Our final structured law lecture (next is revision, then the dreaded exam) focused on the many codes of conduct that journalists have to adhere to.
Before this, we looked at a case that was from our own university's WINOL broadcast about the inspection of the bar Mikiki's after anti social behaviour allegations. The report contained examples of prima facie libel, broad brush identification and innuendo defamation. It was a great example for us as first year students to see how a story that seemed innocuous to us at first could actually contain some legal issues for you to consider. For example, needing the refutation of the owner about the allegations without which you would be subject to malice and would lose all defences.
Onto the codes of conduct now and there are four types that we indentified in the lecture as the main codes of conduct for journalists. The first was the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) code of conduct which B.M., (before Murdoch) had a lot more power. If you broke a rule from the NUJ code of conduct you could be thrown out of the NUJ, losing your press pass and other privileges. It is the journalists own code of conduct, decided by jounralists for journalists and so you are more likely to be frowned upon for breaking this code than probably any other. It is still quite important however as the BBC recognises the NUJ; The Sun however could fire you for being a member and there are cases where young journalists have been fired by a Murdoch owned paper simply for sticking to the code. A famous case where one of the most important aspects of the code of conduct was stuck to (protect your sources) created a kind of folk hero for journalists in Bill Goodwin which I discussed in a previous blog on confidentiality.
NUJ Link here --> http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=174
The second code is the PCC or Press Complaints Commission's code of conduct, often referred to as 'The Editors Code'. It is, in normal terms, the establishment and as such if you break it you can be sacked without compensation. These two codes are more applicable to newspaper journalism but the NUJ code of conduct should be thought of as the code for all journalists.
PCC Link here --> http://www.pcc.org.uk/cop/practice.html
Next is the Ofcom code of conduct, also known as The Broadcasting Code, which of course applies to commercial TV (we will move on to the BBC next). It has specific rules relating to factual programming and is similar to the PCC in that it works on complaints before it is able to act. Generally if there are no complaints or at least not very many, it will not act.
Ofcom link here --> http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/
Finally we come to the BBC Producer Guidelines which are far, far too complicated to even get in to. They're available online and cover the same areas as the other codes but in a lot of detail.
Link here --> http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/
Revision time now.
Until next time. Stay classy Internet.
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