Ethical Relations with the Media

Meeting of communicators of the Pan European Gas Companies

Lubomir Tuchscher, 20 September 2007

Importance of personal relations

•Personal relations with journalists are essential for communication

•Journalists guard their independence

•Some are completely open to any offers

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Differences in the understanding of meetings

• Formal meeting (press conferences, interviews,...)

• Informal meetings (working breakfasts, off-the-record meetings,...)

• Non-working meetings (bowling, skiing trip,...)

Situation in Slovakia

• Prime Minister in an open war with the media• Accused business journalists of corruption by the insurance

companies“.. It is, though, necessary to talk about whether there is here

also a case of corruption for influencing individual journalists. The SR Government will want an explanation, for example, about the trip by 11 Slovak journalists to the Austrian Alps in spring this year. The trip, which besides training on what to write about the pension companies, including skiing, eating and drinking - all paid for by the private owner of the pension company.”

Robert Fico, Prime Minister of the Slovak rep.

Impact of the problem on the company communication

• Journalists are worried about / avoid attending informal and non-working meetings

• Need to solve the question: What next?

Reaction of publishers

“Publishers strongly protest against the Prime Minister’s effort to bring about the idea that participation at these undertakings, or money for advertising can corrupt the media and journalists and influence their attitudes.”

Slovak Association of Periodical Press Publishers

Reaction of the Slovak Syndicate of Journalists

“Ethics must be guarded also by editors themselves. They should know about everything journalists are doing, what gifts they are accepting, and under what circumstances they are going on a business trip.”“I can imagine that a journalists’ trip organised by a firm can be beneficial for a journalist; he can talk informally with people he would otherwise have difficulty reaching. If there were no professional programme, just a skiing trip, this would be a problem..”

Zuzana Krútka, Chairman of the Slovak Syndicate of Journalists

Code of Ethics for the Media

• Only certain Slovak media have adopted a code of ethics– PRAVDA: A clear prohibition of participation on journalists’ trips and

of the receipt of gifts– SME: Participation on journalist trips only in the journalist’s own time

and with the chief editor’s consent– HN: Open to gathering information– STV: Chief editor’s consent necessary

• Codes of ethics of respected global media– BBC, New York Times,...

Media Watchdogs

• Romenesco, SourceWatch

“Minimising the receipt of free gifts would make the media stronger in criticising possible corruption among others, including businesses and politicians. In each such case, however, journalists should, under an article or at the end of a report based on such an event, give a notice for the reader, stating who paid the costs for the journalist’s business trip.”

“The publication of their codes of ethics could be done as a matter of course. The media are suddenly citing from them now in their defence …. so why have they not been public until only recently, so that the reader too, and also the source in the news or at firms’ marketing departments know the rules of the game?”

Gabriel Šipoš, Slovak Press Watch

What next?

• Clara Pacta – Boni Amici

• Partner relationships with journalists, editors and chief editors

• Avoiding conflicts – journalists are free to use or not to use our partnership (expert opinions, congresses)

Questions for discussion

• Have you encountered this problem?

• How did you solve it?

• Do journalists accept an invitation to an informal/non-working meeting with your company?

• Where have you set the limits?