Journalists Must “Write and Speak Truth” About Ukraine

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have joined colleagues in Russia to call for media standards and ethics to be upheld by media across the world reporting on Ukraine.           The call comes as IFJ/EFJ affiliate, the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ), has expressed its concern about the continuing escalation of aggressive and hate-filled rhetoric by elements of the media in Russia and across the globe about developments in Ukraine.

According to the RUJ, some media is not carrying out its duty to inform the public, but is instead fermenting discord that contradicts the code of ethics of journalists. 

The RUJ has called for journalists across the globe to remember their code of ethics and to "write and speak the truth," stating:

"We encourage all our colleagues in Russia and across the world to remember their main aim - to write and speak the truth, to be independent from external influences and personal preferences in finding and presenting the information, and to do no harm by their work and word.

"We also suggest that the internet is used to create a platform for permanent dialogue between Ukrainian and Russian journalists. We believe that no political and other conflicts, especially those aimed at turning journalists into an instrument of influence, should force our colleagues to lose their loyalty to the moral foundations of their profession, its dignity and  freedom of speech. Such actions cannot be allowed to destroy the solidarity of journalists in our countries".

The crisis has put tremendous pressure on journalists in both Ukraine and Russian. The IFJ/EFJ have commended the unity and solidarity journalists and their unions in Russia and Ukraine have shown in the past few months.

To further the existing cooperation between the journalists unions in Russian (RUJ) and Ukraine (NUJU and IMTU), the IFJ/EFJ will hold a meeting in Brussels on 17 March bringing representatives of the unions from both countries to discuss further measures to support journalists to uphold professional ethical standards and safety.  

For more information, please contact IFJ on +32 2 235 22 17
The IFJ represents more than 600 000 journalists in 134 countries