Diploma in Journalism

Essential Journalism Ethics and

Regulation
Programme of Study
2016-2017
This programme of study is indicative in that it is designed to indicate the scope of the
principles of ethical journalism which need to be understood by NCTJ diploma candidates.
Tutors will be able to adopt their own approach to its delivery, but study should concentrate
on real-life scenarios when considering ethical issues that have faced publishers in recent
years.

Essential journalism ethics and regulation does not seek to engage candidates in a
generalised debate around moral philosophy. This module is about the ethical responsibilities
which arise in practical journalism. Delivery of this programme of study can be integrated and
should be co-ordinated with delivery of the mandatory units in the Diploma qualification
including essential journalism, the work candidates complete towards their e-portfolio
assessment, public affairs, essential media law and regulation and the specialist option
media law court reporting (if applicable to your course).

Ofcom regulation and key parts of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code are taught within essential
media law and regulation and this learning is extended in the broadcast journalism specialist
option.

Press self-regulation – as reflected in the Editors’ Code of Practice (as currently used by
IPSO) is covered within essential media law and regulation, media law court reporting and by
additional guidance given in study unit D (page 7).

These law programmes, therefore, already cover some ethical topics, e.g. avoiding intrusion
into privacy or grief, and anonymity (beyond that provided by law) for victims of sexual
offences, but elements of practical journalism ethics will be relevant to these media law
programmes, helping candidates to understand and articulate ethical principles.
NB: Candidates should be aware of any changes made during the academic year regarding
the establishment of other press regulators and the work of the Press Regulation Panel.

Many issues in day-to-day journalism will be resolved by the correct application of the
appropriate laws and/or the relevant code of practice or regulations.

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This programme of study is designed to help candidates understand the underlying,
ethical principles and to give guidance about what to do when faced with practical
issues that fall outside the law or regulation.

The aim of the practical journalism ethics module is to ensure trainee journalists can:

 recognise where ethical issues may arise in their day-to-day work

 understand how news-gathering or what is published can have an impact on people’s

lives

 understand how their actions and work as individuals can reflect on their own
integrity, on their employer’s standing and on the reputation of journalists generally

 recognise that rights bring with them responsibilities

 demonstrate how to carry out challenging journalism in a legal, ethical and

responsible manner while serving the public interest

Assessment

Candidates’ understanding of essential journalism ethics will be assessed integrally in the

assessment of media law and regulation, essential journalism (exam and e-portfolio), and the
follow two assessments:

Candidates on broadcast journalism courses sit a one-hour exam to test practical knowledge
and application of the relevant sections of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. They are examined
on the Ofcom code rather than the wider legal framework which is assessed in essential
media law and regulation. Candidates are required to answer two out of three questions. This
exam is graded A-F and grade descriptors can be found in the broadcast journalism
programme of study.

Non-broadcast course students [including multimedia] sit an online multiple-choice regulation

test, based on IPSO and the Editors’ Code. Candidates must answer all ten questions. This
test is graded A-F with the following scores:

A grade 10/10
B grade 9/10
C grade 8/10
D grade 7/10
E grade 6/10
Fail 1-5/10

Guided learning
This syllabus incorporates a programme of study that includes an estimated 20 hours guided
learning: direct teaching or training under immediate guidance or supervision of a tutor or
trainer or other appropriate provider of education or training. Delivery of this syllabus content
is integrated throughout the entire Diploma in Journalism programmes of study.

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Content

Standards in Journalism

This part of the programme should set the scene for all learning in it. Examples should be
provided for students and trainees of ethical journalism which when published or broadcast
has benefited society. The need for accuracy, objectivity and balance/fairness in news
coverage should be a starting point for study, though it should be recognised too that
journalism can campaign for change.

Integrity and Propriety

As the Editors’ Code and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code recognise, journalists should
exercise financial propriety. This part of the programme should emphasise too that journalists
should be above any suspicion that they have improperly gained personal benefit through
their journalism. This part of the programme examines ways in which a journalist can be or
can be suspected of being compromised because of their personal interests, and also
examines how journalists can be members of the community or political groups without
compromising their role as journalists.

Responsibilities to consider the impact of journalism on individuals

In this part of the programme the key considerations are how journalists’ pre-publication
activity and what they publish can have an impact on others, and that ethical decisions go
beyond consideration of what the law gives you a right to publish. Responsibilities come with
rights.

IPSO and the Editors’ Code of Practice (non-broadcast journalism candidates)

Non-broadcast candidates will take a multiple choice, online exam based on the Editors’
Code of Practice, rulings and resolutions made by IPSO under the terms of the Code (and by
its predecessor, the Press Complaints Commission, where still relevant) and on IPSO itself,
including its powers, remit, constitution and funding.

Broadcast regulation (broadcast journalism candidates)

Broadcast journalism candidates will take a broadcast regulation exam- a compulsory

assessment in the broadcast journalism module - and be able to demonstrate a practical
working knowledge of the main points of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. Candidates are
advised to study recent Ofcom adjudications and will be rewarded in exam answers for
reference to relevant adjudications.

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 STUDY UNITS

A Standards in journalism

B Integrity and propriety

C Responsibilities to consider the impact of journalism on

individuals

D IPSO and the Editors’ Code of Practice (non-broadcast journalism

candidates) and/or the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (broadcast
journalism candidates)

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A. STANDARDS IN JOURNALISM

Candidates will be introduced to general principles which underpin the creation of ethical
journalism and why it matters. The emphasis in this part of the programme is on ethical
obligations owed to readers/audiences and society, and on how subjects of journalism are
portrayed. Real-life contemporary or historical published examples should be used to
illustrate these principles.

At the outset candidates must understand that being ethical does not curtail controversial
and courageous journalism, e.g. that which exposes crime, corruption, injustice or wrong-
doing. Examples should be given of such challenging journalism.

Candidates will learn:

 the general duty to inform and not to mislead readers, listeners and viewers: why
accuracy, balance and fairness matter
 the nature of objectivity and the concept of a reporter being “neutral”
 maintaining an ethical stance within the traditional culture of the newsroom to break
news quickly and with news ‘angles’
 examples of how objectivity can be lost
 the danger of “generalisations” in copy
 to what extent it is ethical to “clean up” quotes from speakers to ensure they are
grammatically correct
 if and when bias can be justified, e.g. bias against racism and for democracy,
when is sensationalism wrong and when is it justified
 how transparent should a news organisation be? Candidates should consider why
attribution of material is usually the best practice, e.g. the declaration of who are the
sources of information published
 being clear to sources that you are a reporter and will be filing a story
 use of anonymous sources, and when it may be inappropriate to use them
 dealing with errors and mistakes
 avoiding comment/opinion in news items

Candidates should consider the concept of trust – the trust of sources and of
readers/audiences: how a reporter can build trust and how it can be lost?

B. INTEGRITY AND PROPRIETY

Candidates will learn that a journalist must recognise when he/she has or could be seen to
have a conflict of interest in his/her work. A key concept is that of “transparency”, including
the need for a journalist when writing or publishing material to either stand aside or to declare
that conflict both to his/her editor and, if ethically necessary, within the published work. A
staff journalist or freelance should realise that his/her personal impropriety, or any
appearance that there is such impropriety, including any lack of transparency, could reflect
badly not only in himself/herself, but also on the organisation(s) which employ him/her, and
on all journalists.

Candidates should be aware that the acceptance of a “free” meal, gift, “facility trip” and
similar offers will inevitably come with strings attached. Decisions around the acceptance of
these will usually fall to an editor but the trainee journalist should be aware of ethical pitfalls
because they often will receive the initial approach.
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The issue of “who pays?” can concern the wider public too. Candidates should consider the
effect of journalists being seen to be “too close” to sources.

Candidates will learn:

 circumstances when a journalist is a member of a group or organisation, e.g. a

political party, or a group which is part of public or community life
 how they deal with information given by that organisation/group to its members
 should that information always remain confidential or will there be occasions when a
journalist would be right to publish?
 the need to avoid plagiarism
 relationships with others, including PRs, local and central government, police and
with the commercial departments within the organisation you work for and their clients

Candidates must also be aware of the effect their personal online presence, e.g. on
Facebook or Twitter, both now and in the past might have on perceptions of the extent of
their integrity and of their objectivity.

C. RESPONSIBILITIES TO CONSIDER THE IMPACT OF JOURNALISM ON INDIVIDUALS

This part of the programme concerns the responsibilities a journalist has to avoid causing
harm to individuals or groups by what is published or done when gathering information
(responsibilities other than the general responsibility to be accurate, fair, etc, in coverage).

Candidates will learn:

 dealing generally with people in a fair, open respectful way

 duties as an employee to raise any ethical concerns with the employer
 avoiding discrimination in journalism, e.g. on grounds of race or nationality, gender, or
sexual orientation, and stereotyping, and why this is ethically necessary
 decisions when representations are made to journalists that reports should not be
published or have their content adjusted because of family or other sensitivities, e.g.
to what extent should journalists refer, if at all, to the relatives of people in the news
or to humiliating detail?
 examples of when a journalist should show compassion in deciding not to publish an
item or information or to add clarification.
 why should a journalist care about the impact their stories may have on others?
(decisions in publishing photographs/video and information direct from the scene of a
fatal accident or similar serious incident)
 publishing graphic images – to what extent should the press self-censor, and why?
 non-defamatory digital manipulation of photographs. Does it matter that you airbrush
material out that you regard as insignificant? Does it matter that fashion models are
made to appear thinner they really are? Candidates should assess the impact such
manipulations could have on individuals as well as on the publication’s overall
credibility with the public.
 is it ever right to publish documents or information from others which arrived by error,
not intended for publication?
 is it ever justified ethically to reveal the identity of a source who was promised
confidentiality and who could face consequences if identified?

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  decisions on using material posted on social media e.g. how fair is it to publish
personal material intended for friends and/or posted by juveniles, even if in the public
domain?

D. IPSO AND THE EDITORS’ CODE OF PRACTICE (non-broadcast journalism candidates)

Non-broadcast candidates will take a multiple choice, online test based on the Editors’ Code
of Practice, rulings and resolutions made by IPSO under the terms of the Code (and by its
predecessor, the Press Complaints Commission, where still relevant) and on IPSO itself,
including its powers, remit, constitution and funding.

Much of the learning for this test is contained with the essential media law and regulation
programme of study.

The newspaper and magazine regulation test will NOT test on:

Clauses 13 (Financial journalism), 15 (Witness payments in criminal trials) and 16 (Payment

to criminals).

Tutors and candidates should note that some of the topics to be tested in the regulation test
fall into an area described in the Essential Media Law and Regulation PoS as “subjects to be
studied, NOT examined”.

This boundary will be maintained for the EMLR exam BUT DOES NOT apply to the online
regulation test.

The effect of this for candidates (other than those following a broadcast course) is that the
regulation test may include questions on all parts of the code – and relevant adjudications -
(subject to the earlier exclusions) and:

 The status, responsibilities and powers of Ipso and its codes

 How IPSO and Editors’ Code Committee are constituted; the ability of IPSO to require
that an adverse adjudication is published (McNae, chapter 2).

and/or

THE OFCOM BROADCASTING CODE (broadcast journalism candidates)

Candidates will be able to:

 show they are aware of and understand the principal practical elements of Sections 1
- 10 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code
 demonstrate that they can apply the tenets of those sections of the Code to everyday
editorial situations
 alert editors and executives to any likely problems or questions.

A detailed description of the above sections of the Code can be found in the broadcast
journalism programme of study.

© NCTJ October 2016