The success of journalism lies on credibility and ethics

Investigative journalism is called to play an increasingly important role as guarantor of sustainability, ethics, and transparency. This is one of the conclusions of the XVII Foro Eurolatinoamericano de Comunicación (XVII Euro-Latin-American Communications Forum) organized by the FNPI, the Association of European Journalists, and CAF, where the role of the media, technological changes, and ethics were analyzed in the context of the Ibero-American countries.

 The key to journalistic success lies on credibility and ethics, which assumes a return to its essence after submitting to self-criticism to find its place at a time in which the economic crisis, the hardening of the policies regarding the media, and technological changes create difficulties for the survival of the traditional praxis.

 Felipe Alduante (Chile), Editorial Director of the magazine America Economia, listed the obstacles for Latin American journalism: lack of journalistic infrastructure, dependence on official sources and ideologization of the media. In addition, Argentinean journalist Jorge Elias saw a conviction in the politicization of the media: " When journalism is distorted and the media becomes the opposition, even if the truth is said, credibility is lost".

The reply to this issue was found in the premise that both the States as well as the media must be transparent and, as explained by Jaime Abello, director of the FNPI, "self-regulation also demands transparency from the media".

Javier Dario Restrepo, director of the Ethic  Consultancy of the FNPI, stated that several journalistic practices must be submitted to questionings, that journalism should not be victimized, and that self-regulation is not self-censorship. Restrepo further stated that "those who want to practice a better journalism exercise self-regulation".