Writing the code

You were recently hired as the Managing Editor for News and Current Affairs at a new radio station.

The Board of Directors has mandated you to draft a Code of Conduct/Ethics for news staff, programme producers and disc jockeys. The document should include guidelines for the following:

i) News gathering and reporting (include a guiding philosophy for the work of journalists in a democratic society). Be sure to include guidelines relating to: - children and the treatment of children in criminal cases; grief and trauma; victims of crime; privacy and listening devices; discrimination; conflict of interest; accuracy, fairness and the opportunity to reply; harassment; payment for publishing information and disciplinary action for breaches.

ii) The placement of certain types of advertisements; the relationship between the newsroom and the sales and marketing department and treatment of controversial topics.

iii) The placement of programmes for mature audiences and children as well as the treatment of programmes with violent content and adult language.

iv) Music playlist selections by announcers and disc jockeys.

Each section heading should be preceded by a brief but clear justification of the guidelines by outlining the legal and ethical considerations that informed them.

Total: 30mks