Ethical Journalism

Name

Ethical Journalism

Legal name

Ethical Journalism Network

Website

https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Ethics & Journalism Training

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Auditing & Contract Compliance (MPAAABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance & Risk Intelligence Publishing (KYC/AML, ESG, Cyber, Privacy) (MPAJACAC), Risk Intelligence, Threat Monitoring & Crisis Response (Harmful trends, coordinated abuse) (BPAAALAN)

Keywords

• Journalism ethics training
• Media accountability standards
• Ethical reporting guidelines
• Newsroom certification tools
• Press freedom advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: EJN is a registered charity (Charity Number 1166150 in England and Wales) that relies on public donations to support journalists worldwide who uphold ethical practices.
2. Institutional Grants and Project Funding: EJN receives funding from institutional donors including the European Union (EU) and UNESCO for specific projects like the Building Trust in Media in South-East Europe and Turkey initiative. The organization also benefits from international foundations supporting journalism ethics work.
3. Training and Education Services: EJN delivers training programs, workshops, and educational resources on journalism ethics, AI in journalism, hate speech reporting, and media accountability - funded through project grants from EU, UNESCO, and other international partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) is a registered charity that strengthens journalism and promotes high ethical standards in media worldwide. Its core offerings include the Five Core Principles of Ethical Journalism and the Five-Point Test for Hate Speech as foundational frameworks, the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) self-assessment and certification tool, the Ethics in Journalism e-course, reports and guidelines, video and podcast content, and multi-phase field projects (including Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey with UNESCO and the EU, and the Diacomet digital media literacy project).

Product overview

The Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) operates as a charitable organization offering a portfolio of ethical standards frameworks, training programs, and certification tools rather than a single software product. Its core offerings include the Five Core Principles of Ethical Journalism and Five-Point Test for Hate Speech as foundational frameworks, combined with practical tools like the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) for media self-assessment and certification. EJN delivers educational content through e-courses, video series, podcasts, and publishes research reports and guidelines on ethical reporting. The organization runs multi-phase projects like Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey, and supports international initiatives such as the Paris Charter on AI and Journalism and the Diacomet digital media literacy project. These offerings work together to strengthen journalism ethics globally through training, certification, advocacy, and knowledge resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Five Core Principles of Ethical Journalism Foundational framework of five principles (Truth & accuracy, Independence, Fairness & impartiality, Humanity, Accountability) used internationally as essential training material and as the benchmark by which journalism is judged worldwide.
• Five-Point Test for Hate Speech Analytical tool developed by EJN to help journalists evaluate and identify hate speech in media coverage, providing guidelines for ethical reporting on sensitive topics.
• Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) Standard for trustworthiness of news and information developed by Reporters Without Borders with EJN support. Provides indicators for trustworthy journalism and promotes adherence to professional norms and ethics through self-assessment, public disclosure, and optional certification for media outlets.
• Paris Charter on AI and Journalism The first international ethical benchmark for AI and journalism, defining ten key principles for safeguarding the integrity of information and preserving journalism's social role in the AI age.
• Ethics in Journalism E-course Online educational course led by Aidan White covering fundamental ethics in journalism, equipping journalists with skills and knowledge needed to understand the power, purpose, audience, and agenda of media messages.
• Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey Long-running UNESCO-supported project in partnership with the EU, working with media outlets in the Western Balkans and Turkey to strengthen media accountability and transparency through sustainable self-regulation mechanisms, including ethical audits using the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI). Documented across three phases from 2016 to 2024+.
• Diacomet Project EU-funded project run by a network of European universities focused on digital media literacy, reshaping media accountability ideas, and building models for civic resilience and moral awareness against misuse of information; developing a Civic Code of Good Communications Conduct.
• Reports and Publications Portfolio of research reports on topics including press freedom in Turkey, self-regulation in journalism, corruption in journalism, media coverage of migration, media literacy, challenges for journalism in the post-truth era, trust in journalism, structural racism in UK newsrooms, Ukraine media coverage, and hate speech guidelines.
• Guidelines for Ethical Reporting Topic-specific guidelines for ethical reporting on sensitive issues including migration, trafficking in human beings, labour market issues in Arab states, hate speech across regions, and ethics of open-source analysis.
• Ethics in News Podcast and Video Series Podcast and video series covering ethics in journalism, ethical audits, misinformation, structural racism, AI in journalism, and responsible reporting on sensitive issues including suicide, domestic violence, and COVID-19.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ media organizations achieved ethical audits through JTI in South-East Europe and Turkey
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2023JTI is a standard for news trustworthiness developed by RSF and partners. EJN promotes JTI globally and has helped 30+ media organizations in South-East Europe and Turkey complete ethical audits through JTI.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2023RSF initiated and led the international committee to develop the Paris Charter on AI and Journalism. RSF developed the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) that EJN promotes globally. EJN serves as a key partner in AI ethics initiatives for journalism.
• International Labour Organization (ILO)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021EJN implemented the ILO SSTC Journalism Fellowship for Arab States, bringing Arab journalists together with mentors to promote human-centered reporting on labour market issues in the Arab region.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021EJN is a partner in UNESCO's Building Trust in Media in South-East Europe: Support to Journalism as a Public Good project, aimed at fostering media ethics, rights-based regulation of digital platforms, and Media and Information Literacy policies.
• European Broadcasting Union (EBU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the international committee developing AI charter for media. Contributed committee members including Justyna Kurczabinska, Head of News Strategy and Transformation.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AI charter development. Contributed Jodie Ginsberg, President of CPJ, to the committee developing international ethical standards for AI in journalism.
• Free Press UnlimitedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AI charter development. Contributed Ruth Kronenburg, Executive Director, to the international committee on AI ethics in journalism.
• Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AI charter development. Mira Milosevic, Executive Director of GFMD, served on the international committee.
• International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AI charter development. Gerard Ryle, Director of ICIJ, served on the international committee on AI ethics in journalism.
• International Press Institute (IPI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AI charter development. Frane Maroevic, Executive Director of IPI, served on the international committee.
• Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AI charter development. Paul Radu, Co-founder of OCCRP, served on the international committee.
• World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Paris Charter development. Martha C. Ramos Sosa, President of World Editors Forum at WAN-IFRA, served on the committee.
• European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Paris Charter development. EFJ adopted resolution at annual meeting in Ankara calling on unions to recruit influencer journalists.
• Photography Ethics CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint panel video on Photographing Afghanistan recorded December 2021. Collaboration on ethics of visual journalism.
• European Federation of JournalistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEJN works with EFJ on Building Trust in Media project. Aidan White serves as Vice President of EFJ. Mustafa Kuleli also serves as Vice President of EFJ.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Center for Journalists (ICFJ): US-based nonprofit supporting journalism worldwide through training, grants, and programs. ICFJ operates in overlapping geographies and thematic areas with EJN, particularly around journalist training and media ethics.
• International Press Institute (IPI): Vienna-based global press freedom network with a focus on media ethics, accountability, and standards. IPI is both a partner in the Paris Charter development and a comparable organization promoting ethical journalism worldwide.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF): Paris-based international press freedom NGO and co-developer of the Journalism Trust Initiative and Paris Charter on AI and Journalism. RSF is both EJN's closest strategic partner and the most direct peer operating in the same media-ethics and standards space.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): US-based press freedom organization that serves on the same Paris Charter committee as EJN. CPJ advocates for journalist safety and ethics globally, directly comparable to EJN's mission and partner network.
• Free Press Unlimited: Dutch-based press freedom NGO supporting independent journalism worldwide. Free Press Unlimited is a partner in the Paris Charter development and comparable to EJN in supporting journalists in challenging environments.
• World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA): Global industry body representing news publishers, co-developer of the Paris Charter alongside EJN. WAN-IFRA's World Editors Forum works on editorial standards and press freedom, directly comparable to EJN's standards work.
• European Federation of Journalists (EFJ): Brussels-based federation of journalism unions across Europe with which EJN's founder and team hold leadership roles. EFJ promotes ethics, professional standards, and journalist rights — closely aligned with EJN's mission.
• International Federation of Journalists (IFJ): Brussels-based global federation of journalism unions where EJN's founder Aidan White served as General Secretary for 25 years. IFJ is the largest organization of journalists worldwide and a direct peer in promoting journalism ethics and professional standards.
• Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD): International membership organization supporting media development and press freedom globally. GFMD contributed leadership to the Paris Charter committee and represents an overlapping community of media-assistance organizations.

Broad incumbents

• Poynter Institute: US-based journalism school and think tank offering ethics training, fact-checking resources (PolitiFact, IFCN Code of Principles), and media literacy programs. Poynter is a broader incumbent in journalism ethics education, with more resources and reach than EJN.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EJNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethical-journalism-network

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ethical Journalism