Norms of Professional Ethics for Chinese Journalists

Source:http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_article/content/2019-12/15/content_8074681.htm

Chinese news endeavors are an important component of the endeavors of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics led by the Chinese Communist Party. Journalists are to adhere to the guidance by Marxist-Leninism, Mao Zedong though, Deng Xiaoping theory, the important thought of the "three represents", the scientific view of development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; are to strengthen the 'four awarenesses', persist in the 'four self-confidences', and achieve the 'two protections'; are to keep in mind the Party's duty and mission in efforts on news and public opinion, and carry on and advance the positive tradition of the Party's efforts on news and public opinion; are to persist in the correct political direction, public opinion orientation, news ideals, and work trends; continuously enhance the strength of footwork, vision, intellect, and writing; actively transmitting the Core Socialist Values, conscientiously obeying the nation's laws and regulations, scrupulously abiding by the professional ethics for news, and conscientiously undertaking social responsibility; to be a journalist that is politically resolute, leads the times, has polished work, positive work styles, and can be relied on by the Party and the people.

Article 1: Serve the people wholeheartedly. Be faithful to the Party, to the motherland, and to the People, unify embodying the Party's propositions and reflecting the people's voice; unify adherence to correct public opinion guidance and understanding public sentiment and the people's views; and unify putting positive propaganda at the front with correctly carrying out oversight of public opinion; to give play to the function of being a bridge and a bond between the Party, government and the people.

1. Persist in arming the mind with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly study, publicize, and implement the Party's path and directives, actively publicize major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, promptly transmit information from all domestic and foreign sectors, to satisfy the ever-increasing demand of the masses for news information, to guarantee the masses' right to know, right of participation, right of expression, and right of oversight.

2. Persist in a direction of work that is people-centered, making the masses the subjects of reporting and the party being served by it; further publicize advanced examples from the grassroots level, pulling out specific examples from among the people; further reflect the work and lives of ordinary persons; further use the people's everyday language; enrich the people's spiritual world, strengthen the people's spiritual strength, satisfy the people's spiritual demands; and make news reports that delight the people.

3. Maintain the people's feelings, actively reflect the correct views and voices of the masses, promptly respond to the masses' concerns and expectations, criticize phenomena and conduct that harm the people's interests, clear channels for the masses to express their views, lawfully preserve the legitimate rights and interests of the masses.

Article 2: Persist in correct guidance of public opinion. Persist in encouraging unity and stability, prioritizing positive publicity, and carrying forward the major themes; and continuously fortify and strengthen a positive, healthy, and improving mainstream thinking and public opinion.

1. With economic construction as the center, obey and serve the overall picture of the Party and State efforts, and implement the new concept of development, to inject strong positive energy into promoting the sustainable and healthy social and economic development.

2. Publicize scientific theory, transmit advanced culture, cultivate a good spirit, carry forward a positive social atmosphere, increase feelings of social responsibility, strictly follow ethical and moral lines, persist in rejecting vulgar, base, and crass content.

3．Strengthen and improve oversight of public opinion, focus on resolving problems, promote work, push out the bad and pull in the good, identify problems and urge their correction, require that critical reports have the facts correct and objective analysis; persist in oversight that is rational, correct, lawful, and constructive.

4．Interviews and reports on ongoing emergencies are to persist in the correct orientation, be timely and correct, and be open and transparent; fully and objectively report on the developing incident and its handling, promote the proper handling of the incident, and preserving social stability and peace of mind.

Article 3: Uphold the principle of truth in news reporting. Make truth the life of the news, strive to get the facts from the scene and at the front-lines, persist in thorough investigation and research so that reports are true, correct, complete, and objective.

1. Use lawful channels and methods to obtain news material, earnestly verify the sources of news information, and ensure that the elements and circumstances in the news are correct;

2. Describe facts based on the facts, don't exaggerate, downplay, or distort facts; don't manipulate interviewees, and it is prohibited to fake or create news; print and media reports should be in reporters' real names.

3. Understand the facts and orientation of other media's reports that are reprinted, and do not print or broadcast content that is contrary to the scientific spirit, ethics and morality, or common sense.

4. Bravely take responsibility for printing or transmitting untrue reports, promptly make corrections and apologies, and eliminate the negative impact;

5. Persist in having 'a single standard, ruler, and bottom line' both on and offline, with uniform orientation and management requirements.

Article 4: Carry forward positive styles. Establish a correct view of the world, life, and values, strengthen cultivation of character, increase overall caliber, reject negative practices, keep positive energy, and accept social oversight.

1. Strengthen awareness of studying, cultivate the habit of studying, continuously increase political caliber, increase the level of operations, master skill integration, and strive to become a pan-media expert journalist.

2. Persist in going to the grassroots, transforming styles, and changing tones; practice and master footwork, vision, brain power, and writing to respect the people as teachers, to learn from the people, to thoroughly understand social conditions and the will of the people, and to promote feelings for the masses;

3. Persist in opposing and rejecting all kinds of pay for play reporting, or payment to not report; do not exploit the profession to facilitate seeking of improper benefits, do not use news reports to vent or for personal spite, do not solicit or accept property or other benefits in any form from interviewees, subjects of reports, or stakeholders, and do not make requirements for interviewees and subjects of reports outside of work;

4. Striclty implement the "two separations" for news reporting and business activities; no advertisement-type publicity is to be done in the form of news reports, and editors and reporters must not engage in income generation or other business activities.

Article 5: Persist in improvement and innovation. Comply with the rules for news broadcasts and the development of new media; and innovate in ideas, content, media, methods, tactics, and business types; to embody modernity, understanding, and creativity.

1. Adapt to the trend of differentiated broadcasts to different groups, thoroughly research different target recipient's habits and requirements for receiving information; actively set up topics and be adept at using the situation to one's advantage, to continuously increase the force, guidance, influence, and credibility of broadcasts.

2. Strengthen thinking about the internet, conform to requirements for the development of all media, actively explore the special characteristics and properties of online information creation and transmission, deeply understand the trend of integrating development of traditional media and new media, to adeptly use new online technical applications to continuously increase positive publicity online and the level of guidance of public opinion online.

3. Maintain the degree of acuity and openness of thought; recognize new matters, understand new rules, and dare to breakthrough established mindsets and paths, earnestly research broadcast arts to employ methods that are understandable and easily embraced by the audience; increase the affinity, appeal, and communicability of news reports; writing more pieces that are thoughtful, warm, and quality.

Article 6: Comply with laws and discipline. Enhance the concept of the rule of law, obey the provisions of the Constitution, laws, and regulations; and obey the Party discipline on news work, to preserve the national interests and security, and protect state secrets.

1．Strictly obey and correctly publicize each item of the nation's political system and polices, truly preserving the nation's political security, cultural security, and social stability;

2．Preserve the lawful rights and interests of interviewees, respect the reasonable requests of interviewees, and do not reveal personal private information or defame others;

3．Safeguard the lawful rights and interests of women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, pay attention to protecting their physical and psychological health;

4．Preserve judicial dignity, reporting on cases in accordance with law, and not interfering with the lawful conduct of judicial trial activities; do not make reports or comments on the nature or verdict of a case before the judgment is made, and do not play up murder, violence, sex, and so forth;

5．Reports involving foreign interests should obey out nation's related laws and policies involving foreign interests, and international conventions that our nation participates in.

6．Respect and protect copyrights in news media pieces, opposing copying and plagiarism, and rejecting acts of improper reprinting such as seriously distorting articles' original meanings or taking statements out of context.

7. Strictly respect standards for news interviews, except where it is truly necessary for special photos or interviews, lawful and valid press credentials should be presented for interviews.

Article 7: Present a positive image to the world. Strive to cultivate a global vision and international perspective, do a good job of telling China's story, transmitting China's voice, and actively build a bridge for communication between China and the world, to show the true, 3-dimensional, and full China.

1．Protect the dignity of the motherland and national interests during international exchanges, and preserve the image of Chinese news workers;

2．Vividly elucidate the Chinese path, Chinese theory, Chinese system, and Chinese culture; emphasizing doing a good job of telling China's story, the CCP's story, the story of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the Story of the Chinese People, to let the world better know China through reading.

3．Actively transmit the exceptional culture of the Chinese people, advancing all the people of the world's understanding of Chinese culture.

4．Respect the sovereignty of all nations, ethnic traditions, religious belief, and cultural diversity; report on the economic and social development changes in each nation, and their exceptional ethnic cultures.

5．Strengthen communication and cooperation with the media of all nations and international (regional) news organizations, advancing understanding and deepening friendship, making further efforts to advancing the common destiny of mankind.

Members of the All-china Journalists Association should draft detailed implementation rules for these Norms in light of actual conditions and earnestly organize their implementation; the nation's news workers, including those engaged in transmitting news information through new media, should conscientiously implement these Norms; and all levels of the journalist association and all types of professional reporters' associations should actively publicize and promote these Norms; with oversight welcomed from all aspects of society.