IPSO
is the acronym for the Independent Press Standards Organisation. This
organisation replaced the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) after the PCC was
closed down on the 8th of September, 2014. This was largely due to
the poor response they gave regarding the phone hacking scandal involving News
of the World (British newspaper that was stopped in 2011).
The ‘Editors Code of Practice’ is a list of policies set by
ISPO that must be followed by the press. These codes set what is acceptable for
the press to do (within what the codes cover). There are 16 codes in total that
are enforced by ISPO, these are:
- Accuracy - Reporting of crime
- Privacy - Clandestine devices and subterfuge
- Harassment - Victims of sexual assault
- Intrusion into grief or shock - Discrimination
- Reporting suicide - Financial journalism
- Children - Confidential sources
- Children in sex cases - Witness payments in criminal trials
- Hospitals - Payments to criminals
Regarding accuracy, the press cannot, and must make sure to not publish any
inaccurate or misleading material, including headlines that do not correlate to
the story below. If the inaccurate material published is significant, then it
must be corrected swiftly and the news outlet it has come from must apologise.
The press must also make sure it is clear to the reader what is a comment,
opinion or a fact and must report these three things fairly. Privacy must be respected as it is
something everyone is qualified to have, therefore editors must either receive
consent for intrusion, or justify it. Even though text about an individual
without consent can be justifiable, images cannot, no matter where/when the
picture has been taken. No matter how much a journalist wants a story, they’re
not allowed to take part in any harassment,
as persistent questioning can make the interviewee uncomfortable and may
make them say things they don’t mean to. If a journalist is going to take part
in any intrusion into grief or shock,
it needs to be done sensitively and with sympathy, as it needs to be recognised
that the person they’re enquiring about is going through a hard time. Reporting suicide is another sensitive
issue that can be done, but with little detail. This means the method they have
used should be explained much as people in an unstable state may read the
article and decide to use the method that the journalist has detailed. Children need to be treated with
respect, this includes not bothering them during school times, this means
journalists cannot approach or photograph them. These rules also apply for
children of famous parents, as that is not an excuse to report on a child’s
private life. Children under 16 must also have consent be given when commenting
on their or another child’s welfare, the consent must be given by an adult,
usually their parent or guardian. There are also rules for children in sex cases, these include not revealing the identity of
the child and not using the word “incest”. However, the adult can be
identified, but their relationship with the child cannot be stated or hinted
at. In the case of hospitals, journalists
must have permission from someone of authority to enter non-public areas and
respect the privacy of the patient involved. Reporting of crime is also something the codes of practice take
into consideration. When discussing a convicted person, friends/relatives
should not be named, especially if they’re under 18 years old. If the person
with the criminal offence is going to a child’s court, naming should be
avoided, however, if they’re seen in a crown court it is more acceptable. Clandestine devices and subterfuge refers
to acquiring footage in an immoral way. For example, it would be morally wrong
for the journalist to incept private messages. The codes also cover
expectations of behaviours towards victims
of sexual assault. This means that the press cannot release anything that
may reveal the identity of the victim, unless they can legally justify the
decision. Codes on discrimination tell
us that the press cannot detail an individual’s “race, colour, religion, gender
identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental illness or disability” unless
it has relevance according to the story. The press must also not show any kind
of prejudice towards any of the previously listed things. Financial journalism is also mentioned, stating that when being
involved in this type of journalism, the journalists cannot use any information
they receive for their own financial gain. Also, if they have any or know
anyone who may have a financial interest in articles, they must inform the
editors. In the case of confidential
sources, the journalists have a “moral obligation” to keep the identity of
confidential sources hidden for their source protection. The codes also talk
about witness payments in criminal
trials. Before any witnesses can be given payment, the suspect must be
freed/have pleaded guilty. The same rule applies to anyone who hasn’t been
called as a witness, but is expected to be. The rules regarding payment to criminals is also mentioned.
If it is in the public interest to pay to get the story, then the payment can
be justified and the story published. However, payments should not be made to
those attempting to “glamorise crime”.
One complaint I found was
relating to a breach of privacy against the Sun newspaper. It was about a story
they had published stating that Ferne McCann had like an Instagram post that
referred the release of the acid attacker Aurthur Collins. The argument was
that the person who posted the picture would never accept follow requests to
his account from people he doesn’t know. The conclusion of this case was that
no breach of privacy was made.
Another complaint I found was
made by Gianni Accamo. He complained that the Bristol Post had been inaccurate,
publishing material that claimed he had been caught in Nottingham by police due
to him being part of a set of “elaborate diamond and jewellery frauds”.
However, Gianni claimed that he was not arrested in Nottingham, and actually
turned himself in to a police station in Cardiff. The conclusion of this case
was that no breach of the accuracy code was made.
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