“Ka-set” is an independent Internet news media on Cambodia and Cambodians worldwide, which respects the code of journalist ethics internationally recognized, notably those expressed in the 1971 Munich Charter adopted by representatives from European journalists’ organizations and International journalists’ organizations. Our charter follows closely this historical document.

“Ka-set” regards access to information, to free expression and to criticism as fundamental human rights.

“Ka-set” also attaches great value to principles established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), especially article 19 :
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

“Ka-set” aims also at promoting the linguistic diversity and the right to be informed in one’s mother tongue, and recognizes the importance of multilingualism in promoting universal access to information. “Ka-set” supports as a priority not only the use of Cambodian and French languages but also any initiative aiming at spreading news in different languages and at facilitating the access to information to an audience as large as possible.

“Ka-set” does not depend on any political organization or private interest.

“Ka-set” ’s objective is to provide a useful, reliable, checked, factual and objective information, for the sake of honesty and truth.

The responsibility of “ka-set” journalists to its readership prevails over any other responsibility, including their employers and authorities.

Therefore “ka-set” journalists are committed, in the research, writing and comment of events, to :

1) respect the truth, whichever consequences may be for themselves, for the sake of the right of people to know :

2) defend the freedom of information, comment and criticism;

3) publish only news whose source is known or, if necessary, add reservations to them;

4)  not suppress the main information and not modify the texts and documents they refer to, not distort sentiments of an interviewed person and explain to people in which context these words have been said;

5) specify clearly to an interviewed person the objective of the interview and the context in which his quotes might be used; respect anonymity of an interviewed person who asks for it; keep professional secrecy and not disclose the source of information obtained in a confidential way;

6) provide a right, balanced and impartial information; give the possibility to different points of view to be expressed when about controversial issues; when somebody is implicated (called into question) in an article, allow him to react and to defend himself if he wishes, either in the related article or in an article to be published later;

7) not use dishonest/unfair means to get information, photos or documents;

8) respect people’s private life; nevertheless, in case the private behavior of a person could concern the public, “ka-set” journalists will allow themselves to relate this information, as far as all necessary precautions are taken not to affect the rights of people external to this affair;

9) recognize their mistakes and correct any published information which will appear to be inaccurate, in accordance with legal provisions;

10) forbid any plagiarism and respect copyright; when a “ka-set” journalist wishes to mention an information published by a media or an organization not linked to “ka-set”, either on internet, TV, radio or on paper, he must clearly name this media or organization; if he wants to publish this kind of document, he must ask the authorization to the responsible persons of these structures; generally speaking, those pieces of information and extracts should be systematically completed by “ka-set” journalists’ own researches; the journalists should not just reproduce information obtained and published by other media or organizations without adding value;

11) abstain from slandering, defaming and making groundless accusations; in a specific case of ongoing prosecution or judicial procedure, “ka-set” journalists avoid to take position and respect the presumption of innocence; a suspect must not be named guilty before being convicted by a court; however, journalists could disclose to the public information and evidence related to such cases;

12) refuse to receive or claim any type of benefit, financial or other, linked to the publication or the withdrawal of an information; “ka-set” journalists turn down systematically tea money that companies, organizations and agencies can distribute to Cambodian journalists in order to encourage them to cover an event that they organize; and refuse any present intended to influence, even in an implicit and limited way, free judgement;

13) never confuse the journalist profession with advertiser or propagandist professions; not accept any direct or indirect instructions from advertisers; the persons in charge of the administration and the commercial services as well as the “ka-set” journalists make sure that there is a clear distinction between editorial writing and commercial writing; texts, photos and graphics related to advertisement must be identifiable as such;

14) refuse any kind of pressure and accept editorial directives except from the editorial management.


“Ka-set” journalists, like all their fellow journalists, have essential rights, as follows:

15) journalists demand free access to all information sources and have the right to freely investigate all the facts that determine public life; the secrecy of public or private affairs cannot be used against journalists apart from specific cases when clearly specified reasons are given;

16) journalists cannot be considered responsible for words, ideas and opinions expressed by people quoted in their article as far as it is clearly specified that these quotes belong to them;

17) journalists have the right to refuse any subordination which would be opposed to the main editorial line of the media for which they work, or which does not come from the editorial management, as it is specified in writing in their work contract;

18) journalists cannot be constrained to fulfill a professional task or to express an opinion which will be contrary to their personal conviction or conscience;

19) any important decision which could potentially affect the media’s functioning should be necessarily notified to the journalistic team. It needs to be at least consulted before the final decision related to any measure concerning the composition of the team : employment, dismissal, transfer and promotion of a journalist;

20) in accordance with age and responsibilities, the journalist is entitled to have a personal contract insuring both material and moral security as well as wages corresponding to the social role attached to status, so that they can be economically independent.

In order to guarantee the respect of these journalists’ duties and rights, “ka-set” journalists, permanent, freelance and collaborators, are committed in their daily work to :

21) decide collectively the choice and way of covering stories as well as considering the consequences that can occur from choices made;

22) promote the principles and values of this charter;

23) consult colleagues if there is any doubt over ethical and professional concerns;

24) accept criticism and advice from colleagues and, alternately, pay attention to colleagues’ work and give them advice;

25) lay great emphasis on team work and collaboration with a constructive motivational spirit;

26) train young journalists and keep updated with new technologies;


As for the “ka-set” translators, they undertake to :

27) use precise words existing in the language of translation, whether they exist, rather than borrowing words/expressions from foreign languages;

28) keep updated with new terminologies and new usage of language;

29) respect information, meaning, ideas and shape of the original text;

30) notify to the author any mistake or incoherence in the original text;

31) be responsible for what is translated; but cannot be made responsible for the information contained in the text, as long as it is in accordance with the content developed in the original text;

Finally, the persons in charge of the administrative and commercial services of “ka-set”, undertake to :

32) respect the clear separation between the editorial department and the administrative and commercial ones;

33) exert no financial, psychological or other kind of pressure on the editorial team or one of its members, in order to obtain the publication or the suppression of an information or article, and, generally speaking, refrain themselves from giving any editorial directive to “ka-set” journalists;

34) promote principles and values of this charter to their advertisers and interlocutors;


Moreover, “Ka-set” and all its employees are members of the ChildSafe Network. This means that Ka-set commits to only show on its website and various publications content that is free of articles or advertisement that would endanger children's rights, mental and physical health, or would promote organisations, institutions or events that might be harmful to persons under 18 years old.

All the members, employees, collaborators and partners of “ka-set” are committed to respect scrupulously the principles stated above, in accordance with the Cambodian law.

Phnom Penh, 6th November 2007