1. We have a duty to maintain the highest professional
and ethical standards.
2. We at all times will defend the principle of the freedom of the
press and other media in relation to the collection of information and
the expression of comment and criticism. We shall strive to eliminate
distortion, news suppression and censorship.
3. We shall strive to ensure that the information he/ she disseminates
is fair and accurate, avoid the expression of comment and conjecture as
established fact and falsification by distortion, selection or
misrepresentation.
4. We shall try to rectify promptly any harmful inaccuracies, ask our
clients can issue a correction and we will apologise in due prominence
when someone reports an issue of sufficient importance.
5. We shall obtain information, photographs and illustrations only by
straight- forward means. The use of other means can be justified only
by over-riding considerations of the public interest.
6. Because of ethics and legal issues, we do not receive any
information that regards to private lives or ongoing cases in a Belgian
court.
The Belgian law oblige us to disclose our sources if the information
entails the above. Therefore if by mistake we publish information that
regard the hereafter cases, our sources should be aware that we are in
the obligation to disclose his/her private details.
7. In any other case we do everything in our power to protect
confidential sources of information. Specifically we keep confidential
documents in an undisclosed location and we do not make reference to
names in our notes. It is however the responsibility of our sources to
indicate the level of confidentiality, otherwise we assume that the
information given to us is on-the-record.
8. To refer to the level of confidentiality we use the following
understanding.
On-the-record: means that the statement may be recorded and that the
source is identified by name and organisation.
Off-the-record: means that the statement will not be recorded and that
the source is considered confidential and will not be identified by
name or organisation.
9. We take the discretion to use any, none or all parts of an
interview, statement or information received.
10. Our sources should be responsible to sustain what they say on and
off the record.
It is up to our discretion to corroborate with our sources a statement
where in doubt. However, they cannot change a statement in substance
when we check for accuracy a statement nor can they back off from
something they already said!
11. In no circumstances can our sources see or edit the article before
it gets published.
12. We do not accept bribes nor shall he/ she allow other inducements
to influence the performance of his/ her professional duties.
13. We do not lend us to the distortion or suppression of the truth
because of political or business considerations.
14. We do not take private advantage of information gained in the
course of his/ her duties, before the information is public knowledge.
15. We are independent and do not lobby for any interest or
organisation inside or outside the European Union Institutions.
Lobbying for any organisation outside of the Institutions can put at
stake our EU accreditation and any lobbying for any interest inside the
Institutions can put at stake our profession.
