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23 November 2009
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Editorial Guidelines in Full

Editorial Integrity & Independence

• Introduction
• Editorial integrity and independence editorial principles
• Product placement
• Product prominence
• Product prominence in trails
• Promotional material/stories supplied by outside bodies
• Reviewing products or services
• Products used as props in drama, comedy or entertainment
• Use of free & reduced cost facilities, products, services & props
• Media facility & fact finding trips
• Undue prominence & contributors
• Online links to third party websites
• BBC commercial channels & services
• References to commercial products related to BBC programmes & services
• Trails for commercial products related to BBC programmes
• Games shows
• Conflicts of interest
• Advertising & the BBC brand
• Social action programmes
• Programmes about charitable initiatives
• BBC support services
• Joint initiatives
• Trails for support material
• Helplines
• Automated information services

Online links to third party websites

Part of the BBC's role is to act as a trusted guide on the web. When we create content on a BBC site we should consider which external websites it may be editorially justifiable to link to. We offer external links from the BBC public service site and from the editorial pages of the commercial site, for example, to provide additional information, source material or informed comment. We should be seen to be impartial. BBC websites which cover controversial subjects or public policy matters should normally offer links to external sites which represent a reasonable range of views about the subject.

We must never include a link on a public service website or within the editorial content of a commercial site, in return for cash, services or any other consideration in kind.

We must check the contents of third party websites before installing a link on a BBC page. The same check should be repeated regularly after the link is established. We should not link to an external site if it is clearly inappropriate for us to recommend a visit. It may be appropriate to add a disclaimer, and additional information, if the links are to controversial material.

The links we make must be editorially justified and should lead to sites which are:

• clearly relevant to the content of the BBC page where the link is placed.
• suitable for the likely audience which in some cases may be children.
• regularly updated and refreshed.
• normally free to access.
• normally factually accurate.

We may link to external sites which give particular views of a person or organisation significant to a current news story and in such cases we may not be able to guarantee their factual accuracy. But we should not support the message, information or promotions on third party sites.

We must not give the impression that we are unfairly endorsing a commercial product or service when linking to a commercial site.

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