At UBT, the promotion of the new book “Ethics, a Shield for Professional Journalism” by author, journalist, publicist, and professor Musa Sabedini was held
14/01/2025The promotion of the new book “Ethics, a Shield for Professional Journalism” by author, journalist, publicist, and professor at the Faculty of Media and Communication at UBT, Musa Sabedini, was held at UBT premises. This latest book by Professor Sabedini represents an important pillar for journalism students, media researchers, investigative journalists, and editors dedicated to professionalism.
At this special event, which gathered many guests, prominent personalities from the academic and media fields were present, including the Rector of UBT, Prof. Dr. Edmond Hajrizi, the professor and reviewer of the book, Dr. Safet Zejnullahu, as well as the author himself, Musa Sabedini. Also, a large number of students, experts, and book lovers attended this promotion, who evaluated this work as an extraordinary contribution to the field of journalism in Kosovo.
In his welcoming speech, Rector Hajrizi emphasized the importance of this book as a guide for ethical standards in journalism. He praised Professor Sabedini’s dedication and long experience, calling this work a strong foundation for the training of new journalists and the advancement of professional journalism in Kosovo.
“There is still much to be done, as there is a lack of literature and topics that need to be covered professionally. This book is positive and important news, considering that until 2025 we did not have such a publication on journalistic ethics. As UBT, we are pleased to bring this work to students and the audience in general,” said Rector Hajrizi.
Content and message of the book
The book “Ethics, a Shield for Professional Journalism” provides an in-depth analysis of the importance of ethics in journalism and contemporary media. In his preface, the author emphasizes that the work is the result of long research and over 33 years of experience in informative and investigative journalism, as well as over 13 years as the founder of an influential portal and a member of the Board of KMShK.
“The book also came as a result of my tireless multi-year work, during which I have tried to advance ethics in all dimensions. My over 33 years of experience in informative and investigative journalism, another over 13 years of experience as the founder of an influential portal and just as many years as part of the KMShK Board, enabled me to learn a lot about the daily mistakes made by portals and the many shortcomings that appear during online journalism,” writes author Sabedini.
The author has dealt in detail with the main concepts and principles of ethics, illuminating its essential role in protecting journalistic professionalism. With concrete examples from local and international media, Sabedini offers practical guidelines for avoiding ethical violations and advancing professional standards.
In his speech during the promotion, Sabedini stated that “Ethics is the soul of professional journalism. Without it, every writing, chronicle, or analysis loses value and credibility. This book is not just a guide for journalists, but an appeal to the whole society to respect and advance ethics as a key element for collective emancipation.”
“Ethics is the essence of professional journalism, because if a journalist does not have personal ethics, it will be difficult for them to apply collective ethics or to respect ethics in public life. It is no coincidence that it is said that without ethics there is no journalism. Ethics is the soul and the detail that strengthens every writing, chronicle, analysis, or journalistic text. If we have respected ethics, we have automatically become responsible to ourselves and to our readers. Good ethics, authoritative ethics in journalism and media, is a cure for an emancipated society. Of course, ethics should not only be preserved or advanced by the media and journalists,”because it must also be respected by readers, and by those who are our eyes and ears, for our daily work,” wrote Professor Sabedini.
Book Structure
The book is divided into three main chapters, with each chapter addressing different topics related to ethics in journalism:
Theory and basic concepts of ethics – including definitions, its importance in journalism, challenges, and the impact of hate speech, disinformation, and defamation.
Credibility and responsibility of journalists – offering concrete examples of ethical violations and recommendations for improving standards.
Ethical dilemmas in contemporary media – focusing on the challenges of digital media, social networks, and case studies on the impact of ethics in journalistic reporting.
The book’s reviewer, Dr. Safet Zejnullahu, described the work as an essential guide for Albanian journalists and media. He praised the author’s research-based and competent approach, emphasizing that the book offers a comprehensive alternative for understanding and applying ethics in daily journalistic practice.
In the first chapter, the book discusses the confrontation of ethical theory, the sphere of ethics, its codes and principles, definitions of ethics, its importance in journalism, the essence of ethics, its significance, the challenges it carries, and the author has also written extensively on hate speech, disinformation, privacy, defamation, fake news, ethical values of news, ethical principles, unethical reporting in Kosovo’s media, legal damages caused by ethics, ethical violations, and challenges of ethical journalism.
Meanwhile, the second chapter discusses the credibility of journalists, ethics in journalism and media, plagiarism and copy-paste news. I have provided many practical examples of portals that have violated ethical codes, and guidelines and positions from KMSHK and KPM have been offered, as two mechanisms dealing with the self-regulation of online and television media, on ethics in photos, videos, and videography, on insults and vulgar violence on our televisions, on the deaths of personalities from around the world, where ethics were violated, and case studies of deaths, even of famous people in Kosovo, who were attacked with ethical violations by the media, on the honesty of journalists and the problems digital media have in applying ethics, on the advantages and disadvantages of ethical codes.
The third chapter also consists of interesting materials, where I have addressed ethical dilemmas, the damages caused by TikTok, social networks and social media, which are described with extreme ethical violations, ethics in blogs and bloggers, abuse during accidents, murders, suicides, domestic violence, self-regulation and standards of online media, the most accepted ethical principles, conflict of interest and the quality of portals in the field of ethics, etc.
“But the topic it addresses makes it special and different. Because it deals with a topic that, as everywhere in the world, helps journalists not to make mistakes or to make minimal mistakes, as human errors are also present, it helps the media to become better and more professional, because this is their primary obligation, regardless of whether they sometimes forget it, intentionally or unintentionally,” emphasized Professor Zejnullahu.
According to him, the book comes as a sublimation of the author’s long experience of over thirty years in active field journalism, being part of regulatory bodies of journalism in Kosovo, as well as a professor of journalism, which enables him to address the topics presented for discussion from all three levels, each distinct: by practicing professional and unviolating journalism, by monitoring the violations of others, and by observing in practice what qualities and principles young journalists need most today.
Professor Zejnullahu said that “Technology and social networks make this possible,”for professional journalists and regulatory and self-regulatory bodies are those that should help in this very important transitional period of media in Kosovo, by minimizing “amateur journalism” and by strongly adhering to the principle of professional journalism, which only professionals create, develop, and protect”.
“Based on the content, the abundant and referential literature elaborated by the author, the meritorious examples, and the message that only professionalism protects journalism, I believe that the book “Ethics, a Shield for Professional Journalism” will be a strong tool in the hands of those who practice journalism, to do good and professional journalism and to eliminate the shortcomings that both harm journalism and stifle free thought in a country in transition and development, such as Kosovo.
Kosovo’s journalism is very good, compared to the circumstances in which it develops. Research and books like this one by colleague Musa Sabedini greatly help it to become even better, even more professional,” concluded Zejnullahu.
Otherwise, the book has 520 pages, and the publisher is UBT.
Conclusion and Importance for the Future
The promotion of the book “Ethics, a Shield for Professional Journalism” concluded with fruitful discussions on the need to advance ethics in journalism. Students and participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas and ask questions to the author and panelists.
This work is expected to have a great impact not only on the academic level but also on daily journalistic practice, serving as a guide for new generations of journalists and for all those who are committed to protecting professionalism and media integrity.