This framework sets out intersecting ethical standards for core areas of CIR’s work in research and investigations and media engagement and strategic communications.
CIR was founded on the core values of supporting and defending human rights and democracy. Every action we take and project we deliver is grounded in these values. We only undertake work which is in line with our mission to:
The problems we seek to tackle are beyond just one sector of society. We believe the only way to make progress is by all sectors working collaboratively. We work with democratic governments, accountability and regulatory bodies, academia, independent civil society and media organisations to achieve our goals. Our choice of work is driven by us and is independent.
CIR is accountable for the actions we take in conducting our work. We must assess the risks of harm inherent in our activities, balance these risks against the public interest of proceeding, and take appropriate mitigations. We are open to feedback, reflect critically on what we do and acknowledge – including through public corrections where appropriate – where we make mistakes.
CIR should root all its activities in a robust understanding of the context in which we operate, drawing on insight from diverse teams and local expertise wherever possible. We must recognise where unequal power dynamics may impact the work that we do and seek to mitigate these where possible. We should seek to give back through our work – including through skills and knowledge-sharing with affected communities and the wider open source community.
CIR maintains full editorial independence in its research and outputs and will report its findings without influence or bias. When working with third parties, such as journalists and media outlets, CIR will respect the full editorial independence of those parties. If a partner output does not meet our ethical standards, CIR will engage with relevant parties to try and address these issues. If these cannot be resolved, then CIR will disassociate themselves from the output.
CIR’s ethical standards for research and investigations draw from the Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open-Source Investigations, WITNESS Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Eyewitness Testimony, the OBSINT Guidelines for public interest OSINT investigations and the Principles for Digital Development. They cover the research and investigatory process and all associated outputs.
Outputs should accurately represent the data collected. Exculpatory information and contextual background should be included, as well as an explanation of any redactions, gaps or limitations in research methods. If content has not been fully verified through CIR’s verification processes this should be made clear.
In designing research methodologies, CIR will consider what biases might exist in our teams, research assumptions, datasets, methodologies and tools. CIR will identify and undertake actions to mitigate potential bias where possible. We will be clear in our research outputs where risks of bias persist and what implications this has for research findings.
Findings must provide an indication of the completeness of the underlying data. Where data has been verified but certain facts, for example, on the broader context, remain unknown these must be acknowledged.
CIR uses privacy rating systems to flag where the publication of material could compromise the safety, privacy and dignity of those involved in or creating the content. Where personally identifying content is published, CIR will anonymise material to protect the identity and privacy of victims, witnesses, alleged individual perpetrators and sources, unless we judge it of sufficient public interest – for example to ensure accountability for criminal acts – not to do so.
CIR has developed detailed guidance on processes for securing informed consent from research subjects directly and handling consent indirectly in the case of open source investigations. All CIR’s researchers should follow these guidelines to ensure that their work respects the privacy and dignity of those involved and to establish whether publication is in the public interest.
Research outputs will be written in objective and neutral (including gender neutral) language and state facts clearly without overusing objectives or emphasis.
Outputs will distinguish between content in the public domain, general unclassified information, restricted information, and content that reflects the judgement of CIR and/or other professional investigators. Where safe and appropriate to do so, CIR will credit and link to the source of information. Where doing so would cause harm, CIR will describe how the information was found and why we believe it to be authentic.
Outputs should state clearly how CIR went about this work, our aims, processes and methods or provide a link to where this data is provided.
CIR will seek to minimise exposure to potentially distressing material across all research outputs by i) only using this where necessary (for example, to corroborate findings); ii) providing advance warning of graphic content and iii) providing options for readers not to view it.
CIR works with journalists, civil society and media organisations to promote information integrity and defend human rights. We undertake engagement and strategic communications to help ensure information is available to audiences that might be unable to access it, inform and engage the public on rights-based issues and, promote critical thinking and media literacy.
Where CIR’s media engagement and communication activity is linked to the publication of research, it must observe the research ethics above. Where activity is broader, it must be governed by the following principles:
All content must be accurate and truthful.
Activities must respect and protect the human rights of audiences, and must never mislead, discriminate or exploit vulnerabilities.
Effective communications start by understanding why audiences hold the views and perceptions that they do and do not dismiss them as uninformed or unintelligent.
The goal must be to give audiences information that empowers them in their decision making and builds their resilience against information manipulation.