Page 217 - Communication Theory and Research

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202 Communication Theory & Research
The possibility of European ethics?

At the beginning of this article a question concerning the possibility of European
media ethics was posed. Is there, then, enough basis for a common code in the
national codes; do they express similar norms and values, similar ideals of good
journalism?
Since there are so many differences among the individual principles of the
31 codes studied, this possibility can only be found on the basis of some
principles – or rather themes of principles. The question is how much ‘cross-
national support’ do the principles/themes need in order to be possible ingredi-
ents for a European code?
The first criterion would naturally be complete support, hence in order for a
principle to be a possible ingredient for a European code, it should be present in
all the national, European codes of ethics. But, since there is not a single princi-
ple common to all codes this criterion does not take us very far.
Another possible criterion could be – in accordance with the majority principle –
that the given principles have to be present in most (more than 50%) of the
national codes. Can it thus be postulated that the 24 most common principles
listed above are possible ingredients for a European code? Does the fact that they
are missing in some – or even in 46 percent of the codes – create a problem?
Not necessarily. When some principles are missing from a code, it does not
have to mean they are not regarded as significant by those adopting that code. It
might be so, but it can also be that the rights or duties of the missing principles
are taken for granted, or that they are considered to be covered by some other
principle. For instance, the principle of truthfulness can in some codes also
include ideas of objectivity, essentiality, diversity and plurality of information,
etc., which are separately mentioned in many other codes. The fact that some
codes are already considerably shorter (Austrian, Belgian or Greek) than others
(German or Finnish) suggests this.
It is also significant how great/severe the differences between the codes
actually are. Are the missing principles along the same lines as the clauses that
do exist in the code, or are they in contradiction/opposition to them? It is worth
taking into account the aim of the European code. Should it only be a copy of the
national codes, or should it also bring something new with it? It would seem
logical that a European code should be something more than just a sum of the
national codes.
Hence I suggest that if a national code that is lacking a certain principle of those
24 principles common to most of the codes, has some other principle(s) covering
the same theme (the same category), and/or if the missing principle is not in
contradiction with the other principles of the code, the absence of this principle
does not create a problem for the prospects of a European code. The coverage of
the 13 categories in the national codes is presented in Table 15.2 (see above).
As can be seen in the table, all but two (VII and XIII) of the 13 categories find sup-
port in at least two-thirds of the codes. This strengthens the relevance of the princi-
ples representing these categories being ingredients of a European code. Most
of these principles also serve the three functions that were found to be the most