Instrument of self-regulation

Title:

Editors’ Code of Practice

Entry into force:

07.08.2006

Type of document:

Code of Practice

Geographical scope:

United Kingdom

Content-related scope:

journalistic ethics

All members of the press have a duty to maintain the highest professional standards. The Code sets the benchmark for those ethical standards, protecting both the rights of the individual and the public's right to know. It is the cornerstone of the system of self-regulation to which the industry has made a binding commitment.

It is essential that an agreed code be honoured not only to the letter but in the full spirit. It should not be interpreted so narrowly as to compromise its commitment to respect the rights of the individual, nor so broadly that it constitutes an unnecessary interference with freedom of expression or prevents publication in the public interest.

It is the responsibility of editors and publishers to apply the Code to editorial material in both printed and online versions of publications. They should take care to ensure it is observed rigorously by all editorial staff and external contributors, including non-journalists, in printed and online versions of publications.

Editors should co-operate swiftly with the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) in the resolution of complaints. Any publication judged to have breached the Code must print the adjudication in full and with due prominence, including headline reference to the PCC.

Click to download the corresponding pdf-document (0.702 MB)

Get more information from this website:
http://www.pcc.org.uk/

Available on the website since January 14, 2009