Media Code of Conduct
2024 IsDB Group Annual Meetings
Purpose:
The IsDB Group will be organizing its 2024 Annual Meetings in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 27th to 30th of April. The IsDB Group Annual Meetings are guided by the highest ethical and professional standards, and all participants are expected to behave with integrity and respect towards all other attending participants. In this regard, local and international journalists/Media representatives who will be invited to cover the meetings, are required to adhere to the following code of conduct. This code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the rules and responsibilities applicable to all journalists during the Annual Meetings.
The IsDB staff, who are the organizers of the Annual Meetings will enforce the code throughout the entire event.
Applicability
Prior to participation all journalists must register for the Annual Meetings and provide an email, phone number, name of the media they represent and all other contact details where they can be reached during the Annual Meetings and after. Registration constitutes consent to be subject to the code of conduct and to be added to the IsDB mailing list. Failure to register, provide such contact is grounds for not being admitted into the premises where the Annual Meetings are being held.
This code of conduct applies to all the events related to the Annual Meetings, whether or not, they take place in the premises of the meetings venue.
The code of conduct is applicable to all the journalists attending and covering all the events related to the Annual Meetings, including videographers and photographers.
Prohibited Conduct
All journalists are expected to fully respect and abide by the professional code of ethics of journalists, from which principles this code of conduct is mainly based. Therefore, any conduct that may cause legal issues such as harassment, calumny, slander, libel or unfounded accusations, malicious misrepresentation, or any stereotyping, or use of obscenity or indecency behavior will not be tolerated. Specifically, journalists are expected to not:
- Disrespect any of IsDB’s Member countries;
- Make derogatory or demeaning comments about a participant;
- Use the computer at the media center to share, send or display inappropriate images or videos;
- Enter the meetings’ premises without displaying their badges;
- Disturb the press conferences or any media related events;
- Use language or express sentiments that may further discrimination or violence on any grounds, including race, gender, language, religion, political or other opinions, and national or social origins;
- Disrespect IsDB staff and other officials contributing to the organization of the meetings;
- Make sexual comments about appearances, clothing or body parts;
- Make any act that would be classified as sexual harassment whether explicit or implicit.
Expected Behavior:
The first duty of a journalist is to report accurately and without bias. In this regard, to cover the Annual Meetings, journalists must register and provide their contact details (email, phone number, media and country of origin).
Once registered, the following behavior is expected from them with regards:
to News Coverage
- be accurate and fair in their reporting;
- show professionalism and decency;
- respect diversity by reporting all sides equally and objectively;
- respect the ground rules set during interviews with IsDB officials and Board of Governors members;
- request any interview or photo from IsDB officials through Media Center representatives present in the meeting;
- correct any published information that is found to be harmfully inaccurate;
- adhere to the code of ethics of journalists;
- request a service or ask questions during press conferences with respect and consideration;
- avoid propagating hatred and ridicule information against communities of IsDB member countries.
to Conduct
- exercise consideration and respect in their speech and actions;
- comply with the rules of the media center and rules set during press conferences and media briefings;
- avoid jostling;
- respect the laws of the host country;
- refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech;
- not disrupt press conferences or daily media briefings or the meetings or engage in harmful acts or threats of any kind;
- attempt collaboration and refrain from aggression or conflict;
- be mindful of their surroundings and other participants and alert IsDB staff if they notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this code of conduct, even if they seem inconsequential;
- not to create a safety threat or an unsafe situation.
Consequences of not following the code of conduct
Severe breaches of the code may require harsher consequences, even on a first offense. Major infractions include acts of violence, threats toward other journalists or participants, theft or abuse of power.
Journalists who violate these rules may be expelled from the list of attendees without a possibility of being readmitted with coordination with the host country officials.
Reporting an incident:
If a journalist sees, overhears or experiences a violation of the code of conduct during the Annual Meetings, and would like to make a report to IsDB Media Center Manger, Mr. Brahim Isselmou, at bisselmou@isdb.org.
IsDB represented by Media Services Subcommittee is committed to making its utmost efforts to ensure and assist journalists to exercise their job in the best conditions and highest professional standards possible.