, editors, and their employers should conduct themselves in a manner that protects them from conflicts of interest, real or apparent. It is important not only to avoid conflicts of interest but also the appearance of such conflicts. In this connection, all situations capable of creating undue familiarity will be avoided or handled cautiously.
In addition, journalists and editors must not allow their political or religious affiliations; views or morals, and ethics to influence their editorial judgment.
Innocent relatives and friends
The media should generally avoid identifying relatives or friends of persons convicted or accused of a crime, or otherwise unfavorably featured in news stories unless the reference to them is necessary for the full, fair, and accurate reporting of the crime, legal or other proceedings.
Acts of violence
Abbay TV should avoid presenting acts of violence, armed robberies, banditry, and terrorist activities in a manner that glorifies such anti-social conduct. Also, the broadcaster should not allow their channel to be used for writings that have a tendency to encourage or glorify social evils, warlike activities, or ethnic, racial, or religious hostilities.
Ethnic disputes/clashes/conflict interstate conflicts
News, views, or comments relating to ethnic or religious disputes/clashes/interstate conflicts should be aired after proper verification of facts and presented with due caution, balance, and restraint in a manner that is conducive to the creation of an atmosphere congenial to national harmony, reconciliation, amity, and peace. Sensational, provocative, and alarming headlines are to be avoided. News reports or commentaries should not be written or broadcast in a manner likely to inflame the passions, aggravate the tension or accentuate the strained relations between the parties concerned. Equally so, content with the potential to exacerbate communal animosity or national conflict should be avoided.
Headlines are not to be sensationally provocative and must justify the matter printed below them
In general, provocative and sensational headlines should be avoided; headings must reflect and justify the matter broadcasted under them; headings containing allegations made in statements should either identify the body or the source making it within the same headline or at least carry quotation marks.
Judicial acts
The media/journalists should, as a matter of caution, avoid unfair and unwarranted criticism which by innuendo attributes an oblique or extraneous motive to a judge or any judicial officer for performing an act in the course of his/her official duties even if such criticism does not in law amount to contempt of court.
Editor’s responsibility
The editor shall assume responsibility for all matters, including advertisements aired.
Comment, conjecture, and fact
Journalists should distinguish clearly in their reports between comments, conjecture, and facts. More importantly, they should report in such a manner that the listener is able to distinguish between comments, conjecture, and facts.
Protection of Children
Children should not be identified in cases concerning sexual offenses, whether as victims, witnesses, or defendants. Except in matters of public interest, like in cases of child abuse or abandonment, journalists should not normally interview or photograph children on subjects involving their personal welfare in the absence of or without the consent of a parent or other adult who is responsible for the children. Children should not be approached or photographed while at school without the permission of the school authorities.
Victims of sex crimes
Abbay TV should not identify victims of sexual assault or air material likely to contribute to such identification. Such exposure does not serve any legitimate journalistic or public interest and may bring social opprobrium to the victims and social embarrassment to their relations, family, friends, community, or religious order to which they belong. Editors have a moral obligation to ensure they leave no margin whatsoever that could lead to the identification of such victims.
Use of Videos, pictures, and names
As a general rule, the media should apply caution in the use of videos pictures, and names and avoid airing or distribution where there is a possibility of harming the person(s) concerned unless there is a substantial public interest served by such use. There should be no identification of a person or persons in a video or photograph unless their identity is absolutely certain.
Pre-publication verification of reports
Whenever editors receive a report, photograph, radio or television program, or video containing defamatory or derogatory imputations or comments touching on the public conduct or character of an individual or organization, they should, before using the information, check, with due care and attention, its factual accuracy with the person or organization concerned to elicit comments or reaction and publish the same.
If responsibility is disclaimed, this determination shall be explicitly stated beforehand.
Advertisements
The media will not allow any advertisement or commercial that is contrary to these ethical principles.
ABBAY TV – MANAGEMENT OF CONTENT AND ELECTION COVERAGE
Introduction
General Elections and political activities in Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa, and Africa as a whole provide a crucial opportunity for us to reaffirm our position as a dependable, credible, independent, and responsible media organization that is anchored in the highest standards of professional journalism. It should be a hallmark of Abbay TV’s editorial content that it comes from an independent perspective with no agenda either favoring or opposing individuals, political parties, interest groups,s or governments. Our time-tested and documented editorial policy guidelines and objectives, sanctioned by the board and approved by the Chief Executive Officer shall be our guiding principles.
In particular, our news coverage and general management of political content shall seek to underscore our position as independent media that contributes to promoting and entrenching democratic culture through informed debate, intelligent and rigorous analysis as well as a prudent review of predictable consequences of actions and policies.
In covering political campaigns and the election itself, our role shall remain one of thought stimulation, explaining, and informing in order to help voters make intelligent decisions on the basis of knowledge, and signal to the political leaders that the public is vigilant and will not be swayed by untruths and spin. To achieve this, our coverage will go beyond reporting what newsmakers, including politicians, say to analyzing the underlying issues and examining the truthfulness of the platforms of the various contenders.
Our commentators and analysts programs and other sections for political commentary shall remain open to all as a platform for debate; great care is being taken to capture Amharic or English in need to the Horn of Africa and Africa’s rich diversity of political thought and opinion.
In all this, we shall adhere to the highest standards of accuracy, fairness, impartiality, and balance in reporting. Equitable coverage of all serious political actors will be ensured through the strict application of a comprehensive set of election coverage guidelines.
Abbay TV shall neither endorse nor support any candidate or party, or be seen to be favoring a particular set of policies unless it is on something that the group has a pre-existing position – e.g. press freedom, but it will facilitate meaningful debate on policies promulgated by the various political players.
For the avoidance of doubt, these guidelines extend to our online editions and apply not just to the stories that we choose to air and broadcast, but also to the online discussion forums of content.
· Taste and fairness.
· Truthfulness.
· Potential to inflame public opinion.
· Risk of defamation.
· Potentially offensive illustrations/images
NOTE: No political advertisement will be published or aired on the day of the election.