The International Press Institute’s General Assembly stated that “it endorsed these principles because all attempts to corrupt the media compromise the freedom of expression that protects all other rights," according to Johann P. Fritz, Director of the International Press Institute. Peter Eigen, Chairman of the Board of Transparency International said, "The media has an important watchdog role to hold to account those in positions of power. To be credible in this role, it is essential that journalists refuse bribes and the corporate sector desists from offering bribes. It is also crucial that editors, publishers and media owners give journalists all the support they need to implement the media transparency principles..."
Not everyone in the two professions support the concept of media transparency. Among critics of transparency are those who have written about transparency as a false idea, especially the kind of transparency fostered by television’s entertainment values (Balkin, 1998). Others have argued that the metaphor of transparency glosses other apt characterizations of globalization – stretching, shrinking, networking, flows, etc. (Moores, 2002).

Unrestrained Transparency can be detrimental because...

In addition, others have suggested that unrestrained transparency might be detrimental because: (a) openness might aggravate conflict in the absence of universally shared, or at least mutually compatible, norms of behaviour; (b) some secrets are legitimately worth protecting if revelation will betray, for instance, competitive market advantage; and (c) information can easily be misused or misinterpreted because transparency reveals behaviour but not intent (Florini, 1998). Indeed, the success of the European Union (EU) has been ascribed by some observers to its resistance to transparency and the culture of secrecy.