Anonymous columns? Yes, but under conditions, says the Press Council
Is it ethical to publish a column anonymously to give the author as much freedom as possible? It can be, says the Press Council, but only under two conditions.
On the one hand, the readership must be able to recognize what point of view the author represents. On the other hand, the editorial staff must ensure that the content of the column does not grossly violate the "Declaration of the Duties and Rights of Journalists" - especially if the author is not a journalist himself.
On this point, the Press Council rejected a complaint lodged by the Geneva SP against Le Temps good. The newspaper claimed that its "anonymous columnist" Emilie Sombes, who is not a journalist, was "not bound by the declaration of rights and duties that governs this profession." This claim, as well as the fact that there are no further references to the columnist in the text, violates the journalists' code, however, the Press Council found.
In addition Le Temps should have published the reaction of Carole Anne Kast, President of the SP Geneva, unabridged, as requested by her. On the other hand, the Press Council did not find any violation of paragraphs 1 (truth) and 3 (sources) of the Code of Ethics. (pd)
