Impartiality
Journalists collaborating with Meydan TV must respect freedom of speech and expression and the right of the public to receive reliable information. They should disseminate only confirmed, factual information, not hide or alter it for personal reasons. Working on a particular topic, they must make it clear that they have no personal interest in this.
When distributing any information, a journalist should not censor it (self-censorship is also unacceptable). Only information that contradicts democratic values and human rights is not subject to dissemination. For example, it is forbidden to disseminate information promoting terrorist organizations or weapons.
Any statements or allegations must be impartial and the journalist must be prepared to prove them in court. The conclusions drawn from any story must consist solely of facts.
Balance
The goal of a journalist should be a complete and comprehensive coverage of the events and phenomena described in the material produced – that is, all positive, negative and intermediate aspects of what is described should be mentioned. Reality is never one-sided, it is always multifaceted. When distributing any conflicting information, all parties involved should be given the opportunity to respond to statements made against them – even if one of the parties treats Meydan TV badly. The respondent also has the right to refuse to answer you, and this right must be respected.
Accuracy
You need to be confident in the accuracy and reliability of the information you disseminate – that is, be sure that you can confirm your information with facts in case someone refutes it (including in court). If you made any factual error in your material, you must correct it and report this correction on the page where the material was published. Readers appreciate transparency. Always try to record the interview on a recorder so that, in case of an emergency, you can prove that your respondent, in fact, said the words that you attribute to them. Commenting is an integral part of our work. The commentator tries to trace the connection between individual events and explain what lies behind this or that event or decision. But such comments are not the personal opinion of a journalist, but an attempt to explain the reasons for certain events.
In analyzing and commenting on events, a reporter risks misleading the audience . Not all commentators will be able to resist the temptation to talk about how things “should be”, but in general, they should analyze the “what” and “why” happened. One way to strike a balance is to rely on the essence of the topic under discussion.
It is necessary to separate the facts from their explanation. The reader or viewer must understand where facts end and commentary begins.
Truthfulness
Journalist must not hide or distort information available to them, or hide and alter sources in order to defend their own argument. If you are quoting someone else’s words, put them in quotation marks and indicate the source. Do not copy, as is, information taken from other information resources or sites. Plagiarism damages the reputation of Meydan TV and can also lead to your content not being taken seriously in the future and is not tolerated.
Honesty
When receiving information from someone, a journalist should not rely on their words only on the basis of a personal relationship. A journalist should not have any personal benefit from the dissemination of this or that information. It is forbidden to pay or otherwise “thank” respondents for an interview or information, as well as to receive monetary or other material payment from other persons for disseminating information or covering a topic!
Respect
Avoid any content (text, video, photo, cartoon) that degrades someone on the basis of gender, ethnicity, nationality or religion, sexual orientation, physical, mental or other characteristics of this kind. Furthermore, one should not focus on gender, age, race or nationality, or limited physical abilities of a person, unless this is directly related to the topic of the material.
- In messages with negative content, you cannot mention the names of persons under 18 years of age, as well as use their photos and videos with their participation. Photographs or videos of minors are only permitted if their faces are blurred or they are shown in a wide shot next to their guardians.
- It is unacceptable to photograph, film or record the voice of any person without their permission, unless it is of public importance. Privacy must be respected.
- Incitement of enmity and hatred is unacceptable.
- Journalists must not disclose sources that they promised save in secret, even if they are taken to court.
- It is forbidden to distribute photo and video frames containing scenes of violence or showing the faces of dead people!
AI
When using artificial intelligence for visuals, it must be noted that AI has been used to improve the quality of the photo. No photo tampering or distortion of reality is allowed when using AI.
Note: Meydan TV does not publish advertising or “native advertising” materials and does not cooperate with any public or private companies!