THE JURIST EDITORIAL POLICY
In pursuit of an egalitarian society where justice and respect of human rights prevail, we at The Jurist, a media platform that covers the judiciary, human rights issues in Nigeria, have adopted the following as our Editorial Policy and Code of Ethics.
Our policies and ethics are the guidelines by which The Jurist operates. As stipulated by Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution, agencies of the mass media are free to uphold the fundamental objectives and hold the government accountable to the people. Thus, The Jurist aims to be a credible platform that reports on current events and social issues in the justice and human rights sector by researching and fact-checking all perspectives before writing a story.
Therefore, The Jurist Newspaper Limited intends to hold the government accountable while reporting on current events and social issues. Through credible reportage on the justice and human rights sector, The Jurist is committed to independent research, fact-checking and reporting of issues.
The Jurist shall abide by the following journalistic principles;
1.Objectivity: The platform will strive to be fair and objective in reporting news and information about the judiciary in Nigeria.
2.Accuracy: All information published on the platform will be accurate and fact-checked. Corrections will be made promptly and transparently in case of errors.
3.Ethics: The platform will uphold high ethical standards in all aspects of its operations. This includes avoiding conflicts of interest, protecting sources, and avoiding plagiarism.
4.Diversity and Inclusivity: The platform will strive to represent diverse perspectives and voices within the judiciary in Nigeria. This includes ensuring that coverage includes people of different genders, religions, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
5.Transparency: The platform will be transparent about how it operates and how it is funded. It will disclose any potential biases or conflicts of interest, and make it clear to readers how to submit feedback or complaints.
6.Editorial independence: The platform will maintain editorial independence and will not be influenced by outside interests or advertisers.
7.Community Standards: The platform will establish clear community standards that outline what content is acceptable and what is not. It will ensure that these standards are enforced consistently and fairly.
8.Accountability: The platform will hold itself accountable for upholding its editorial policies and ethical standards. This includes conducting regular reviews and evaluations to ensure that the platform is meeting its goals and standards.
In addition to the above principles, the platform will also have specific policies regarding reporting all legal cases, the ruling of judges and arguments of lawyers, and the impact of legal decisions on society.
The platform will seek to educate its audience about the legal system in Nigeria and will provide in-depth analysis and commentary on important legal issues that cover the judiciary.
The Jurist Editorial Policy includes the following:
1.Editorial Independence: The Jurist will be loyal only to the cause that advances the collective interest of all Nigerians, including the country’s unity, economic prosperity, and security. The newspaper will not be used to pursue an end that undermines or contradicts the collective interest of Nigerians, nor will it be influenced by any religious, ethnic, tribal, political, or economic sentiments.
2.Fact vs. Opinion: The Jurist will always clearly distinguish between fact and opinion articles, and opinion articles will contain factual elements and not be based on pure fabrication or any figment of a writer’s imagination. Satirical articles will be labeled accordingly. The Jurist journalists will ensure that their articles are devoid of any form of opinion or bias, and any news analysis will contain more facts than viewpoints.
3.Reporting News: The Jurist will approach all news fairly, honestly, and factually. News will be contextualised and balanced without embellishment, distortion, misinterpretation, misrepresentation, exaggeration, or sensationalism. All sides of a news item, especially critical reportage, will always be given sufficient notice in advance of going to press.
4.Transparency : The Jurist will not publish information obtained without due transparency to the subjects of a story, except in rare occasions of strong public interest. The newspaper will seek to de-emphasize the ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, race, social, economic or status, disability, etc. of the subjects of a story.
5. Advocacy: The Jurist will participate in matters of societal interest in the criminal justice sector, especially against unbridled corruption, police and military brutality, and sexual and gender-based violence. All campaigns will be pursued based on facts and without contortion or omission. In the form of editorials, The Jurist will analyze public policies and offer alternative ideas in a fair, constructive, and honest manner.
6.Sensitivity: News articles, multimedia, or drawings on matters involving suicide, death, nudity, lunacy, or obscenity will be approached with sufficient sensitivity and candor. Reporters will pursue comments or other inquiries with sympathy and open-mindedness.
7.Investigative Journalism: The Jurist will pursue investigative journalism with vigour as it has the proven ability to check injustice, corruption, and abuse of power, and is also a proven tool for imposing transparency and accountability in society.
8. Minors: The Jurist reporters will not ordinarily interview or film children under the age of 18 without the consent of a parent or guardian, except where overriding public interest is readily apparent. Children will be protected from any form of harm, abuse, or exploitation in the course of the newspaper’s operations.
8.The Jurist is committed to protecting the privacy of victims of rape, sexual assault, and harassment, and will not publish their identity or image without consent. However, the identity of convicted perpetrators will not be protected.
9.The Jurist will respect the privacy of all citizens, except when dictated by strident public interest. Publication of stories exposing violent crimes, corrupt practices in public service, and issues affecting public health and well-being will be considered in the public interest and may take precedence over privacy concerns.
10.The Jurist’s journalists are prohibited from using intimidation or duress to gather news. Journalists will not film citizens on private property without their permission, except in matters of public interest. The journalists will also avoid harassing sources who have declined to be interviewed.
11.The Jurist prohibits its reporters from providing news material to other organisations considered to be in competition with The Jurist.
12.The Jurist’s journalists are prohibited from accepting bribes or gifts from news sources or organisations for the purpose of writing a story or getting a mention in the publication. However, if cultural norms require the acceptance of a gift, the journalist must declare it to a senior editorial staff member.
13.Retractions: The Jurist will retract news stories, opinions, or advertorials found to be dangerous or false and publish an explanation or apology in a prominent part of its website. A right of reply to erroneous or unfairly harmful articles will be given to the subject(s) of such articles.
14.The Jurist encourages its journalists to have a social media presence and use it to share their stories or those of their colleagues within and outside of the publication.
15.Privacy and Confidentiality
We respect the privacy of our sources and subjects. We will not publish any information that could harm their privacy or compromise their safety. We will also protect the confidentiality of our sources, including anonymous sources, unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise.