Journalists urged not to steal

The Press Council of Moldova calls on the journalists and mass media organizations to respect copyright and not accept plagiarism in their work. The Council expressed its position in a statementing intended for journalists and mass media institutions, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the statement, the Press Council was informed by a number of mass media organizations about cases of infringement of copyright and plagiarizing of articles and news from newspapers' and news agencies' websites. The Council urges the journalists and mass media organizations to observe the Law on Copyright and Relates Rights and the journalist's code of conduct. The Press Council reminds that the Law on Copyright prescribes that the author has an exclusive right on the work created by them. The journalist's professional code of conduct says plagiarism is inadmissible and the journalists must make reference to the author every time they use someone else's work in one way or another. At the same time, the ethical norms guidebook for journalists recommends not publishing, reproducing or distributing certain materials if they do not have a written or oral agreement on related rights with the author. In the same connection, the Council asks the print and electronic media not to use pictures without the consent and without quoting the author. The Press Council says the copying of press materials should be done according to the model of some of the EU member states, i.e. at most 500 symbols, but less than half of a given article or news item. The source and the author must be obligatorily quoted in this case. There must be also indicated the direct link to the source. The Press Council is an independent self-regulatory institution that aims to contribute to the enhancement of mass media responsibility towards readers by settling amicably the disputes between readers and publications, promoting quality journalism and the observance of professional standards and journalistic deontology through publications, news agencies and information portals. It was founded by the Association of Independent Press, the Independent Journalism Center, the Committee for Press Freedom, Moldova’s Union of Journalists, the Resource Center of Human Rights NGOs “CReDO” and the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul”.