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Preamble

Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right of any person. Every duty and liability of a journalist derives from the right of society to be informed regarding events and opinions. The charter is based on Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and International Federation of journalists (IFD) and the Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists. These principles have been implemented for journalists that collect, transmit and spread information and comments concerning current events. As representatives of the Georgian media we recognize and acknowledge the liability to protect the principles listed below, and the responsibly related to the aforementioned liabilities. Within the framework of Georgian legislation, we consider these professional issues as the authority of our own colleagues and exclude any interference on the part of the government or any other power in the realization of the given authority.


PRINCIPLE 1
Journalist must respect the truth and the right of society, in order to receive accurate information.

PRINCIPLE 2
It is unacceptable to coerce a journalist to express an opinion against his/her conscience.

PRINCIPLE 3
Journalist must report information based solely upon facts from confirmed sources. 

PRINCIPLE 4
Journalists must only rely on scrupulous and fair methods when collecting information, photo materials, or documents.

PRINCIPLE 5.
The media is liable to correct substantially incorrect information which misleads society.

PRINCIPLE 6
Journalists have a moral responsibility not to disclose confidential sources.

PRINCIPLE 7
Journalists must understand the dangers of encouraging discrimination on the part of the media; therefore, he/she must exert every effort to avoid discrimination of any person on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political and other opinion, national or social origin, or any other grounds.

PRINCIPLE 8
Journalists are liable to protect children’s rights; in his/her professional activity, given the highest priority to children’s interests, neither can journalists prepare nor publish articles or reports regarding children that may be harmful to them. Journalist must not interview, as well as photograph, a youth under the age of 16 on issues related to the welfare of the given or any other youth without the consent of the parents or the guardian.

PRINCIPLE 9
Journalists must make a clear distinction between editorial materials and materials related to marketing, advertising, and those financed by a sponsor.

PRINCIPLE 10
Journalists must pay respect to privacy, and not intrude into the private lives of people unless there is special public interest.

PRINCIPLE 11 
Journalists must consider the following actions as grave professional offences:

• Deliberate distortion of facts;
• Reception of any kind of bribery, gifts, or other benefits in exchange for influencing a journalists’s professional activity
• Plagiarism.