Agra Declaration of Journalists
February, 1981

We, the working journalists of India, considering our calling as a trust, believing in serving the public interest by publishing news and comments in free and fair manner, holding that the freedom of the Press and the right to information are inalienable and are inherent to the democratic process and as such need to be cherished and strengthened by all; realizing that the press and the society can flourish fully only when every individual freely enjoys his fundamental human rights and, therefore, we must uphold and defend these rights; recognizing that the rights of journalists also enjoin upon them the obligation and duty to maintain the highest standards of personal and professional integrity and dignity; and feeling that in order not only to eschew fear or favour but also appear to be doing so, journalists must be ensured a reasonably decent living and appropriate working conditions; pledge and declare that -

1. We shall protect and defend at all costs the right to collect and publish facts and to make fair comment and criticise.

2. We shall endeavour to report and interpret the news with scrupulous honesty, shall not suppress essential facts. We shall observe and protect the rule of fair play to all concerned, resisting all pressures.

3. We shall not acquiesce in or justify the imposition of censorship by any authority in any form and we shall not ourselves try to exercise censorship on others.

4. We shall endeavour to uphold and defend the fundamental human rights of the people and safeguard the public interest.

5. We shall not let ourselves be exploited by others, nor shall we exploit our status for personal ends. Personal matters shall not be allowed to influence professional conduct. We shall seek to maintain full public confidence in the integrity and dignity of the profession of journalism and shall ask and accept only such tasks which are compatible with its integrity and dignity.

6. We shall not deliberately invade personal rights and feelings of individuals without sure warrant of public interest as distinguished from public curiosity. But, we shall not compromise our rights to report and expose in public interest the affairs of public men and other influential people. For, public affairs must be conducted publicly.

7. We shall consider the acceptance or demand of a bribe or inducement for publication or suppression of news as one of the most serious professional offences.

8. We shall unitedly and individually resist assaults and pressures from any quarter and in any form on journalists, in particular, and the Press, in general, in the discharge of professional work.

9. We shall always respect confidence and preserve professional secrecy.

10. We shall strive constantly to raise professional standards and improve the quality of work.

11. We shall try to exercise self-restraint and discretion in dealing with incidents of communal frenzy and other social tensions without prejudice to the people's right to know.

12. We shall collectively endeavour to secure higher levels of wages and better working conditions consistent with our functions, responsibilities and status. We shall not injure the economic or professional interests of fellow journalists by unfair means.

(The proposal was prepared and moved by Dr. N. K. Trikha and adopted unanimously at the 4th Biennial Conference of the NUJ (1) held at Agra in February, 1981)