HYDERABAD, June 3: A senior US journalist and Director International Media Affairs, Dr.Sherry Ricchiardi and another senior photojournalist Frank Folwell on Thursday have said that accuracy and truth telling are cardinal principles of investigative reporting as journalists are the bridge between people and government. They were delivering lectures to participants of a one-day training workshop on “investigative journalism and media ethics organised by US Consulate, We Journalists and Center for Peace and Civil Society in Sindhi Muslim society here Thursday . Dr. Sherry described investigating journalism as the watchdog of society and it was the most important tool of journalism to protect society against the powerful ones. She referred to six stages that form basis of investigating reporting by journalists and added that while working on any investigating story the media ethics should not be lost sight of. She said that ethics is an every day business for journalists and they could ask their organisation or the editors that these ethics must be followed adding that BBC’s ethics were wonderful to be adopted if journalists don’t have something in black and white. She quoted several websites for studying code of ethics of journalism.

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She said that journalists must be cautious when comes to competition of reporting as it was upto journalists how to spin or frame something. About attribution of anonymous sources in stories, she said that at times it could be harmful and in US print media there are very strict guidelines if one has to rely on anonymous sources. She said that in various cases these sources have their own agenda therefore journalists must be careful in confirming anonymous material by a reliable second source and also see whether the story is important enough to justify use of such source. She said that currently in Pakistan water scarcity, deforestation and environment are important subjects for stories to be investigated. She said journalists could be agent of change and reforms of society especially when it comes to investigative reporting. She said that investigating journalism’s checklist has six important points like idea, reality check, go or no go, plain/outline, report and write/rewrite adding that idea for such a story could be a news as well. She pointed out that professional journalists should keep in mind that who is going to win or lose in the story and who is the victim because reporters have to support the victims and common man who suffer in various cases. She said that when journalists commit a mistake it is always a reflection on them. She agreed with a participant that national interest often could be in conflict with an investigating reporting but as far as US is concerned the government couldn’t ask journalists to do or don’t do this. She added that if the government does it then the papers would be writing that they were being influenced. She shared some ideas for stories as well. For instance, she said, if child is a big problem in community, find a child 5 to 10 years old and show the public how he/she lives. Use this child or group of children to link to the larger issue, she added. Frank Folwell, treasurer national Press Photographers Association said that photojournalists have the same responsibility as a journalist has. He observed that emerging electronic technologies provide new challenges to the integrity of photographic images. He said that they have to be careful in their job. He particularly spoke of a tool of photojournalism – photo shop – as it could land them in trouble if this software is misused. He added that pictures always reflect the subject of story in right perspective. He suggested that photojournalists should be accurate and comprehensive in representation of subjects, resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunity and they should treat all subjects with respect and dignity.