Self-Regulation

News media self-regulation is defined as a system of voluntary accountability of journalists to the public. It is based on agreed principles of professional ethics and includes mechanisms of complaints review, monitoring, and conflict resolution in the field of their professional activity. Common elements of media self-regulation throughout the world are professional codes, press councils, and public editors, as described in this entry.

The interdependent reasons for a media organization to develop self-regulation include the following:

  • to preserve editorial freedom from interference by media proprietors, advertisers, and the government;
  • to advance market position by achieving higher media quality and standards than others while proving its own effective public accountability; and
  • to help audiences access the media and engage with journalists, thus gaining public trust.

In the public eye, responsibility ...

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