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Statement
of Principles
- Accuracy
Publications (newspapers and magazines) should be
guided at all times by accuracy, fairness and balance,
and should not deliberately mislead or misinform readers
by commission, or omission.
- Corrections
Where it is established that there has been published
information that is materially incorrect then the
publication should promptly correct the error giving
the correction fair prominence. In some circumstances
it will be appropriate to offer an apology and a right
of reply to an affected person or persons.
- Privacy
Everyone is entitled to privacy of person, space and
personal information, and these rights should be respected
by publications. Nevertheless the right of privacy
should not interfere with publication of matters of
public record, or obvious significant public interest.
Publications should exercise care and discretion before
identifying relatives of persons convicted or accused
of crime where the reference to them is not directly
relevant to the matter reported.
Those suffering from trauma or grief call for special
consideration, and when approached, or enquiries are
being undertaken, careful attention is to be given
to their sensibilities.
- Confidentiality
Editors have a strong obligation to protect against
disclosure of the identity of confidential sources.
They also have a duty to take reasonable steps to
satisfy themselves that such sources are well informed
and that the information they provide is reliable.
- Children
and Young People
Editors should have particular care and consideration
for reporting on and about children and young people.
- Comment
and Fact
Publications should, as far as possible, make proper
distinctions between reporting of facts and conjecture,
passing of opinions and comment.
- Advocacy
A publication is entitled to adopt a forthright stance
and advocate a position on any issue.
- Discrimination
Publications should not place gratuitous emphasis
on gender, religion, minority groups, sexual orientation,
age, race, colour or physical or mental disability.
Nevertheless, where it is relevant and in the public
interest, publications may report and express opinions
in these areas.
- Subterfuge
Editors should generally not sanction misrepresentation,
deceit or subterfuge to obtain information for publication
unless there is a clear case of public interest and
the information cannot be obtained in any other way.
- Headlines
and Captions
Headlines, sub-headings, and captions should accurately
and fairly convey the substance of the report they
are designed to cover.
- Photographs
Editors should take care in photographic and image
selection and treatment. They should not publish photographs
or images which have been manipulated without informing
readers of the fact and, where significant, the nature
and purpose of the manipulation. Those involving situations
of grief and shock are to be handled with special
consideration for the sensibilities of those affected.
- Letters
Selection and treatment of letters for publication
are the prerogative of editors who are to be guided
by fairness, balance, and public interest in the correspondents'
views.
- Council
Adjudications
Editors are obliged to publish the substance of Council
adjudications that uphold a complaint.
Note: Editors and publishers are aware of the extent
of this Council rule that is not reproduced in full
here
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