The Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) of Canada is a national industry association for radio and TV news journalists. Its Code of Ethics, which Canadian broadcasters must follow, is used to measure fairness and accuracy in broadcast news. The Code, which was revised in June 2000, has proved to be a valuable tool in dealing with issues around broadcast news, which is one of the most active areas of viewer and listener concerns.

Of the code’s 14 guidelines, key commitments include the requirements to:

• inform the public of events in an accurate, comprehensive and fair way
• resist any attempts to censor the news; intrusion into content, real or apparent, should be resisted
• refrain from pressuring viewers and listeners to change or alter their own views
• report only when relevant such factors as race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical or mental disability
• respect the dignity, privacy and well-being of people in the news

The RTNDA Code of Ethics is administered by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC). To submit a complaint about broadcast news content or activities that may contravene the Code, consumers can use the complaint forms on the CBSC and the CRTC Web sites (see right sidebar).

RTNDA Code of Ethics (Full Text)