Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association

Mixed Reactions on Information Ministry’s Consultation on Draft Charter for Professional Journalism

Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra presents the draft of charter for professional journalism on July 24, 2024. (Ministry of Information’s Facebook)
Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra presents the draft of charter for professional journalism on July 24, 2024. (Ministry of Information’s Facebook)

The Ministry of Information held a consultation with some 200 media associations and journalists on the draft charter for professional journalism on Wednesday. While several associations backed the charter albeit with limited input, others requested for more time to review it. 

According to minister Neth Pheaktra, the draft was completed on Tuesday evening, with the participants receiving the draft on the day of consultation.

The media sector has changed “dramatically” from traditional media to modern media, where social media coverage has increased significantly in recent years, said Pheaktra. This growth led to a rise in negative issues, including the spread of fake news.

Information was also “incorrect, untrue and without clear sources, and embodied hidden intentions”, which could include extortion in exchange for not publishing or printing negative stories about people to gain benefit. 

In 2023, more than 3,000 “fake news” relating to stability, public order and other policies, which were “different from the truth”, were disseminated in Cambodia and confused the people. 

Because the ministry adheres to the principles of the press law, the information is not checked in advance. Therefore, when there is a problem, the media is responsible.

Pheaktra said currently, people are not obtaining secure information due to fake news. “In terms of social and professional responsibility, the press needs to ensure the integrity of the information for the people.”

He added that journalists who publish news quickly always face problems as two major points are missing – clear source of information and stakeholders’ explanation on the issue.

“The absence of clear sources and lack of comprehensive comments on the matter have jeopardized public trust, which has impacted the entire media sector,” he said. “People’s trust in the media will decline.” 

The minister said “interpretation of problems” are done by journalists or organizations as there was no compliance with professional ethics and no clear common principles in Cambodia. Therefore, these problems make everything unclear.

He mentioned that groups like Make Money Online or MMO, caused a lot of problems as they “do not think about ethics” but only about the number of “likes, comments and views” to get money from social media, which undermines trust in the media.

“This is why we need to think together and be responsible for our careers. Today, the media is not in order. There are a lot [of media outlets] but their quality is unknown.” 

“Hence, the facilitation of the drafting of the charter for professional journalism, which was an important part of the foundation of journalism ethics,” Pheaktra added. “It is in line with the evolution of society and technology.” 

The charter has various purposes. They include the harmonization of professional ethics in journalism and audiovisual, setting up common operating standards, which are the basic principles for professionals in journalism and audiovisual, organizing and ensuring the professional order of journalism, and promoting values ​​and positive influence as the fourth estate in Cambodian society.

Consultations should be inclusive

The process of drafting a charter for professional journalism began on April 19 to orient and collect input from journalists and media associations. In April and May, the inputs were clearly recorded to be added in the draft.

The input also included research on law and practice in the field of information, and from ethics experts, legal experts, and those with extensive experience in the field of journalism. Between June and mid-July, the draft was prepared, following which stakeholders in the sector were invited to review and discuss.

“The basis of the drafting of the charter for professional journalism is based on the input of journalists,” Pheaktra said, adding that the charter reflected important laws, such as the Cambodian Constitution, Press Law, Law on the Establishment of the Ministry of Information and Law on Consumer Protection.

After the workshop, the ministry will continue to collect input from stakeholders from July 24 to August 2.

On the consultation day, media associations were given the opportunity to provide suggestions. A few of them, for example the Club of Cambodian Journalists, offered recommendations while supporting the draft. Other organizations, such as UNESCO and Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA) asked for more time to review and provide input because they only just received the draft. 

A representative of UNESCO said it was the first time they joined the consultation on the draft, but could not offer immediate feedback. 

“We just got the draft this morning, so we would like to request more time to review it and submit a detailed input in writing by [our] experts,” the representative said. 

The UN body worked with relevant parties in the journalism field, including the ministry and media associations, to strengthen media development in Cambodia and build the capacity of media organizations and staff. 

Even though UNESCO could not provide immediate input, it presented several main principles and ethical standards for consideration and inclusion in the draft.

UNESCO mentioned that ethics was “very important” for journalists to understand their role and perform professionally. Observing ethical standards guides journalists to ensure accurate, balanced and transparent reporting and when gathering data.

Professional journalism ethics should support media independence, including editorial independence. It should not be used as a mechanism to interfere with press work during investigation and reporting, or in the decision-making of the content to be published. Therefore, the mechanism for the implementation of professional ethics should be an independent mechanism.

“In a global context, good practice involves diverse and independent institutions being responsible for the evaluation of complaints with regards to code of conduct violations,” UNESCO said. 

The process of developing professional journalism ethics should be carried out by journalists in a participatory and transparent manner, with in-depth consultation with various stakeholders in the field. The draft and guidelines should be made public.

It suggested the process of the draft charter be conducted the same way journalists’ consensus is obtained. “It will lead to effective implementation.” 

However, UNESCO said a number of key mechanisms and laws, including the independent complaint system, need to be in place before the charter for professional journalism could be issued. It was ready to provide technical assistance for the drafting of the charter in line with international standards. 

Representatives of media association and journalists attend the consultative workshop to discuss the draft of charter for professional journalism on July 24, 2024. (Ministry of Information’s Facebook)

An independent body of experts

Meanwhile, CamboJA executive director Nop Vy requested for more time to go through the contents of the draft and conduct extensive consultations with members and other journalists in order to provide input to the ministry. 

Vy commended the ministry for allowing civil society organizations and other stakeholders, such as journalists, to participate in the drafting of the charter, though he felt that that was not enough.

He hoped to see more discussions with provincial journalists to see if it supported their work, and that their input must be taken into account.

“In the process, we must ensure that the input provided by UNESCO and media organizations are considered. Whether or not their input is added, the entities should be informed,” he said. “If it can’t [be added to the charter], the reason must be stated. In this process, we should discuss so that everyone understands and provides input.” 

In the meantime, Vy said an independent body should be set up to monitor the professional standards of journalists and fine those who fail to observe standards to ensure that interference from the executive on the press is minimized as much as possible. 

The independent body overseeing the work of journalists should be experts and professors from universities who taught journalism, and which must ensure that the charter was implemented effectively.

“Another point related to the establishment of a press council, because when there is a charter, journalists may ask how this charter will be implemented,” Vy said.

He acknowledged that the number of journalists who contributed to social justice did not seem high, while some new journalists were “not so skilled”, but these should not be deemed criminal.

“In the past, the press law has not been applied much. When lawsuits are filed, the courts often use the penal code to punish journalists,” Vy said. 

While discussions on the professional charter were ongoing, other laws needed to be approved quickly as well, such as the access to information law. 

Vy said CamboJA adopted the International Charter of International Organizations, which contributed to the implementation of government strategies. For instance, the elimination of harassment of women journalists and the promotion of the participation of women in the media through the establishment of policies to eliminate violence against women journalists.

A representative of the Club of Cambodian Journalists said some codes of ethics already exist. They supported the points in the charter which were new and better than theirs. “I support this charter,” he said. 

However, he said the implementation of the charter should not be rushed as there needs to be more physical and virtual meetings.

“Now we strengthen the quality,” he said. “This charter should mobilize input from the relevant parties, such as the citizens, because they are part of our society.” 

He suggested that the ministry provide training to journalists on the charter before granting a license.

In addition, more attention should be paid to MMO because it “disturbed social order” and impacted the country’s political landscape through fake advertisements, he said.

He thanked UNESCO for its readiness to provide technical assistance in the drafting, adding that his club was ready to help.

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