Media Outlet Citizens.al Date of first publication 15/01/2025 Date of Latest Change 15/01/2025
2. Editorial Mission
2.1. Editorial Mission Statement
The Media Outlet shall disclose its editorial mission statement which shall be consistent with the fundamental ethical principles of trustworthy journalism, and, as described in the Preamble, should incorporate principles of: ethical practice, good governance, self-regulation and Engagement with the public. A Media Outlet shall set out how it proposes to uphold these journalism principles through its Editorial Guidelines and processes which shall include arrangements in relation to internal accountability and of appropriate external accountability (see clauses 9 – 15). Best practice is to have these arrangements codified and made available publicly.
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We live in times when we are inundated with propaganda, the media landscape is highly polarized, and the boundaries between reporting and advocacy have blurred.
Today, we have coverage of movements and protests like Black Lives Matter, Parkland Students, #MeToo, and the debate over whether reporters can and should express opinions outside the newsroom, such as on social media or by participating in marches, is hotter than ever.
We have journalists engaging in activism, but also activists who have started engaging in journalism (ACLU, Human Rights Watch, Greenpeace, in Albania EcoAlbania and others).
In many newsrooms today, it is believed that there are no two sides to certain issues like racism, exclusion, inequality, and fundamental human rights and freedoms.
When women protest and a journalist joins them, has the journalist crossed the professional line?
When students, environmentalists, workers, or marginalized communities (Roma, Egyptians, LGBTI+) take to the streets, is a journalist biased if they defend their rights?
Today's newsrooms are objectively more diverse; can there be objectivity in a newsroom with highly diverse viewpoints?
What about philanthropically supported media with primary agendas, should they be objective in the standard sense of the word?
Is it only the media that steers the message in certain directions, or does the audience play a strengthened role in their reception?
There exists a generational divide between older journalists who maintain the classical idea of separating news from opinion and younger journalists; more eager to merge the public persona with the private one.
Citizens Channel embraces Yochai Benkler's observation that objectivity should not be understood simply as neutrality, but as a constant action towards the truth. When the space is filled with propaganda, being neutral can help spread it.
"Every good journalist is an activist for the truth, in favor of transparency and in the name of accountability."