SKOPJE, 10.03.2020 – The Association of Journalists of Macedonia joins the call of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) for the media to report responsibly and avoid creating unjustified public panic when reporting for the Corona virus (COVID-19). Journalists and the media have a responsibility to respect the ethical rules in their work and not to contribute to spreading lies and panic in the public. They have a responsibility to give the floor to experts, qualified to comment on such sensitive issues.
In this period the media should avoid vocabulary that causes fear among the citizens and may create unjustified panic in public. In addition, journalists should also be especially sensitive with the privacy of affected people. For this purpose we appeal to the public authorities and medical institutions to provide timely and transparent information so that journalists and the public have access to all relevant information.
EFJ points out that journalists have an obligation to publish accurate data from official sources such as those from the World Health Organization and to comply with the Code of Ethics of Journalists.
AJM urges citizens to be aware from which media they get informed about these topics and to give preference to the media that are part of the Register of Professional Online Media.