Marseille, 29 April 2025 – A significant milestone for ethical and responsible journalism: the official launch of “The Marselle Charter” at the Assises Internationales du Journalisme in Marseille (The International Journalism Conference in Marseille). This Charter is the outcome of a collaborative effort among journalists, researchers, legal experts and journalism schools from several French-speaking countries. The Charter seeks to enhance media coverage of migration issues by placing ethics and accuracy at the core of information reporting.

Already endorsed by numerous newsrooms, media professionals and journalism schools in France, Senegal, Belgium and Morocco, the Charter marks a significant step forward in how we approach a topic as complex as it is sensitive.

Ethical response to a social challenge

Migration, an issue at the heart of political, geopolitical and climate debates, is too often covered as a media emergency, leading to oversimplifications, stereotypes and fear-mongering. In response, the Marseille Charter seeks to address the public’s growing demand for clear, reliable and comprehensive information. It offers an ethical and practical framework to support journalists in reporting on migration with rigour, humanity and responsibility.

Building on commitments made at previous conferences on climate change (2022), artificial intelligence (2023) and violence against women (2016), the Marseille Charter marks another important milestone in the pursuit of more ethical and informed journalism.

Eleven guiding principles for quality reporting

At the heart of the Charter is a preamble outlining eleven guiding principles, reaffirming a core value of journalism: the editorial independence of each newsroom. Rather than prescribing a single method, the Charter offers a shared foundation of best practices and critical reflection aimed at improving the quality of information.

Key recommendations include providing context for data, diversifying sources, avoiding stigmatisation, amplifying the voices of those directly affected and equipping journalists with training on the legal and human dimensions of migration.

Collective and rigorous process

The Charter is the outcome of extensive work by an Editorial Committee composed of journalists and migration experts (researchers, legal professionals, other specialists, etc.). The group based its efforts on key ethical references such as the Munich Declaration, the The SNJ Charter, the IFJ Global Charter of Ethics and the Rome and Idomeni Charters.

It also incorporated insights from a study conducted by Désinfox-Migrations, alongside numerous consultations with newsrooms, to develop a practical tool tailored to the realities of reporting in the field.

A tool for accountability and progress

Through this Charter, media professionals are reaffirming their desire to go further in improving their practices in a world where information is both precious and fragile. By reminding us of the need for vigilance in the face of intense news events, the Marseille Charter has become an invaluable benchmark to ensure that rigour is not sacrificed for speed.

More than a text, the Charter is a living commitment to journalism that illuminates without distorting, questions without condemning, informs without generalising.

If a newsroom or school would like to sign the Charter, this can be done by clicking on this link.