The Press Council formulated a series of general recommendations on the dissemination of information about incurably ill people. The recommendations were made after a number of media outlets broadcast pictures of seriously ill public figures with the aim of attracting audience, IPN reports.

The mass media institutions are urged to show compassion and to respect the right to private life and dignity of the persons suffering from serious or incurable diseases. The journalistic materials about such persons must not be produced as sensations and should contain the opinion of specialists so as o help other people who are in the same situation.

“If the professional deontology is respected when producing such materials, these materials can have a positive impact and can encourage the people to see a doctor on a regular basis,” said the Press Council head Ludmila Andronic.

Members of the Press Council said that many of the incurably ill people experience depression and must be helped to fight the disease. Their situation cannot be exploited for commercial purposes. Most of the times, such materials are not of public interest and they violate the right to private life and dignity of the persons, including of public figures.

The Press Council recommended the editors and journalists to include elements of medical education in the materials concerning serious or incurable diseases, while the public should be informed about the prophylaxis of diseases and the need to see a doctor after the first symptoms.