Infopro Digital Editorial Code

INFOPRO DIGITAL EDITORIAL CODE

A. INTRODUCTION

This Code applies to all Infopro Digital staff acting in a journalistic capacity and is designed to regulate their activities in conjunction with the law. It is not however intended to have any legal force. Any complaints raised that provisions of the Code have been breached are adjudicated initially by our Head of Legal Affairs and appeals may be referred to a firm of solicitors or barrister agreed by all parties. This self-administration of the Code is not subject to third party regulation by IPSO, Impress or any other purported regulator.

Many of the provisions dictate a careful consideration of whether newsgathering or publishing activities are justified as being in the public interest even though they might otherwise breach the Code. Where a public interest exception may apply, this is identified in the relevant clause. A public interest means that the public has a legitimate stake in a story because of the contribution it makes to a matter of importance to society. Such interests include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The revelation or discussion of matters such as serious incompetence or unethical behaviour that affects the public;
• Putting the record straight where an individual or organisation has misled the public on a matter of public importance;
• Revealing that a person or organisation may be failing to comply with any legal obligation they have;
• The proper administration of government;
• Open, fair and effective justice;
• Public health and safety;
• National security;
• The prevention and detection of crime; and
• The discussion or analysis of artistic or cultural works.

The following provisions apply where our journalists are about to undertake an action that they think would otherwise breach the Code, but for which they believe they have a public interest justification. The action might be a particular method of newsgathering or publication of an item of content. Before undertaking the action, our editors and/or journalists should, where practicable, make a contemporaneous note, which establishes why they believe that:

• The action is in the public interest;
• They could not have achieved the same result using measures that are compliant with the Code;
• The action is likely to achieve the desired outcome; and
• Any likely harm caused by the action does not outweigh the public interest in the action.

 

B. PROVISIONS OF THE CODE

1. ACCURACY

1.1. Infopro Digital must take all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy.

1.2. Infopro Digital must correct any significant inaccuracy with due prominence, which should normally be equal prominence, at the earliest opportunity.

1.3. Infopro Digital must always distinguish clearly between statements of fact, conjecture and opinion.

1.4. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.

2. ATTRIBUTION & PLAGIARISM

2.1. Infopro Digital must take all reasonable steps to identify and credit the originator of any third party content.

2.2. Infopro Digital must correct any failure to credit the originator of any third party content with due prominence at the earliest opportunity.

3. CHILDREN

3.1. Except where there is an exceptional public interest, publishers must only interview, photograph, or otherwise record or publish the words, actions or images of a child under the age of 16 years with the consent of the child or a responsible adult and where this is not detrimental to the safety and wellbeing of the child. While a child should have every opportunity to express his or her wishes, journalists have a responsibility to consider carefully the age and capacity of the child to consent. Unless there is a detriment to the safety and wellbeing of a child, this provision does not apply to images of general scenes.

3.2. Except where there is an exceptional public interest, publishers must not identify a child under the age of 16 years without the consent of the child or a responsible adult unless this is relevant to the story and not detrimental to the safety and wellbeing of the child.

3.3. Infopro Digital must give reasonable consideration to the request of a person who, when under the age of 16 years, was identified in their publication and now wishes the online version of the relevant article(s) to be anonymised.

4. DISCRIMINATION

4.1. Infopro Digital must not make prejudicial or pejorative reference to a person on the basis of that person’s age, disability, mental health, gender reassignment or identity, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation or another characteristic that makes that person vulnerable to discrimination.

4.2. Infopro Digital must not refer to a person’s disability, mental health, gender reassignment or identity, pregnancy, race, religion or sexual orientation unless this characteristic is relevant to the story.

4.3. Infopro Digital must not incite hatred against any group on the basis of that group’s age, disability, mental health, gender reassignment or identity, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation or another characteristic that makes that group vulnerable to discrimination.

5. HARASSMENT

5.1 Infopro Digital must ensure that journalists do not engage in intimidation.

5.2 Except where justified by the public interest, publishers must ensure that journalists:

1. Do not engage in deception;
2. Always identify themselves as journalists and provide the name of their publication when making contact; and
3. Comply immediately with any reasonable request to desist from contacting, following or photographing a person.

6. JUSTICE

6.1 Infopro Digital must not significantly impede or obstruct any criminal investigations or prejudice any criminal proceedings.

6.2 Infopro Digital must not directly or indirectly identify persons under the age of 18 who are or have been involved in criminal or family proceedings, except as permitted by law.

6.3 Infopro Digital must preserve the anonymity of victims of sexual offences, except as permitted by law or with the express consent of the person.

6.4 Infopro Digital must not make payments, or offer to make payments, to witnesses or defendants in criminal proceedings, except as permitted by law.

7. PRIVACY

7.1 Except where justified by the public interest, Infopro Digital must respect people’s reasonable expectation of privacy. Such an expectation may be determined by factors that include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. The nature of the information concerned, such as whether it relates to intimate, family, health or medical matters or personal finances;
2. The nature of the place concerned, such as a home, school or hospital;
3. How the information concerned was held or communicated, such as in private correspondence or a personal diary;
4. The relevant attributes of the person, such as their age, occupation or public profile; and
5. Whether the person had voluntarily courted publicity on a relevant aspect of their private life.

7.2 Except where justified by the public interest, Infopro Digital must:

1. Not use covert means to gain or record information;
2. Respect privacy settings when reporting on social media content; and
3. Take all reasonable steps not to exacerbate grief or distress through intrusive newsgathering or reporting.

8. SOURCES

8.1 Infopro Digital must protect the anonymity of sources where confidentiality has been agreed and not waived by the source, except where the source has been manifestly dishonest.

8.2 Infopro Digital must take reasonable steps to ensure that journalists do not fabricate sources.

8.3 Except where justified by an exceptional public interest, publishers must not pay public officials for information.

9. SUICIDE

9.1 When reporting on suicide or self-harm, Infopro Digital must not provide excessive details of the method used or speculate on the motives.

10. TRANSPARENCY

10.1 Infopro Digital must clearly identify content that appears to be editorial but has been paid for, financially or through a reciprocal arrangement, by a third party.

10.2 Infopro Digital must ensure that significant conflicts of interest are disclosed.

10.3 Infopro Digital must ensure that information about financial products is objectively presented and that any interests or conflicts of interest are effectively disclosed.

10.4 Infopro Digital must correct any failure to disclose significant conflicts of interest with due prominence at the earliest opportunity.

11.FINANCIAL JOURNALISM

11.1 Even where the law does not prohibit it, Infopro Digital journalists must not use for their own profit financial information they receive in advance of its general publication, nor should they pass such information to others.

11.2 Infopro Digital journalists must not write about shares or securities in whose performance they know that they or their close families have a significant financial interest without disclosing the interest to the editor or financial editor.

11.3 They must not buy or sell, either directly or through nominees or agents, shares or securities about which they have written recently or about which they intend to write in the near future.

12. PAYMENT TO CRIMINALS

12.1 Payment or offers of payment for stories, pictures or information, which seek to exploit a particular crime or to glorify or glamorise crime in general, must not be made directly or via agents to convicted or confessed criminals or to their associates – who may include family, friends and colleagues.

12.2 Should an Infopro Digital editor try to rely on the public interest to justify payment or offers s/he would need to demonstrate that there was good reason to believe the public interest would be served. If, despite payment, no public interest emerged, then the material should not be published.