To write with honour

Although I'm not a journalist I put these Guiding Principles for the Journalist on my blog to remind myself of what I must strive for as a writer.

I write for Reporter.co.za as a citizen reporter, that of course is not professional journalism per se, but I'll strive to maintain a level of professionalism in my reporting and writing.

Reporter.co.za affords me an opportunity to publish my work and therefore share it with others. The website has its own code of conduct and I shall uphold it together with the guiding principles for journalists.

One reason why I have decided to put political activism and affiliations behind me is to enable me to freely say that "I write what I like" (this is a title of book by Steve Biko). It is important to 'remain free of associations and activities that may compromise your intergrity or damage your credibility.'

I cannot, for example, write critically and point out the weaknesses of the government's Growth Employment and Redistribution (Gear) programme or Asgisa or any of the government or movement's policies without getting myself into the firing line by the movement itself. I will of course be hauled before a disciplinary hearing of the movement and suspended or expelled.

Another thing that I find difficult to agree to is that I must defend a policy position even if I find it morally repugnant or against my own principles. A case in point is abortion and gay marriages.
To ensure my credibility, I will not renew any membership I held with any political association and will resign from any political association that I'm affiliated to currently.

I hope the effort to quit active politics will be worthwile.


Guiding Principles for the Journalist

1. Seek Truth and Report it as Fully as Possible

• Inform yourself continuously so you in turn can inform, engage, and educate the public in a clear and compelling way on significant issues.
• Be honest, fair, and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting accurate information.
• Give voice to the voiceless.
• Hold the powerful accountable.
  

2. Act Independently

• Guard vigorously the essential stewardship role a free press plays in an open society.
• Seek out and disseminate competing perspectives without being unduly influenced by those who would use their power or position counter to the public interest.
• Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise your integrity or damage your credibility.
• Recognize that good ethical decisions require individual responsibility enriched by collaborative efforts.

3. Minimize Harm

• Be compassionate for those affected by your actions.
• Treat sources, subjects, and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect, not merely as means to your journalistic ends.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort, but balance those negatives by choosing alternatives that maximize your goal of truth telling.