An Open Letter to All Media Leader: Media Ethics in the Time of Covid-19
Dear all leaders, managing editors, and editors, of media companies around the world,
How are you doing? I hope you are doing well. I am writing this open letter to encourage you to provide personal protective equipment to all journalists, including photojournalists, reporter, news anchors, and radio announcers, who have been working hard in covering stories related to Covid-19. I also expect you to guaranteed health services, including fast access to rapid tests and health insurance, for journalists and their family members, and provide work incentive, ensure that salary are paid on time.
As we believe public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. In carrying out its duties, ethical journalism strives to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair, and thorough. According to Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, journalists should take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. “Verify information before realizing it. Use original source whenever possible.”
In carrying out its duties, journalists have high mobility and they have to be in the field to verify and collect data and to meet original source. Journalists are potentially have contracted with Covid-19 positive people. In fact, many journalists have to go to the field without being supported with personal protective equipment, for instance medical mask, gloves, and googles. Some journalists forced to spend their own money to pay the price of personal protective equipment that has been soared.
In many countries, including Indonesia, some journalists and media workers have been declared positive new coronavirus. This situation greatly threatens journalists’ life. They are also potentially transmitting Covid-19 to the family at home, sources, and fellow journalists, and colleagues in the office. Therefore, maintaining the safety and health of journalists is as important as maintaining each individual life.
I highly understand that Covid-19 has hit various sectors of life, including the media and communication industries. I believe that nowadays you are dizzy saving the newspaper publishing, as much as many journalists and photojournalists who are struggling to stay on the ground to serve useful and interesting information to the society.
Accordingly, I urge media and all editors to ensure the safety of their journalists, provide guaranteed health services to journalists and their family members, and ensure salaries are paid on time, and provide incentives for them. I believe, with the enlightening information that is served by journalists around the world, people can build collaboration and be united against the new coronaviruses, the most pressing problem in the world.
Respectfully yours. Denty Piawai Nastitie.
A Jakarta-based-journalist, and student of visual Student of Diploma in Visual Journalism, The Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University.
