PFUJ calls for end to Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
JournalismPakistan.com | Published 6 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
BRUSSELS — Hundreds of delegates from journalists unions around the world adopted a new Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists at a historic International Federation of Journalists congress.
Now the document, endorsed by representatives of more than 500,000 journalists and following months of consultations across the world, will form the core of strengthening ethical standards for journalists worldwide.
Meeting in Tunis for the 30th IFJ Congress the 300 delegates backed the new charter, which builds on and reinforces the ethical standards laid down by the 1954 IFJ Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists, the most widely recognized text on journalistic ethics to date. That Declaration was drafted in Bordeaux, France, 65 years ago, and was last updated in 1986. Hence the need for a new Charter adapted to current challenges facing the media.
The Charter is based on major texts of international law, in particular, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It contains 16 articles plus a preamble and defines journalists’ duties and rights regarding ethics.
The Charter’s preamble states: “The journalist’s responsibility towards the public takes precedence over any other responsibility, in particular towards their employers and the public authorities.” It recalls that journalism is a “profession” that “requires time, resources, and the means to practice.” Other main provisions cover respect for truth, conflicts of interest, protection of sources, and discrimination.
Drafted by a working group of 16 people, including representatives of the IFJ leadership, regions and ethics experts, work on the Charter was co-ordinated by IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.
The document was validated by the IFJ Executive Committee in Ramallah, Palestine, in November 2018. It was then submitted for input to IFJ ‘s 187 affiliates before being endorsed by the Congress.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “The adoption of the Global Charter on the Ethics of Journalists is a milestone in the IFJ's history because ethics was one of the IFJ's founding pillars when it was created in 1926 in Paris. This new document takes up the professional duties laid down in 1954, but it also includes rights, in a world where the profession is being abused. Tomorrow, all journalists around the world will be able to identify themselves with the IFJ's Global Charter of Ethics and challenge it against unscrupulous employers.” — IFJ media release
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
November 02, 2025: Impunity for crimes against journalists deepens worldwide as Pakistan reports a 60 percent surge in attacks and weak enforcement of safety laws.
November 01, 2025: Pakistan Press Foundation reports 137 attacks on journalists in 2025, highlighting rising threats, legal harassment, and censorship on the International Day to End Impunity.
November 01, 2025: A viral Samaa TV clip featuring MNA Sher Afzal Marwat’s crude remarks and Talat Hussain’s laughter raises questions about the declining ethics of Pakistani television.
October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.
October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.
October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.
October 30, 2025: NewsOne TV remains on air but faces mass layoffs and delayed salaries, exposing Pakistan’s worsening media crisis and financial instability.
November 02, 2025 Independent outlet All About Macau to halt print and online operations amid rising pressure, financial strain, and legal threats, sparking press freedom concerns in the city.
November 01, 2025 Belarus court jails journalist Siarhei Chabotska for extremism and defaming the president, highlighting Minsk’s ongoing crackdown on press freedom.
November 01, 2025 Mexican journalist Miguel Angel Beltran was found murdered in Durango. CPJ urges authorities to ensure justice amid rising violence against journalists in Mexico.
November 01, 2025 UNESCO survey finds one-third of media lawyers cannot effectively defend journalists due to threats, limited resources, and lack of specialization.
October 31, 2025 Radio Free Asia, a US government-funded broadcaster covering tightly controlled Asian media environments, has suspended all news operations after federal funding dried up.