Abstract

The Journalists’ Guidelines are a professional ethical code created by the Council for Mass Media (CMM) in Finland for journalists working with newspapers, magazines, TV channels, and similar media outlets. The Guidelines consist of five sections that define the professional status of journalists, principles of truthful information dissemination, rights of the interviewer and interviewee, correction and rebuttal practices, and outline privacy protection. The first guidelines came into effect in 1957. Violations of the guidelines can be reported to the CMM, which will issue a binding or exonerating decision on the complaint.