🧱 Select a level
The pyramid shows how principles reinforce each other: accuracy enables objectivity, fairness, humanity, and independence to be exercised legitimately.
📊 Accuracy & data verification
📌 Definition:
Actively pursue exactness: verify multiple sources; avoid publishing rumors that could cost lives.
📰 Real example:
Türkiye (6 Feb 2023): a viral photo and claims about a school with “thousands dead” diverted rescue teams; later the school was confirmed empty. Lack of verification caused confusion and operational harm.
📚 Quote / reference:
“The first obligation of journalism is the truth” — Kovach & Rosenstiel; SPJ/UNESCO verification standards.
👁️ Objectivity & impartiality
📌 Definition:
Present diverse perspectives with context, avoiding false equivalence and clarifying evidentiary weight.
📰 Real example:
Valencia (Oct 2024): outlets such as El País published timelines and analyses from several angles (climatologists, authorities, victims) instead of a single narrative.
📚 Reference:
Codes of ethics — keep clarity and separate confirmed facts from opinion (SPJ / UNESCO).
⚖️ Fairness
📌 Definition:
Treat all victims with equal dignity; avoid implicit hierarchies of media attention.
📰 Real example:
Euboea, Greece (2021): some outlets prioritized tourism; others, like The Guardian, amplified farmers and local communities who were overlooked.
📚 Reference:
Non-discrimination principles in international press standards.
🤝 Humanity & confidentiality
📌 Definition:
Do no harm; protect vulnerable people; avoid unnecessary graphic imagery; follow protocols when interviewing victims and children.
📰 Real example:
Following shipwrecks and disasters, responsible outlets (e.g., Kathimerini, ERT) avoided publishing identifiable photos of victims and respected survivors’ privacy.
📚 Reference:
SPJ — “Show compassion for those who may be affected by news coverage.”
🧭 Independence & accountability
📌 Definition:
Act in the public interest; resist undue pressure; own errors and correct them publicly.
📰 Real example:
Genoa bridge (2018): combine technical investigation, human reporting, and editorial responsibility; some outlets corrected or faced sanctions for publishing sensitive data.
📚 Reference:
Professional codes calling to avoid conflicts of interest and uphold editorial responsibility (SPJ / national councils).
