Ethical standards help lend balance

As the media sector grows, reflecting the rapid growth in the UAE, setting ethical guidelines has become increasingly necessary. With new players coming in regularly, the guidelines are intended to protect the privacy of individuals and the interests of society including the need to maintain the harmonious coexistence of the many cultures represented in the UAE.

Gulf News was a pioneer in this. Its self-imposed Code of Ethics, posted on gulfnews.com, is meant to enhance credible and accurate reporting while striving to uphold the freedom of the press.

The code, adopted by the organisation more than two years ago, was the basis of another code of ethics signed by editors of the country's newspapers a year later. And it continues to serve as reference to media professionals in this country.

Today, the Journalists Association holds a conference on how to preserve the ethics of reporting in an increasingly complicated world. It is a good move that should be commended as long as it doesn't set unnecessary restrictions on reporters' ability to investigate and tell stories. Journalists must continue to have the right to report the truth. But they should do that ethically without infringing on the constitutionally enshrined rights of individuals and society.