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24 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

Use of free & reduced cost facilities, products, services & props

Under no circumstances should anyone working for the BBC receive personal benefits from suppliers, or accept goods or services as inducements.

We should normally pay for travel, accommodation and most other facilities we use. Only a few specific output areas may accept free or substantially reduced cost facilities, products, services or props. Consumer and lifestyle programmes which review or feature a wide range of products may occasionally accept free or reduced cost products or services. In the case of drama and some entertainment programmes, productions may sometimes take free or reduced cost price props. In the rare cases where we accept such arrangements we must:

• keep accurate departmental records of what has been accepted.
• only accept discounts if they are in line with those offered to other large organisations.
• not guarantee any product or service will be featured and if featured that it will be in a favourable light.
• inform suppliers that they cannot refer to the BBC's use of their products or services in any advertising or promotions.
• only give on air and online credits if clearly editorially justified.
• suppliers should not have an editorial say in the programme or be given a preview of it.

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