Journalistic Review

Aljazeera.net English Edition is a Middle-Eastern journalistic website which gives an unfiltered analysis on world events, especially focusing on the situations occuring in the Middle-East. The Code of Ethics for Aljazeera.net, English news media service, states that they will keep a strict policy of “honesty … fairness, balance, independence …” among other things, to achieve an frank and professional journalistic outlook from their news reports. In addition, they wish to present their articles for readers in a “clear, factual and accurate [viewpoint] while giving full consideration to the feelings of victims of crime, war, persecution and disaster.” Moreover, Aljazeera embraces rivalry and contesting points of view and is willing to present those stances “without bias or partiality.” Furthermore, the code of ethics for this company “[r]ecognise[s] diversity in human societies with all their races, cultures and beliefs” in order to present situations as they are, without prejudice or favoritism, especially not giving into “commercial or political considerations.” Finally, Aljazeera’s Code of Ethics mandates that they will “[a]cknowledge [their] mistake[s] when it occurs, promptly correct it and ensure it does not recur.”

If I were a professional in this industry, I would be in agreement with Aljazeera’s Code of Ethics. Every line item is a reasonable declaration for a highly regarded Code of Ethics in the journalistic arena. In it, Aljazeera advocates fair play, honesty, impartial reporting, among other things and their Code would definitely be an admirable objective to realize and achieve. However, I believe that human beings discriminate by nature and it would be highly unlikely, if impossible, for no bias to be present in any journalistic report. Notwithstanding this fact, I believe that Aljazeera’s employees will strive their best in creating balanced, objective reports with such a strong Code of Ethics supporting them.

I am led to believe that Aljazeera’s Code of Ethics would also be accepted by peers in the journalism industry. The website of the Society of Professional Journalists (www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp), lists the most commonly accepted Code of Ethics for all those in the journalism industry. Comparing the two codes, I can see many similarities and concurring ideas. There is no opposing viewpoints on Aljazeera’s own Code compared with SPJ’s commonly recognized Code of Ethics. With this respect, industry peers and professionals would agree with Aljazeera’s Code of Ethics without issue.

Segments in Aljazeera’s Code which is not relevant in other industries include the act of news reporting. Retail, manufacturing, and medical professions would not perform this action in their respective lines of work. In addition, the consideration Aljazeera gives to their diverse audiences (readers) are not directly applicable in many lines of business. Although a media corporation wishes to render journalistic detail, diverse viewpoints, and attention on the stories they report, manufacturers just want to create an easy-to-use and safe product for its customers.