Ethics Quiz — Detailed Answer Explanations

Clause 1 of the IPSO Editors' Code requires publications to take care not to publish inaccurate information and to correct it swiftly once identified. The NUJ Code also requires journalists to strive for accuracy. Saying nothing is not an option. The correction must be sufficiently prominent — not buried in a corrections column if the original story ran on the front page.

Clause 2 of the IPSO Editors' Code protects the privacy of individuals including their medical details. For public figures, a reasonable expectation of privacy still applies to their health unless it directly affects their public duties. The public interest exception allows reporting if, for example, the condition affects the person's capacity to perform a public role and they are misleading the public about it.

The NUJ Code requires journalists to protect confidential sources. Section 10 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 provides a statutory protection for journalistic sources, but courts can order disclosure where it is necessary in the interests of justice, national security, or prevention of disorder or crime. Journalists who face court orders to disclose sources should seek urgent legal advice. IPSO Clause 14 mirrors this protection.

Clause 3 of the IPSO Editors' Code on harassment states that journalists must not persist in telephoning, questioning, photographing, or following subjects once asked to stop. This applies even if the story is in the public interest. The public interest exception does not override the requirement to stop persistent contact once a clear instruction has been given.

Clause 4 of the IPSO Editors' Code requires journalists to handle inquiries into individuals caught up in events of grief or shock with sensitivity. Approaching a bereaved family who have issued a statement asking for privacy will likely breach Clause 4. If there is a genuine public interest — for example, suspicious circumstances around the death — the approach should be made through an intermediary and with sensitivity.

The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 creates a lifetime anonymity right for victims of sexual offences from the moment of allegation. This is a legal prohibition, not merely an ethical one. IPSO Clause 6 additionally requires particular care in identifying children in stories involving sexual activity. Parental consent does not override the statutory protection.

Clause 12 of the IPSO Editors' Code states that the press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative references to an individual's race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability unless genuinely relevant to the story. The NUJ Code similarly prohibits discrimination. Relevance must be editorially justifiable — not assumed because the suspect happens to belong to a particular group.

Clause 10 of the IPSO Editors' Code permits the use of clandestine devices and subterfuge only when there is genuine public interest that cannot be served any other way. Editors must be satisfied of both conditions. Using subterfuge in a hospital setting involves additional considerations including patient privacy (Clause 2) and potential harm to those who have not consented to be filmed.

Clause 13 of the IPSO Editors' Code on financial journalism prohibits journalists from writing about securities they hold without disclosing their interest to their editor. Writing about a company in which you have a financial stake without disclosure creates a conflict of interest that breaches both the IPSO Code and potentially market abuse regulations under the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR).

The IPSO Editors' Code public interest includes: detecting or exposing crime, or the threat of crime or serious impropriety; protecting public health or safety; preventing the public from being misled by an action or statement of an individual or organisation; and disclosing information that enables people to make an informed decision on matters of public importance. Exposing private hypocrisy only qualifies where the private conduct directly contradicts a public stance on a public issue.