Marcelo Rech, WEF President, and Editorial Vice President of Grupo RBS, Brazil, said: “Given the current reality where false and distorted information is easily shared, we need to distinguish professional journalism and secure greater public recognition of its relevance. At this next level, the search for truth, a concept that lies at the genesis of journalism, is now more necessary than ever.”
The principles are:
1. In a world of hyper-information, credibility, independence, accuracy, professional ethics, transparency and pluralism are the values that will confirm a relationship of trust with the public.
2. Next-level journalism is distinguished from other content by the vigilant and diligent questioning and verification of material circulating on social media. It acknowledges social media as a source of information for further fact-checking and a platform for leveraging professional content.
3. The mission of journalism at this next level is to positively serve society by providing high-quality verified information and establishing news brands as a trusted certificate of origin for content.
4. A requirement of next-level journalism is that it goes beyond basic facts and enables and encourages analysis, contextual and investigative reporting, and informed expression of opinion, moving from the provision of news to knowledge that empowers.
Next-level journalism should be driven by trust and the guiding principles of social relevance, legitimate interest and truthfulness. The concept of Next-Level Journalism is explored in World Editor’s Forum 2016 Trends In Newsrooms report released Tuesday at the World News Media Congress in Cartagena. The report is free to WAN-IFRA members and can be downloaded here.
The Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) has endorsed the principles. EJN Director Aidan White said: “Work to strengthen the role of editors and their key role in repositioning journalism as a cornerstone of the new information landscape is urgently needed. In this we have nothing to fear from enforcing the cardinal principles of journalism which are an inspiration for responsible communications and free expression.”
Contact / Inquiries
For further information contact Cherilyn Ireton, Executive Director of the World Editors Forum, Cherilyn.Ireton@wan-ifra.org or +447981644332
WAN-IFRA based in Paris, and Frankfurt, with regional offices in Chennai, Singapore, and Mexico is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 print and online publications and serves over 3,000 member companies in more than 120 countries. Its mission is to defend and promote press freedom, and help independent news publishing companies to succeed in their transformation process, increase their business, and perform their crucial role in open societies. WAN-IFRA is a leading global resource for publishers, editors, chief technology officers, digital business executives, news publisher associations, technology suppliers, service providers and research centres with three focus areas: innovation and business development – regulation and global media policy – press freedom. More about WAN-IFRA at www.wan-ifra.org/who-we-are
The World Editors Forum is the leading network for print and digital editors of newspapers and news organisations around the world. It is built on a commitment to defend press freedom and promote editorial excellence. WEF is at the forefront of newsroom change. It helps editors from all over the world, and at different stages of transition, shape their newsrooms and the journalism of the future, by identifying newsroom innovation, trends, tools and practices. We share intelligence through our daily blog, networking events, conferences, research and study tours. The World Editors Forum is an established network with a 20-year history of connecting editors on issues that matter. WEF is part of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers which represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries.