(Adopted at the conference devoted to defining a "Legislative Base of Mass Media and Freedom of Speech in Kyrgyzstan," on September 22, 1999, in Bishkek.)
PREAMBLE
The journalist's duty is to serve the truth. The role of mass media is to look for the truth. The responsibility of State power is to provide guaranteed conditions for this activity. The most important feature of democratic society is the citizens' right to receive information about the basic facts and events of life. Based on these ideals, we claim the following principles as the foundation of our professional ethics:
To defend freedom of speech in any situation and protest against any attempt to introduce censorship or pervert and falsify information.
To provide accurate and impartial information and guarantee self-critical corrections and apologies in case of its unreliability.
To relay to readers, listeners and viewers comprehensive information, photographs and video recording if there is a public interest for the problems covered and, if social importance warrants it, confidential information, whose sources cannot be made public.
Not to allow falsification of the truth in favour of commercial advertising, clan, party, mercantile or career interests.
Not to allow publication of materials with elements of racial, sexual, religious, national, or political discrimination.
Not to use information obtained in the process of journalistic work for personal benefit.
To condemn plagiarism in all its forms and promote the protection of the author's rights in all spheres of creative activity.
To respect the honour and dignity of people who become the target of journalists' investigation and to strictly observe the principle of presumption of innocence.
To present a unity when defending the principles of freedom of speech and press, as well as the rights of mass media and journalists.
