Section 10. Ethical rulings

10.1. In case of an infringement of the rules stipulated in this Code, the Ethical Committee, upon conducting ethical proceedings according to its regulations, may rule that an ethical offence has been committed. In the course of the proceedings, and in publishing the Committee's verdict, the widest possible publicity shall be sought.

10.2. The Ethical Committee, or its acting council, usually publishes only its final verdicts. However, the acting council may decide that - especially in order to protect the freedom of press and to fend off unjust or unethical attacks - non-final rulings might be published too. In such a case the non-final status of the verdict must be strongly emphasized. Rulings or statements may also be published in press releases or at press conferences.

10.3. The acting council of the Ethical Committee shall impose sanctions in proportion to the gravity of the ethical offence, but as a professional court of honour, its primary objective is to bring the parties to an understanding, to have them seek an agreement, to appease and to satisfy all parties involved.

10.4. The Ethical Committee may impose the following sanctions:

- oral warning,

- written warning,

- censure,

- major censure,

- suspension of membership rights for one year,

- exclusion from MÚOSZ.

If an elected representative of the Association commits an ethical offence, the acting council of the Ethical Committee may also initiate the removal of the representative from his / her position.

10.5. The chair and deputy chairs of the Ethical Committee act as an acting council of appeal. There is no appeal against a decision of the council of appeal, with the exception of a decision excluding the defendant from MÚOSZ. It is possible to lodge a complaint against such a decision with the Board of the Association. Verdicts that are not appealed within the period of time set by the Ethical Committee for this purpose are considered final.

10.6. The Ethical Committee may notify the leader of the editorial staff, the publisher, or the owner of the media organ about the verdict reaching its final stage. If it is necessary, the Committee may initiate proceedings with other social forums or authorities.

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In the creation of this Code, the following documents have been consulted and considered:

- the [Hungarian] Law No. II. of 1986 about the press, law No. I. of 1996 about the media,

- thoughts expressed in [Charles Fletcher's] Visegrád Guidelines pertaining to journalism,

- the ethical principles published in 1977 by the Washington Post,

- the ethical and procedural rules of the Hungarian Association of Content Providers,

- Resolution 1003/1993 by the Council of Europe on the ethics of journalism,

- production guidelines of the BBC, and

- previously passed bills of law and guidelines that concerned parliamentary and municipal elections in Hungary.

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