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Editorial Policy Newsletter No.21

1 May 2009

News

Election Guidelines

Ballot Paper European Elections for the UK and Local Government Elections for parts of England take place on 4th June.

Election Guidelines came into effect on 28th April, when the Election Period began.

The Guidelines apply to any BBC output where the intended audience includes people in the UK. International services broadcasting in Europe should also be aware of legal obligations when reporting elections outside the UK. These are summarised in the Editorial Guidelines on Reporting Overseas Elections .

There is no area of output where the BBC's commitment to impartiality comes under greater scrutiny than the reporting of election campaigns. So it's important that all production teams are aware of how the Election Guidelines affect their content. Advice is available from Editorial Policy .

Any area of content that does not usually cover political subjects or invite politicans to participate, should consult Ric Bailey (Chief Adviser, Politics) before they finalise any plans to do so.

Download the Election Guidelines here .

Taking Down Online Content

BBC News Website The gradual creation of substantial archives of online material has raised new challenges for broadcasters like the BBC who, historically, have worked in the more transitory media of radio and TV.

When material is published on BBC websites, there is normally a presumption that it will form a permanent archive, unless it's specifically made available only for a limited time period. For news stories in particular, the archive is usually intended to form a permanent public record. However, in exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary to either re-edit or even remove online content. This may be for personal safety, privacy, fairness, legal reasons or a serious breach of editorial standards.

A recent Editorial Policy Monthly Meeting discussed the decisions involved when leaving specific pages and content online is called into question. You can watch some of the examples shown at the meeting and read the questions considered by clicking here (link to internal BBC site only).

Editorial Policy is currently researching some further guidance on this emerging issue for content producers, which will be published later in the year.

Editorial Guidelines: Have Your Say

Work is underway on a revision and update of the BBC's Editorial Guidelines. And production staff making content for the BBC are welcome to have their say.

The Guidelines undergo a general revision roughly every five years. The current edition was published in 2005, co-inciding with the introduction of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code. Since then, regulation and the law have continued to evolve, there have been high profile breaches of editorial standards, and technology has marched on apace.

The first set of Guidelines was published around twenty years ago. It distilled the best practice of generations of programme makers and has evolved as producers have continued to find new solutions to fresh challenges. So we'd like today's users of the Editorial Guidelines to contribute to the next edition.

BBC production staff and independent producers making content for the BBC are invited to pass on their thoughts on the current Guidelines. Are they clear? Is there anything missing? Would you like further elaboration in specific areas?

Please email any comments to Editorial Policy by 8th May.

A Brand Too Far?

Various Logos Striking a balance between reflecting the real commercial world in our output and avoiding the undue prominence or promotion of products and brands, continues to set a test for broadcasters. Sensitivities are heightened at times when economics and business dominate the news agenda.

April's Editorial Policy Meeting considered the issues and discussed a range of programmes, including documentaries, competitions and sit-coms. If you would like to see the clips shown at the meeting and consider the issues with your production team, you can do so by clicking here (link to internal BBC site only).

Read what the Editorial Guidelines have to say about Product Prominence here .

Product placement (including a product in return for cash or payment in kind) remains illegal in the UK. Drama and entertainment programmes, in particular, should take care when acquiring props. Details of how props should be obtained and who can supply them are available on the Prop Services site (link to internal BBC site only).

New Arrivals

The Goodies Editorial Policy has welcomed four new arrivals to its team of advisers to help meet the needs of production areas looking for assistance with ambitious and creative content.

The new members of the team are Kim Thomas - previously an Executive Editor in Factual, Cathy Derrick from Childrens. Kim Barrington from News & Current Affairs and Philip Abrams who joins from the Editorial Complaints Unit.

They can all be contacted for advice on the range of Editorial Policy issues.