Self-Regulation

Following a comprehensive participatory assessment, a team of international and local experts worked together to develop a Code of Practice which was proposed to and discussed with representatives of the whole Bulgarian media community. The Code covers the way journalistic material needs to be gathered and reported, and reflects the highest European standards of professional ethics. The development of the Code was a consultative and cooperative process: the draft version was presented to focus groups, and comments were invited. The Code found wide-spread approval and around 50 Bulgarian media outlets signed up to it at an official signing ceremony on 25 November 2004. The ceremony was attended by Bulgaria’s President, Prime Minister and Chair of Parliament. In the meantime, some 30 additional media outlets have also signed. A programme of training and consultancy initiatives will subsequently be implemented with a view to securing additional support from a broad cross-section of the media community. Click here to download the text of the Code in English.

The team responsible for developing the Code of Practice has also devised a framework for a Complaints Commission/Council for Journalistic Ethics – a swift and simple mechanism for members of the public to file complaints against the media, for instance in case they feel that the Code of Practice has been violated. Complaints Commissions exist in many European countries and have shown to improve journalistic standards, increase the credibility of participating media outlets, and prevent libel charges and statutory legislation. The proposed statutes for the Complaints Commission/Council for Journalistic Ethics are now being discussed amongst the main stakeholders and the registration of the Council is envisaged for early July 2005. As a Complaint Commission could potentially set the benchmark for professional and ethical standards in Bulgaria, the wording of its statutes will come under intense scrutiny from all sectors of the media community. The Consortium is working on getting approval of its request to reallocate sufficient funds to support the start-up costs for the Council.