AJM and CMЕM demand extreme caution in reporting on personal tragedies or suicide attempts

The Association of Journalists (AJM) and the Council for Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMЕM) on the occasion of reporting of some media about the suicide attempts, call on journalists fully to respect ethical standards and norms and refrain from sensationalist information. We remind you of Article 7 of the Code of Journalists, according to which “the journalist will respect the privacy of the person, except when it is contrary to the public interest. The journalist is obliged to respect personal pain and grief.” At the same time, we remind on the obligation of the media contained in Article 8 of the Code, according to which “the manner of informing in cases of accidents must be free from sensationalism.” These articles of the Code clearly refer to the obligation of journalists to report on suicide cases or attempted cases only in the case of the wider public interest or, in the case of public figures, in order objectively to inform the public and avoid possible speculation. Even in those cases, journalists have a responsibility to report in balanced way, with reliable evidence confirmed by relevant sources and always respecting the personal pain and grief of loved ones.