Editors to demonstrate evidence for public interest breaches of journalism rules

The Editors' Code is a set of self-regulatory standards journalists should observe when reporting and includes rules on accuracy, intrusion into grief and secret recordings. Currently newspapers are entitled to break some of those rules if they can demonstrate that doing so was in the public interest. From 1 January editors will be required to provide evidence to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) that supports their public interest claims.

"Whenever the public interest is invoked, the PCC will require editors to demonstrate fully that they reasonably believed that publication, or journalistic activity undertaken with a view to publication, would be in the public interest and how, and with whom, that was established at the time," the amended Code (1-page / 84KB PDF) said.

The change to the rules was agreed by newspaper editors who make up the Editors' Code of Practice Committee. The Committee is independent of the PCC and is tasked with drawing up the self-regulatory rules of the Code. The PCC is responsible for enforcing the Code and can 'name and shame' publications that break the Code and ask them to publish apologies. However, it has no legal powers to enforce punishments such as fines for violations of the Code.

A new requirement has also been placed on newspapers the PCC judges to have breached the Code to "publish the PCC's critical adjudication in full and with due prominence agreed with the PCC's director".

Paul Dacre, editor in chief of Associated Newspapers and chairman of the Editors' Code of Practice Committee, said: "These changes are designed to ensure that the normal good practice followed in most newspaper offices in most cases becomes enshrined in the Code itself, and in doing so explodes some popular fallacies about press self-regulation".

"Last year we introduced a rule requiring editors running corrections to agree prominence with the PCC in advance," Dacre said. "This has helped to kill the myth that they are routinely buried in the paper. Now we have brought the publication of critical adjudications more into line with that. It should dispose of another misconception."

"The public interest amendment underwrites the need for editors and senior executives to give proper consideration before they consciously decide to breach the Code –something that should never be done lightly. They should be ready to demonstrate they have observed this process. Most do it already. This measure should be a safeguard, not a burden," Dacre said.

The Committee said the amendments are to be introduced following prior consultation with industry and the PCC.