What makes self-regulation work

March 02, 2015 12:53 am | Updated November 11, 2021 05:32 pm IST

CHENNAI, 16/10/2014: A.S. Panneerselvan, The Hindu Readers' Editor. Photo: V.V.Krishnan

CHENNAI, 16/10/2014: A.S. Panneerselvan, The Hindu Readers' Editor. Photo: V.V.Krishnan

It has been a nine-year-long journey towards establishing a credible self-regulation mechanism by The Hindu . K. Narayanan, the paper’s first Readers’ Editor (RE), >in his inaugural column on March 1, 2006 , sought mature, strong bonds between the readers and the newspaper. He set about his task of “of conveying the concerns and feelings of the readers to journalists and trying to make the readers understand why the paper does certain things it does, which only an insider can do, as international experience demonstrates.” It was not that everyone was convinced that this mechanism would deliver. There were sceptics, cynics and doubting Thomases. Over these nine years, learning from constant interaction with the readers, the mechanism has become robust.

The process of institutionalising the office of the RE has been a continuous one with the sole aim of improving the quality of the newspaper, making it accountable to its readers, and maintaining high standards of journalism that uphold the core values and the cardinal principles of the profession.

Mr. Narayanan talked about the formal Editorial Code for journalists of The Guardian and about the lack of one in The Hindu . He was guided by the Panchsheel or five principles for the newspaper: truth telling, freedom and independence, justice, humaneness, and contributing to the social good. But over a period of time, The Hindu has established its own Code of Editorial Values, Living our Values. This code, along with the Terms of Reference for the RE, has helped address the concerns of the readers in a more structured and objective manner, leaving little room for subjective discretion.

Checklist for effective regulation The Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) has a checklist for effective implementation of self-regulation for the media. This checklist, according to Aidan White, the founding director of EJN, is the minimum conditions necessary for effective regulation of journalism based on the principles of independence and press freedom. He has drawn up a set of questions at three levels: the level of the individual journalist, the level of media enterprise and at the industry level. I am happy to state that The Hindu has a system in place to address this question both at the individual journalist level and as a media house.

The questions before the journalist are: “Are there codes of conduct governing the work of journalists? Are codes of conduct made part of contracts of employment for journalists? Do journalists and editors have the right to act according to conscience? Are there whistle-blowing systems for journalists to disclose acts of corruption or unethical behaviour?” And at the enterprise level, the questions are: “Do media houses have internal systems for dealing with the complaints and concerns of the public? Are there ombudsmen, readers’ editors or other editorial posts charged with these responsibilities? Does the company have editorial guidelines and internal governance rules outlining good practice and codes of conduct? Is there internal transparency and systems for dealing with conflicts of interest at the level of the newsroom and also the boardroom? Is there active engagement with the audience and promotion of information about how to complain?”

Only at the industry level does some of the key questions remain unanswered: “Is there an industry-wide system for dealing with complaints and monitoring journalism and media performance? Is there industry agreement on a common code of conduct for journalism? Are there transparent, accessible and cost-free procedures for making complaints? Are there systems of arbitration designed to provide fast-track resolution of complaints? Are media bound by contractual obligations to respect the decisions and adjudications of the accountability system? Is the Board of management of the media regulator independent of political and industry interests? Is the public properly represented and how? Is there an independent and transparent system of funding?”

The readers’ response has proved that the efforts of The Hindu are not a vain exercise but a meaningful redress mechanism that keeps all stakeholders in a straight and narrow path. This was done by defining most of the governing principles, and marking the periphery clearly to distinguish multiple interests: the line between news and views, the line between advertising and editorial, and the line between the business arm of the enterprise and the working journalists.

At a different level, our own experience in self-regulation coincides with the findings of the survey done by EJN in nine countries, Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, The Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, South Africa, the United States, and one region, Western Balkans. Titled ‘The trust factor,’ it revealed that effective and credible self-regulation exists only in a small number of countries and varies dramatically in different parts of the world and even within regions. In an unambiguous manner, the survey showed that “making self-regulation work at [the] enterprise level is perhaps what counts the most.”

A well-resourced set-up Self-regulation at the enterprise level works only when there is a commitment to the process, both from the editorial and the management. At The Hindu , the office of the RE not only enjoys total independence but is also well resourced to carry out its task. The Editor is the first person to acknowledge any mistake and does not hesitate to offer regret or even an apology, depending on the nature of the mistake. This commitment from the top has a powerful trickle-down effect, where even cub reporters are constantly reminded of the professional bar set by this institution that marks both democratic engagement as well as ethical standards.

readerseditor@thehindu.co.in

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