January 19, 2018

The Editors’ Code of Practice, under which the vast majority of Britain’s newspaper, magazine and news website journalists work, has been revised. The changes took effect on 1 January 2018.

In a move that goes further than the law requires, Clause 9 (Reporting of crime) now states that editors should generally avoid naming children after arrest for a criminal offence, but before they appear in court.

Clause 2 (Privacy) has also been amended to clarify how the public domain is taken into account when complaints are considered.  The extent to which material is in the public domain or will become so is now a factor that may be considered in Clause 2 complaints. The amendment also helps address the challenge of regulating global digital publications that are owned and domiciled in the UK.

Clause 11 (Victims of Sexual Assault) has also been amended to prevent publication of material likely to lead to the identification of a victim of sexual assault.

The Editors’ Code of Practice Committee has recommended that the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) should consider how member publishers report on commercial transparency.

In making these decisions, The Editors’ Code of Practice Committee considered several thousand submissions on the Code from a wide range of organisations and members of the public. For the first time in such a review the submissions have been published on the Committee’s website and the Committee has produced a report explaining how it reached its decisions. To read the press release in full and to access other relevant documents, click here.