UDC

070.4

Authors

Teplyashina Alla Nikolaevna
School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Saint Petersburg State University (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Abstract

Ethics is inseparable from the professional culture of a modern journalist, who is required to have certain skills and know the rules and principles to choose his/her behaviour strategy. Applying the rules of professional ethics is becoming difficult because of the new information and communication technologies. Indeed, this sphere has seen an impressive breakthrough. At the same time, many intellectuals have expressed concern about the moral threats to human existence, which are a consequence of this scientific and technological development. While ethics is commonly understood as the rules of moral conduct of a person, social or professional group, information ethics deals with the norms governing human conduct in relation to information. Tradition can no longer help address critical professional situations; the new reality requires using professional ethics as a set of moral principles, i.e. a code of ethics in line with the current challenges. In 1755, Mikhail Lomonosov defined 7 responsibilities of a journalist, but his “Dissertation ...” cannot be called a code of ethics as the scientist spoke on behalf of the society, reminding the publicists of their duty, while the code of ethics is formulated within a professional community. Journalistic codes in different countries have much in common and include the following ethical standards: free access to information sources; restraining from the material contradicting his/her employer’s policy; restraining from the сreation of material or performance of other professional act against his/her conscience; professional secrecy; freedom of conscience; collective and personal employment contracts ensuring the material and moral aspects of their work; protection of journalists and creation of the necessary conditions for them to perform their functions according to the professional rules in case of an international armed conflict or domestic unrest; respect for human dignity and privacy; commitment to public interests; restraining from dishonest ways of obtaining information (such as concealing their being journalists).

Keywords

professional culture, ethical values, information and communication technology, information ethics, code of ethics, self-regulation of mass media, media community

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