Declaration of Principles of Professional Ethics of the members of the Journalists’ Club of Johannes Rau International Centre for Education and Exchange Minsk:

Based on the supreme moral reference points of professional activities, with the intent to enhance public confidence in the media as one of the most important democratic institutions;
Recognizing the primacy of international law and ethical standards in the field of mass media;
Realizing that free journalism requires a certain moral self-censorship,
The Journalists’ Club of Johannes Rau International Centre for Education and Exchange Minsk encourages club members to adhere voluntarily to the following principles of professional ethics:
1. To defend the right to receive and disseminate information by all lawful means, regardless of national boarders.
2. To show public solidarity with all who are exposed to harassment and repression for their professional activities.
3. To be guided in their activities only by the interests of society.
4. To consider selfish, group or partisan interests as incompatible with the professional activities of journalists and the media overall.
5. To strive to achieve maximum accuracy, depth and truthfulness of arguments in the presentation of views, positions or opinions.
6. To protect the truth, bearing in mind that no one has the absolute right to truth.
7. To respect other's views, positions and opinions, if they are the result of search for truth and if they don’t contain deceit and falsity.
8. To guarantee the free expression of all views, positions and ideas if they do not pursue anti-human purposes. Propaganda and justification of wars, dictatorship in all its forms, racial, ethnic, social, religious intolerance and hostility are incompatible with the dignity of journalists and the media.
9. To not be dependent on those who are in power whatever their power is built on. Dependence on them is a weakness to be overcome.
10. To recognize openly and honestly their own mistakes.
11. To uphold the principle of presumption of innocence in relation to individuals or organizations whose guilt can be proved only in the courts.
12. To not claim a right of public interference into private lives of citizens, if it is not their consent, except in cases where the private lives of citizens, especially politicians and officials, contravene the democratic and moral standards of public life. Each person who gets under public criticism has the right of reply in the same media.
13. To avoid humiliating public characteristics, belittling the dignity of a person, a society or a state.
14. To remember that the truth is not only the supreme value for the journalists and the media, but also the supreme form of responsibility before themselves and society.