(Based on an original 1971 version, this codewas drafted by the Kinshasa section of the General Council of the Press Union of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, in July 1990).
DUTIES
A journalist worthy of the name :
Assumes entire responsibility for any textthat he/she publishes with his/her by-line or some personal pen-name;
Holds slander, unproven accusations,falsification of documents, distortion of facts and lying to be the most seriousprofessional faults;
Never plagiarises, quotes his colleagues whenhe/she reproduces some text of theirs, whether he/she uses the actual terms ofit or not;
Never applies for the job of a colleague, orcauses him/her to be fired by offering to assume his responsibilities at alower cost;
Keeps his source of information secret, evenbefore a court;
In matters of professional honour,acknowledges only the jurisdiction of his peers;
Keeps within his functions, which he does notconfuse with those of a police officer or secret agent, whatever thecircumstances;
Does not confuse his job with that of anadvertiser; nor takes instructions, direct or indirect, from an advertiser;
Respects individual privacy, public order andmoral standards;
Avoids influence peddling by not preten dingto some non-existent title or quality; and generally by not using unfair meansto obtain some, acquiring a document or trick the confidence of anyone.
Refuses to accept a fee in return for thepublication or the spiking of some piece of information;
Does not accept that information that he/she has obtained be publishedwith his/her by-line if it hasbeen adulterated;
Corrects any information published by him/herwhich has turned out to be inaccurate;
Respects truth whatever the consequencesmight be for him/herself becauseof the right the public has to know the truth;
Defends freedom of information, of commentaryand of criticism;
Resists any undue pressure and only acceptseditorial instructions from his/her superiors in the newsroom;
Shows solidarity for his colleagues introuble;
Abstains from any immoral act likely to stainthe reputation of the profession;
In his/her selection, processing anddistribution of information, he/she avoids any discrimination based on race, gender,language, tribe, region, religion, philosophy or political opinions.
RIGHTS
- A journalist is entitled to free access toall sources of information and has the right freely to investigate all thefacts that determine political life; the secrecy of public or private businesscan only exceptionally be used to stop him/her and then for clearly expressedmotives;
2. A journalist cannot be forced to do anyprofessional act, or to express an opinion that would be contrary to hisconvictions or his conscience;
3. The editorial staff must be informed, viaunion delegates, of all important decisions that might affect the life of thecompany.
It must at least be consulted before anyfinal decision is made on any measure that concerns the composition of the newsroom,i.e. the hiring, firing, mutation and promotion of journalists;
Because of his/her function andresponsibilities, a journalist is entitled not only to the benefit ofcollective agreements but also to a personal contract that insures his materialand moral security, as also to a salary that corresponds to the social role heassumes and is sufficient to guarantee his economic independence;
A journalist is entitled to continuouseducation at the expense of his employer, especially recycling and perfectingperiods in the country and abroad;
A journalist has the right to refuse anysubordination that would be contrary to the ethics of the Zairian journalistand would bring into play the “clause of conscience."
