Why independent journalism needs professional standards
Independence is a strength — but it should not mean operating without a profession behind you.
By IJSC Secretariat
The organisations representing journalists have not always kept pace with how the craft has changed. IJSC exists to give independent reporters a credible professional community.
Journalism has changed
You do not need a television studio, a newspaper office or a university degree to report a story that matters. You might be a citizen journalist filming on your phone, a YouTuber covering public events, an independent journalist, a freelance reporter, a documentary filmmaker or the person behind an independent news website.
If you are doing genuine journalism, you should be part of this conversation.
The problem independence does not solve
Independence is a strength. It lets you report without commercial pressure, follow stories wherever they lead and publish without an editor watering down what matters.
But independence on its own does not give you a profession behind your work. It does not give you a community of peers who hold the same standards. It does not give the public a way to tell the serious reporters from the careless ones.
That gap is what the IJSC is here to close.
What we can do now
Right now, IJSC offers something simple and honest: a public Code of Standards, a professional handbook you keep on your phone, an identity-verified membership record, and a register anyone can check.
Membership is not a badge you buy. It is a public commitment to accuracy, fairness, accountability and responsible reporting — and a community of people who take that commitment seriously.
What we are building towards
Our long-term ambition is to develop IJSC into a credible professional standards institution, with the objective of pursuing formal independent regulatory recognition when we meet the relevant requirements.
There are no shortcuts. We are not claiming there are. We are doing the difficult work first: robust governance, fair complaints procedures, effective training and reliable funding.
Join the founding period
This is the beginning. If you believe independent journalism deserves a stronger future, join us at the start and help build the institution our profession needs.