Reality of media work Ethics in the Arab world

Abstract

This study deals with the reality of the ethics of media work in the Arab world in general and in Sudan in particular, in light of the relationship of this to law and freedom, and the opinions rejecting and supporting this relationship in light of the repeated call for the adoption of journalistic and media honor codes with the existence of laws related to the media and the press in recent times despite the decrease in freedom In some countries and their absence in other countries, which made many journalists, media professionals, experts and academics in the Arab world believe that the Arab media in general and the press in particular, according to official international reports, has come to rank behind in the scale of freedom compared to its peers in the world, Where there are conflicting opinions about media laws and media work ethics, the positions of journalists and experts are conflicting. Some say that ethics is not the solution, and the government and media unions must implement the law, and there are those who say that enacting laws is contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international covenants.

The study discusses the issue of media practice in the context of the difference between moral obligation and legal obligation, the issue of imposing ethics by law, the relationship between ethics and law, and its implications for media practices in the Arab world. The paper aimed to address the problem of the extent to which the ethics of media work contributes to creating an Arab media message aimed at the good of humanity as an alternative to falsifying the awareness that is taking place today due to the new media, especially social networks, In addition to strengthening the system of ethical values ​​and laws in achieving honest and responsible media work that respects its audience, as well as measuring the level of awareness of practitioners' media codes of honor, and monitoring the extent of their dependence on media work ethics in processing and obtaining their media information.

The study addressed the problem of the research by adopting the descriptive approach. And by using the questionnaire tool, on a deliberate sample of 155 individuals of practicing journalists, radio and television workers, media experts, and users of new media, to reveal many facts and accurate information about the relationship of media laws with media ethics in Sudan as a model for Arab countries, The study concluded with many results, perhaps the most prominent of which is that unless there is a change in the cognitive, cultural and behavioral vision, the political framework, media freedom, and the legal and moral framework, the media will not develop. The study stressed that the desired media is not upright without providing laws and legislation that guarantee freedom of opinion and expression, while devising mechanisms to activate the system of moral values ​​in media practice, and with a greater role for the National Council for Press and Press Publications, the Syndicate of Journalists, and all civil society institutions, especially since the absence of a system Moral values ​​cause complications, which makes the Arab press and the Arab media incapable of revealing the full and uncompromised truth.