EU Official Suggests Media Code On Religious Reporting

In an interview with today's News Telegraph, European Union Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini suggested that European media adopt a voluntary code of conduct committing them to exercise "prudence" when reporting on Islam and other religions. Frattini suggested that the code be drawn up by the media with the assistance of the European Commission. The code would acknowledge the importance of respecting religious sensibilities of all religions. While Frattini's current proposal is obviously motivated by the "Muhammad cartoon" controversy, the European Commission has long wanted to introduce EU-wide legislation on fighting racism and xenophobia. [Thanks to The Editors Weblog for the information.]