Journalistic principles

Impartiality:

We recognise that commentators, columnists and journalists with broader remits, (e.g. political or section editors) occasionally inevitably express their opinion in their coverage. However, we are particularly interested in whether a journalist has gone too far in expressing their own or someone else’s opinion, and has therefore compromised the factual integrity of the piece.

  • Expression of journalist’s personal opinion
  • Failure to separate comment and opinion from news-reporting

 

  • Expression of journalist’s personal opinion
    It is the media’s responsibility to remain as objective as possible and to enable the public to make their own assessments and value judgements. Any personal opinions, feelings and biases a journalist may have toward any subject should not be evident in their report of the facts. For example, when a journalist states that Israel’s foray into Syria last year ‘can be seen as a dry run’ for an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites, without evidence to back this claim, it is clearly an expression of their own opinion.

  • Failure to separate comment and opinion from news-reporting
    Whilst there is opportunity for expression of opinion in the media, it has to be absolutely clear that this is the opinion of the journalist or media outlet and not a factual claim. This category relates to cases when a piece presented as factual and objective is actually a comment or opinion piece by nature. For example, when an article that is clearly editorial is positioned in the World section of the newspapers alongside news pieces, instead of in the comment section.


Key quotes:

“The Agreement accompanying the BBC’s Charter requires us to produce comprehensive, authoritative and impartial coverage of news and current affairs in the UK and throughout the world to support fair and informed debate... It also states that the BBC is forbidden from expressing an opinion on current affairs or matters of public policy other than broadcasting."
BBC Editorial Guidelines

"Our journalists and presenters, including those in news and current affairs, may provide professional judgments but may not express personal opinions on matters of public policy or political or industrial controversy. Our audiences should not be able to tell from BBC programmes or other BBC output the personal views of our journalists and presenters on such matters."
BBC Editorial Guidelines

“The Press, whilst free to be partisan, must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.”
PCC Code of Practice, Section 1(iii)