Public Tender - Journalism Trust Initiative - Certification Bodies

Partager

Journalism Trust Initiative

Certification Bodies - Public Tender

October 1, 2024

Background

Reporters Without Borders - known as Reporters sans frontières (RSF) - is an independent NGO working globally to promote the freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism. Fighting against censorship and providing support to journalists and media outlets persecuted because of their activities, RSF defends an essential pillar of democracy.

With consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), RSF is an independent organisation based in Paris. Strong with 6 sections abroad, bureaux in 7 cities, 4 representatives and network of correspondents in 130 countries, RSF has a strong potential to mobilise, alert on issues related to the freedom of the press and the protection of journalists and media professionals. 

 

Context of the call for tender

The rise of Big Tech, opaque algorithms, disinformation and countless external factors erode news consumption rates, revenue streams, audience shares, due prominence online, overall trust and more fundamentals of professional news organizations. Taking the issue from an economic perspective, we put news organizations in the context of a free market in which they severely lack competitive advantages and in which there is a structural lack of incentives.

This is why RSF organized the creation of the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), an industry benchmark with 18 criteria that helps professional publishers distinguish themselves and provide official assurance of their professionalism and commitment to ethical standards – by showing who they are, how they work and their commitment to high ethical standards – through ISO certification. Teh JTI puts forth a way to remedy not just these symptoms but the root causes of disinformation and the declining state of the news publishing industry. RSF initiated its development in 2018 with 130 media experts from around the world, under the aegis of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) which published the standard as CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 17493 in December 2019.

From a public policy perspective, ISO standards are used as self-regulatory references wherever there is a regulatory void. They are also used to better existing regulations and to shape upcoming legislation. RSF advocated and successfully inserted a specific reference to the JTI in the European Union’s Media Freedom Act (the so-called EMFA).

From a business perspective, ISO standards are a sort of common denominator between all actors of one same market. In this case, tech platforms (like Microsoft), brands and marketers, news aggregators, distributors, funders, philanthropies, media development organizations and so many others have a growing interest in making sure that the news organizations they work with can demonstrate their best effort to implement the 18 criteria of the JTI.

 

Purpose of the call for tender

RSF is the owner of the JTI Certification Programme, and the organization responsible for developing and maintaining this programme, in which accredited certification bodies participate.

The purpose of this call for tender is twofold:

  • Streamline existing partnerships with accredited certification bodies, and
  • Identify accredited certification bodies interested to offer audit services towards the JTI certification, in accordance with the JTI Certification Programme.

 

Scope of work

The detailed scope of work can be found in the “JTI Certification Programme | May 2022 | V.2.2. (EN)”, available for consultation upon request via email at [email protected].

Requirements for certification bodies

General

  • Ideally, certification bodies shall be accredited to ISO/IEC 17065;
  • Have an agreement with RSF as the programme owner guaranteeing to operate the JTI Certification Programme as it is, without any limitations or additions;
  • Have the resources required for operation of the programme and shall evaluate that the resources are adequate and sufficient.

Impartiality

  • Identify and establish a list of potential threats to impartiality (e.g.: self-interest, self-review, familiarity or trust, intimidation, economic and/or political interference);
  • Not offer any consultancy (any form of training, assistance, advice, instructions, or solutions) to media outlets by the certification body itself nor by any entity that has a relationship with it;
  • Cooling period: auditors/evaluators who have provided consultancy or had a contractual relationship with a media outlet under audit shall not be engaged by the certification body in evaluation activities for that client for a strict minimum of one year following the end of the consultancy/contractual relationship.

Competence

Specifically for the evaluation/audit, among other areas where required, the personnel of the certification body must:

  • Have specific knowledge of:
    • The media outlet’s service to be certified;
    • The JTI Certification Programme, including the JTI Standard according to CWA 17493, sufficient to determine it has been effectively implemented;
    • Principles, practices and techniques of auditing and verifying to conduct evaluation activities in services certification.
  • Have general knowledge of:
    • The media outlet’s type, size, governance, structure and workplace practices, information and data systems, documentation systems, and information technology;
    • Terminology, practices and processes common to a media outlet’s business sector, sufficient to understand the sector’s expectations in the context of the JTI Certification Programme;
    • Terminology, practices and processes common to a media outlet’s geographical region, the specific cultural environment and the communities it serves, sufficient to understand the local conditions in the context of the JTI Certification Programme.
  • Be capable of:
    • Planning and preparation activities, including choice of the most appropriate procedures and determining the time needed to collect or produce all the information and input needed as objective evidence for conformity with JTI Programme;
    • Planning representative sampling;
    • Communicating effectively to persons at any level of a media outlet using appropriate terms, expressions and speech;
    • Auditing to obtain relevant information by asking open-ended, well formulated questions and listening to understand and evaluate the answers;
    • Conduct the evaluation activities within the agreed timeframe;
    • Determining, recording, and effectively communicating evaluation results and conclusions.

Certification process

Evaluation activities relate to initial or recertification as well as surveillance evaluation. Special evaluation activities may be required upon, in case of complaints or nonconformities, for example. 

Evaluation activities may be carried out on-site or remotely, either at a physical location of the media outlet or at any virtual locations where its services are provided. Remote evaluation activities shall be based on a risk assessment by the certification body regarding nonconformities and the potential impact of missing or misinterpreting a media outlet’s nonconformity.

The following activities shall be considered for every evaluation:

  • Selection and collection of material or data regarding the media outlet according to a sampling procedure, by an automated system, or based on professional judgment;
  • Confirmation of the truthfulness of information declared by the media outlet through verification according to ISO/IEC 17029;
  • Validation of the design of the media outlet delivery processes, including e.g. risk assessment, preventive planning and contingency arrangements;
  • Audits of the media outlet carried out on-site or remotely by audit teams of the certification body according to the guidelines by ISO 19011;
  • Determination of characteristics of the media outlet’s services according to a test procedure, e.g. to control variables as the enforcement of editorial policies or the performance of correction policies regarding editorial content and mistakes;
  • Examination by direct or indirect observations regarding the media outlet resources (e.g. number of competent personnel, facilities, equipment, technology), processes and outputs;
  • Communication with the media outlet’s personnel or the media outlet’s users;
  • Anonymous observation or witnessing of the media outlet’s services (e.g. “mystery complainants”).

Certification decision

The certification body shall undertake a review of its activities to confirm that:

  • All evaluation activities have been completed in accordance with the certification agreement and the JTI Certification Programme;
  • The evaluation report allows conclusion on suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the evaluation activities and the results of these activities, with regard to deciding on the fulfillment of the JTI Certification Programme requirements;
  • Whether significant findings have been identified, resolved, and documented.

Based on the completed review, the certification body shall make the decision independently whether the fulfillment of specified requirements have been successfully demonstrated by the media outlet for granting the JTI certification. Reporters Without Borders shall not be involved in any of the above activities or decision-making processes.

Terms of the collaboration

  • Geographical area: each certification body shall specify which particular geographical areas it can operate;
  • Timeframe: each certification body shall be offered an initial term of 2 years.

 

Application

Applications shall be submitted by email to [email protected] in English or in French by October 31, 2024 and include:

  • A proof of accreditation, specifying which ISO/IEC and the issuing accreditation body;
  • Proofs (internal documents, attestations, etc.) of how the certification body meets the requirements of the JTI Certification Programme;
  • A detailed price list expressed in cost per person per day for the evaluation services towards the JTI certification, broken down as in the evaluation types indicative chart below:

 

Selection

Each of the 3 elements of the application submission are equally weighted.

Additional elements (methodology, relevant professional experience, promotion of the audit services, etc.) will be considered.

Published on