Ethical Journalism Network

About the network

The Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) is an international organization dedicated to strengthening quality reporting through the promotion of ethics, good governance, and self-regulation in the media. Founded in 2012 by a coalition of media organizations and journalists, with Aidan White serving as its founding chair. The network brings together more than 70 groups of journalists, publishers, and media support organizations from around the world. The global community operated from the UK is actively open to new participants.

The network is built on the foundational principle that trust is the ultimate currency of journalism. At a time when the media landscape faces severe challenges from misinformation, political polarization, and declining public trust, the EJN focuses heavily on education regarding the core principles of ethical journalism, human rights, and transparency. Rather than acting as a punitive body, the network advocates for robust systems of independent self-regulation and provides critical guidance to policymakers, human rights groups, and media organizations on critical issues such as media ethics, media literacy, and the containment of hate speech on both a European and global level.

The EJN provides strategic resources, training, and support so that ethical standards remain at the forefront of modern reporting. Their work and expertise span several core areas:

• Education & Training: Conducting workshops and specialized training sessions on media ethics, good governance, and responsible storytelling.
• Policy Advisory & Advocacy: Advising international bodies, governments, and civil society organizations on regulatory frameworks, media freedom, and combatting online hate speech.
• Media Accountability: Reviewing and strengthening media self-regulation frameworks to ensure accountability without compromising editorial independence.
• Strategic Collaboration: Fostering community outreach, editorial project management, and cross-border knowledge exchange among global media practitioners.

Network Projects

• Hate Speech: A 5-point Test for Journalists: A widely adopted benchmark report and practical framework that helps media professionals evaluate the potential impact of offensive content, balancing freedom of expression with the prevention of harm.
• Reporting Migration: A comprehensive international guide designed to help journalists cover migration and refugee crises accurately, fairly, and free from xenophobic bias.
• Structural Racism in UK Newsrooms: A policy report highlighting how systemic racism, harassment, and exclusion affect Black journalists within British news media.
• The Trust Factor: An extensive global review evaluating the state of journalism self-regulation and its direct link to restoring public confidence in the news.

Contact

Website: https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/

Contact

Website: https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/
Name: Aidan White
Email: aidanpatrickwhite@gmail.com