Ethics and transparency
A set of ethical rules and principles govern the work of France Médias Monde journalists
All of France Médias Monde’s editorial activities are governed by a body of texts setting out the ethical rules that apply to all of the Group’s journalists. FMM has an internal organisation dedicated to ethics, professional conduct and the honesty of its programmes. It is transparent, and journalists from the Group’s media are regularly reminded of the texts associated with it. Some of them are available here online.
Charters relating to the Group’s code of ethics
Ethics Charter for Journalists
In 2017, France Médias Monde adopted a charter defining the ethical and deontological principles of its editorial teams. It is the result of a collective drafting process involving management, journalists’ associations and the unions representing the Group’s employees. The Committee on Honesty, Independence and Pluralism of Information and Programmes (CHIPIP) was also involved in the drafting process and issued an opinion on the text. It is communicated to all journalists working for the Group’s media outlets (including correspondents) and has versions translated into French, English, Arabic and Spanish.
The FMM Ethics Charter is based on six principles:
- Professional treatment of information
- Respect for individuals and their dignity
- Coverage of acts of war, attacks and armed violence against civilians
- Independence and respect
- Precautions in digital environments
- Role of the Ombudsman
Other texts governing France Médias Monde’s journalistic activities
In addition to the Ethics Charter, other documents set out the editorial framework for the Group’s media activities.
External collaborations and partnerships
An internal document provides a framework for journalists’ external collaborations and the rules of independence that govern the Group’s partnerships.
Journalists wishing to collaborate outside the company must first request authorisation from the management of their channel, indicating the type of collaboration envisaged, the company or institution with which the collaboration would be carried out, and its duration. External collaborations must in no way be prejudicial to France Médias Monde, particularly in terms of independence, deontology and editorial ethics. As such, it is not permitted to host events organised by political and/or partisan movements, to host commercial conventions or to take part in advertising activities. In addition, France Médias Monde employees may not have any interest that might compromise their independence in a company that has a business relationship with FMM (or is likely to have such a relationship because of its activity), or be bound by a contract with such a company.
Regarding partnerships, France Médias Monde takes particular care to examine any partnership or sponsorship with events that could have a political and/or partisan aim, within the framework of a partnerships committee that includes the channels’ editorial managers. The Group refrains from any partnership or sponsorship of events that contradict the editorial values of its channels.
The Group’s Ethics Committee (made up of representatives from journalists’ associations and editorial management) ensures that these rules are properly applied.
The rectification policy
France Médias Monde’s editorial teams are committed to providing their audiences with the most accurate news, respecting the principles of integrity and impartiality. With this in mind, they are likely to provide clarifications and rectifications as soon as a new fact or error is brought to their attention, and they undertake to do so in complete transparency. Their audiences need to be able to understand why a correction has been made. Read France Médias Monde’s rectification policy.
The use of artificial intelligence
A guide to good practice in the use of artificial intelligence has been drawn up to guard against the risks associated with the use of AI in journalistic work, and to set out the ethical principles and limits for the use of these new tools.
Ethics and transparency
In accordance with the Sapin II law, an anti-corruption code of conduct has been drawn up and sent to all employees, and has also been the subject of training for all teams.
Editorial safety
A document details the entire editorial safety policy (safety of employees in the field, protection of sources, etc.).
Digital environments
A guide for journalists has been published to protect themselves against online hate and illegal content.
Good investigative practice
A guide to good investigative practice formalises the editorial, ethical, legal and safety rules applicable to investigations carried out by FMM journalists.
All of these texts (ethics charter, rules on external collaborations and partnerships, editorial safety, guide against online hate, anti-corruption code of conduct, etc.) are brought together in a single framework document given to all journalists and accessible on the Group’s intranet platform.
France Médias Monde certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
France Médias Monde has achieved the Journalism Trust Initiative certification (JTI), securing a perfect score of 100% in the overall rating. This certification, developed as an international ISO professional standard, is an initiative by Reporters Without Borders aimed at promoting free and independent information globally. It evaluates journalism based on criteria that assess editorial reliability, adherence to ethical and journalistic principles, and respect for journalistic ethics.
The certification process involves a rigorous 200-question test covering various aspects such as editorial organization (including ethics, editorial independence, protection of sources, accuracy, and transparency), funding sources, independence of governance and legal structure, and social management practices. All of France Médias Monde’s responses to this evaluation are publicly available on the JTI platform (jti-app.com), in the form of a transparency report. This report has undergone external scrutiny by an independent third-party organization, Deloitte, which verified the accuracy of the report and confirmed France Médias Monde’s compliance with JTI’s ethical and deontological standards.
Internal organisation
The Ethics Committee
An Ethics Committee brings together the journalists’ societies (SDJ), the management of each media outlet and France Médias Monde’s Ombudsman with an equal representation of men and women. At the request of the Journalists’ societies, the Group’s CEO chairs this body. It provides an opportunity to discuss ethical issues at least twice a year and as often as necessary, and to relate the general rules to the most complex practical cases. This committee discusses every draft text or new rule relating to journalistic ethics.
The Committee on Honesty, Independence and Pluralism of Information and Programmes (CHIPIP)
The Committee on Honesty, Independence and Pluralism of Information and Programmes (CHIPIP) was set up in 2017 at France Médias Monde (in accordance with the law of 14 November 2016 aimed at strengthening the freedom, independence and pluralism of the media). Its members are appointed for a three-year term by the members of FMM Administrative Board (the State representatives do not take part in this vote).
The CHIPIP is responsible for contributing to compliance with the principles of honesty, independence and pluralism of news and the programmes recalled in the Ethics Charter. France Médias Monde listeners, viewers and Internet users may refer any question falling within its remit to this committee. The committee may, on its own initiative, initiate work on topical issues or issues of particular importance in terms of honesty, independence and pluralism. The committee must also inform ARCOM (the French broadcasting and digital regulator) of any fact likely to contravene the principles of independence, honesty and pluralism.
The members of the Committee on Honesty, Independence and Pluralism of Information and Programmes (CHIPIP) are:
- Hervé Brusini, Chairman of the Committee, journalist
- Martine Laroche-Joubert, journalist
- Lady Ngo Mange Epesse, researcher in women’s rights, lecturer and producer
- Tristan Mendès-France, author, film-maker, radio host and teacher specialising in online extremism
- Alain Rodier, journalist
View the CHIPIP reports: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017
The Ombudsman
France Médias Monde’s Ombudsman ensures compliance with professional ethics.
He acts as an intermediary between the public and France Médias Monde’s editorial staff. The Ombudsman’s main task is to deal with correspondence from the public. He thus contributes to the establishment of good relations between the public and the France Médias Monde. He gathers any comments, complaints, criticisms or claims concerning the content broadcast by France Médias Monde and is responsible for responding to them along with the managing editors and journalists concerned.
Jean-Pierre Constantin is the current Ombudsman for France Médias Monde.