Media outlets can file applications to take part in the first contest to confer the National Journalistic Ethics and Professional Deontology Award that is organized by the Press Council. Applications can be filed to the Press Council and through the agency of the online platform www.mediaforum.md by May 15.
Press Council head Ludmila Andronic has told IPN that in the period between May 15 and May 30 the Council will examine the applicants and will present the list of participants in the contest. Between June 1 and November 15, the competing media outlets will be monitored by the public, a group of experts and the Press Council. Their professional behavior will be appreciated based on the Journalist’s Deontological Code. In this period, the visitors of the website www.mediaforum.md will be able to give points to the media outlets.
“When examining the applications and when giving points, we will take into account the fact whether the media outlet signed the Deontological Code or not because signing such a code means assuming ethics commitments. There will also be examined the complaints submitted against the media outlets to see if these were justified and if the problems were solved. The score will thus change permanently. In the end, we will add up the number of points scored by each media outlet,” stated Ludmila Andronic.
On November 15-25, the Press Council will compile the list of media organizations with the highest ten scores. This will be the list of contest finalists. It will be presented to the group of experts. Each expert will give grades of 1 to 10 to the media outlets according to the own opinion and experience of consumer of mass media products. The points given by the groups of experts will be added to the points scored by public voting and the list of finalists with their score will be submitted to the Press Council. Each member of the Council will give grades of 1 to 10 to the finalists.
In a special closed-door meeting, the Press Council will validate the score and will take a decision concerning the conferring of the Award that will be handed over in the Journalists of the Year Gala, staged by the Independent Journalism Center and the Chisinau Press Club.
Ludmila Andronic noted that the key goals of the contest are to promote the ethical and professional deontology principles, to recognize the merits of the media outlets in this respect, to contribute to educating the young generation of journalists and to promote the image of the guild and journalism of a high quality.
The Press Council can withdraw the Award from the laureate/laureates of the previous years if it establishes that these constantly violate the deontological norms and the provisions of the Journalist’s Deontological Code.
