Foreword Miklós Haraszti The initiative for this Media Self-Regulation Guidebook lies at the heart of my Offices mandate to defend and support media freedom in the OSCE area. My office supports journalists who wish to unite in their efforts to raise professional standards and thus strengthen the social standing of journalism. The co-operation between journalists in the field of ethics is also a great training ground for their co-operation in demanding their legitimate rights from governments. However, quality should never be a pre-requisite for freedom. Only a fully free press can be fully responsible. I see self-regulation and the promotion of quality journalism as additional safeguards of media freedom and even of media power. It is in this spirit that the guidebook aims to offer information to journalists, editors, publishers, and media students, as well as to government officials. Composed of questions and answers, this guidebook is practical and easy to use. There is no one-fits-all model that can be readily adopted anywhere. Therefore, the publication does not focus on specific countries, but rather on a wide range of practical concerns. How do the existing self-regulatory mechanisms work? What challenges do they face? How to establish or enhance them? Each chapter highlights particular aspects of media self-regulation, including the role of codes of ethics and various accountability mechanisms, such as 8 ombudspersons or press councils. The readers, I hope, will find solutions that they can tailor to their countries conditions. It is my hope that this guidebook will encourage the further development of media self-regulation, boost the quality segment of journalism, and, hence, help improve the overall media freedom situation in the OSCE area. Let me express my gratitude to the Governments of France, Germany, and Ireland for generously supporting the creation of this unique publication.
