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8 November 2009
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Online Services Guidelines in Full

Editorial Integrity & Independence

• Introduction
• Links to external sites
• Criteria for linking to external sites or other content
• Factual accuracy
• Examples of appropriate linking to external sites
• Editorial checks
• Disclaimers
• Links to sites which do not share BBC editorial values
• Controversial content
• Undue prominence
• Automatically generated links
• References to BBC commercial channels, services & products
• Trails on bbc.co.uk for commercial products related to BBC programmes
• Sites for BBC commercial magazines
• On-Air Trails for BBC online services
• Use of commercial logos on BBC sites
• Outside providers of material
• Programme support material
• Programme support material for makeover programmes
• Programme support material for independent productions & co-productions
• Credits
• Production credits
• Placing of credits
• Photographs in credits
• Logos as credits
• Animations, movies & videos
• Credits & links
• Third party software for visitors to BBC sites
• Software downloads
• Logos & credits within software commissioned by the BBC

Trails on bbc.co.uk for commercial products related to BBC programmes

Although we may not promote BBC related commercial products within our publicly funded online services, we may in some circumstances offer specific informational trails on bbc.co.uk. These trails serve the same purpose as announcements after TV programmes.

BBC related books, recordings, DVDs, CDs and CD Roms are the type of products which may be trailed .We do not produce trails for any other type of merchandise. BBC magazines may not be trailed on bbc.co.uk.

Any product which is trailed must be under the BBC's editorial control and must have been commissioned, licensed or developed directly in conjunction with the associated programme. Material which is trailed may be published by BBC Worldwide or by an outside organisation.

• Trails must be editorially justifiable. Where there is a clear link to the editorial content of the page, there may be separate text or graphic trails on bbc.co.uk.
• Trails may only appear on the specific BBC pages supporting the relevant programmes, for a limited period of time.
• Trails should give simple factual information without any element of hyping.
• Trails may include a small graphic or still. They may in some cases link to a page on a commercial site where products may be purchased. Any such links must be approved by Editorial Policy.
• Education programme support pages may have a link to pages offering BBC-related educational products for sale.
• Non-commercial programme support material which is not designed to make a profit may be trailed on BBC sites on appropriate editorial pages. Details of the support material and how it can be obtained may be given on this page but there must be no reference to any sponsor.
• Trails are selected at the editorial discretion of the BBC. We cannot promise or agree contractually to give a trail.

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