Editorial Governance & House Style Pack

EDITORIAL STANDARDS POLICY

Publication: [PUBLICATION NAME]
Version: [VERSION NUMBER]
Last reviewed: [DATE]
Next review due: [DATE]
Approved by: [EDITOR / BOARD]

1. PURPOSE
This policy sets out the editorial standards [PUBLICATION NAME] commits to upholding in all published content. It applies to all staff journalists, freelance contributors, and any content published under our masthead.

2. ACCURACY
All factual claims must be verified with at least two independent sources before publication. Statistics must be traced to primary sources (ONS, government data, peer-reviewed studies). Allegations against individuals or organisations must be put to them as a right of reply before publication. Corrections must be published promptly, prominently, and without obfuscation when errors are established.

3. IMPARTIALITY
We distinguish clearly between news reporting and opinion/analysis. Opinion pieces must be labelled as such. Sponsored or paid content is clearly labelled and kept editorially separate from independent journalism.

4. SOURCE PROTECTION
We protect the identity of confidential sources. Journalists must not be required to reveal sources to management unless the source has given explicit consent. Source material is stored securely. We comply with the relevant provisions of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 regarding production orders.

5. PRIVACY AND PUBLIC INTEREST
We do not intrude into private life unless there is a clear public interest. We follow the IPSO Editors' Code Clause 2 (Privacy) and apply the public interest test in writing before pursuing any intrusive newsgathering.

6. HARM MINIMISATION
We apply additional care to reporting involving children, victims of sexual offences, mental health, and suicide. We follow Samaritans media guidelines on suicide and self-harm. Identifying details of victims are withheld where required by law or ethical obligation.

7. CORRECTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
See our separate Complaints Procedure. All corrections are published at least as prominently as the original error. We keep a corrections log reviewed quarterly by the editor.

8. REVIEW
This policy is reviewed at least annually by the editor and senior editorial team.

Contact for editorial standards queries: [EMAIL]

EDITORIAL COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Publication: [PUBLICATION NAME]
Regulator: [IPSO / IMPRESS / None — state which]
Version: [VERSION NUMBER]
Last updated: [DATE]

HOW TO MAKE A COMPLAINT
Complaints about factual accuracy, fairness, privacy, or other editorial matters should be sent to:

Name: [COMPLAINTS CONTACT NAME]
Email: [COMPLAINTS EMAIL]
Address: [FULL ADDRESS]

We accept complaints by email, letter, or via our website contact form. We do not require complainants to use a specific form.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
1. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days.
2. We will investigate and provide a substantive response within 28 days of receipt. Where an investigation requires longer, we will inform you and give a revised timescale.
3. If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may request escalation to our senior editor by replying to our substantive response.
4. If you remain unsatisfied after our internal process is complete, you may escalate to:
   — IPSO: www.ipso.co.uk (if we are an IPSO member)
   — IMPRESS: www.impress.press (if we are an IMPRESS member)

SCOPE
We consider complaints about: factual inaccuracy; unfair or misleading presentation; privacy intrusion; harassment; failure to distinguish between fact and opinion; discriminatory reporting; and failure to follow our corrections policy.

We do not normally consider complaints about editorial judgements (story selection, commissioning decisions) that do not engage a specific code clause.

RECORD KEEPING
All complaints and our responses are logged. Patterns are reviewed by the editor quarterly.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST DECLARATION

Journalist / contributor: [FULL NAME]
Date: [DATE]
Story / topic: [ARTICLE TITLE OR BRIEF DESCRIPTION]
Editor: [NAME]

I declare the following potential or actual conflicts of interest in relation to the above story or topic:

Financial interests
[ ] I hold shares in or have a financial interest in any company, organisation, or individual covered in this story.
Details (if yes): _______________________________________

Personal relationships
[ ] I have a personal, family, or close professional relationship with any individual or organisation covered in this story.
Details (if yes): _______________________________________

Political activity
[ ] I am or have been a member of, donor to, or campaigner for any political party or campaign relevant to this story.
Details (if yes): _______________________________________

Prior commitments
[ ] I have previously been paid by, employed by, or provided services to any organisation covered in this story.
Details (if yes): _______________________________________

Other conflicts
[ ] I have any other interest that could reasonably be seen to affect my objectivity on this story.
Details (if yes): _______________________________________

DECLARATION
I confirm that the above information is accurate and complete. Where conflicts are declared above, I understand that the editor will determine whether I should continue working on this story, recuse myself, or whether a disclosure should appear in the published piece.

Signed: _______________________ Date: ___________
[JOURNALIST NAME]

Editor decision: [ ] Proceed without disclosure  [ ] Proceed with disclosure  [ ] Reassign story
Editor: _______________________ Date: ___________

BYLINE CONVENTIONS POLICY

Publication: [PUBLICATION NAME]
Last updated: [DATE]

1. STANDARD BYLINE
All original reporting is credited with a byline in the format:
"By [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME]"
Bylines appear immediately below the headline on digital and print platforms.

2. JOINT BYLINES
Where two or more journalists contribute substantially to a piece, bylines are listed in order of primary contribution:
"By [NAME 1] and [NAME 2]"
A third contributor may be credited; more than three are credited in an "Additional reporting by" note at the foot of the piece.

3. AGENCY COPY
Wire service copy is credited at the foot of the story: "Source: [AGENCY NAME]". Substantially rewritten agency copy carries a staff byline with "Additional reporting: [AGENCY]".

4. FREELANCE CONTRIBUTORS
Freelancers are credited with a full byline. Where a contributor has a regular bio on our website, a linked author page is included. Freelancers must assert their moral right to be identified as author under the CDPA 1988 in their commissioning contract.

5. NO-BYLINE CONTENT
Editorials and leader columns carry no individual byline. Sponsored content carries the label "Paid promotion" in place of a byline. Anonymous sources cited in stories are not named; the journalist who reported the story carries the byline.

6. CORRECTIONS TO BYLINES
Where a byline is published in error, a correction is issued under our corrections policy. A journalist may not be credited against their wishes with a piece they did not write.

7. SOCIAL MEDIA ATTRIBUTION
Journalists sharing their work on personal social media accounts use their publication byline. Editors monitor for misattribution.

HEADLINE GUIDELINES

Publication: [PUBLICATION NAME]
Last updated: [DATE]

1. ACCURACY FIRST
Headlines must accurately reflect the content of the story. A headline that implies a stronger claim than the story supports is a breach of IPSO Clause 1 (Accuracy). Headlines are part of the published article for regulatory purposes.

2. ACTIVE VOICE
Prefer active verbs: "Minister resigns" not "Resignation of minister announced". Active headlines are shorter and clearer.

3. PRESENT TENSE FOR NEWS
News headlines use present tense: "Council rejects housing plan" not "Council rejected housing plan". Feature and analysis headlines may use any tense where appropriate.

4. AVOID MISLEADING PUNCTUATION
Do not use quotation marks in headlines to imply a claim you are not willing to state directly. Quotation marks should only appear if the headline includes a direct quote.

5. AVOID ALL-CAPS EXCEPT FOR PROPER NOUNS
All-caps in a headline reads as shouting and reduces readability.

6. DIGITAL HEADLINES (SEO)
Digital headlines should include a primary keyword within the first 60 characters. Do not sacrifice accuracy for SEO. Where a digital headline differs from a print deck, both must be accurate.

7. SUBHEADINGS AND STANDFIRSTS
Subheadings follow the same accuracy rules as headlines. Standfirsts summarise the story and must not introduce new claims absent from the body.

8. SIGN-OFF
All headlines are signed off by the duty editor before publication. A journalist may not override an editor's headline decision, but may flag concerns in writing.

PICTURE CREDIT POLICY

Publication: [PUBLICATION NAME]
Last updated: [DATE]

1. CREDITING REQUIREMENT
Every image published by [PUBLICATION NAME] must carry a credit identifying the photographer or image source. Credits appear immediately below or beside the image in the format:
"[PHOTOGRAPHER NAME] / [AGENCY OR PUBLICATION]"
or for stock imagery:
"[DESCRIPTION] — [STOCK LIBRARY]"

2. LICENSING COMPLIANCE
Before publishing any image, the sub-editor or picture editor confirms:
(a) We hold a valid licence for the intended use (print, digital, social, archive)
(b) The licence does not require a specific credit wording — if it does, that wording is used verbatim
(c) The licence permits the resolution and crop we intend to apply

3. STAFF AND FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Staff photographers are credited by name. Freelance photographers are credited by name and retain copyright under the CDPA 1988 unless they have assigned it in writing. Commissioning editors confirm licence terms before assignment.

4. WIRE AND AGENCY IMAGES
Wire images (PA, Reuters, AFP, Getty) are credited per agency requirements. Do not alter agency credit lines.

5. SOCIAL MEDIA AND USER-GENERATED CONTENT
Images sourced from social media require: (a) explicit permission from the account holder in writing; (b) credit to the account holder; (c) confirmation the account holder created the image. Screenshots of social posts are credited as "Via [PLATFORM]: @[USERNAME]".

6. IMAGES OBTAINED BY SUBTERFUGE
Images obtained by covert means may only be published where a clear public interest applies and where the editor has given written authorisation. This is consistent with IPSO Editors' Code Clause 10.

7. KILL FEE FOR UNUSED COMMISSIONED PHOTOS
Where a photographer is commissioned and the image is not used, a kill fee of [50%] of the agreed rate is payable within 30 days.

Sources: BAPLA (www.bapla.org), CDPA 1988, IPSO Editors' Code.