PCC Code of Practice

16 clauses of code of practice:

Clause	Details
Accuracy	Publishing inaccurate, misleading or distorted information/pictures Must distinguish between comment, conjecture and fact
Opportunity to reply	Fair opportunity to reply to inaccuracies
* Privacy	Respect for private/family life, home, health and correspondence (inc. digital communication) Unacceptable to photograph individual in private place without consent
* Harassment	Engaging in intimidation, harassment & persistent pursuit No questioning/photography when asked to desist
Intrusion into grief/shock	Cases involving personal grief/shock must have sympathy approach with suitable discretion Avoid excessive detail about method used in suicide
* Children	Young people should be free to complete school without intrusion Under 16s need adult consent to do interviews/photographs when involving issues of their/another child's welfare Minors must not be paid Fame/notoriety/position of parent doesn't justify publishing details of child's private life
* Children in sex cases	No identification of victims of sex offences under 16 The word 'incest' can't be used where child may be identified No implications the child is responsible
* Hospitals	Obtain permission from executive before entering non-public areas of hospital (or equivalent)
* Reporting of crime	Relatives/friends of convicts should not be identified without consent unless relevant to story Particular regard to vulnerability of children who are witnesses/victims
* Clandestine devices and subterfuge	Must not seek to obtain/publish material acquired via hidden cameras, clandestine listening devices, intercepting phone calls No accessing unauthorised digitally-held private information without consent Engaging in misrepresentation/subterfuge (inc. by agents or intermediaries) can only be justified in public interest
Victims of sexual assault	Press not likely to publish identites of victims or material likely to contribute to identification
Discrimination	Avoid prejudicial reference to an individual's race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or physical/mental illness or disability Irrelavent details to be avoided
Financial journalism	Must not use financial info they recieve in advance of general publication for own profit No writing about shares/securities in whose performance they know without disclosing interest to the (financial) editor Must not buy/sell shares or securities which they have recently written about or intend to
Confidential sources	Moral obligation to protect confidential sources of information
Witness payments in criminal trials	No payment/offer to a witness in any case once proceeding are active Contempt of Court Act 1981 Any payment/offer made even if prior to start of court proceedings must by disclosed to prosecution and defence Witness must be advised on their requirements
* Payment to criminals	No direct payment (or via agents) of material which seeks to glorify crime in general or exploit a particular crime No payments to convicts, confessed criminals or their associates Editors must demonstrate reasonable public benefit for publishing material under this issue

The public interest:

• May be exception to clauses marked with *
• Detection/exposure of crime or serious impropriety
• Protecting public health and safety
• Preventing public from being misled by action/statement of an individual or organisation
• Freedom of expression
• When public interest invoked, editors required to defend why they think public interest was served
• PCC considers extent material is already in public domain/will become so
• When involvement of under 16s, exceptional public interest must be demonstrated to over-ride normally paramount interest of the child