Codes of Practice

There are three main codes of practice that a journalist should pay attention to:

Ofcom:
Simply put, Ofcome regulates all types of broadcasters. They have the power to fine companies, ban programmes and even shut down broadcasters by revoking their licences. Ofcom demands impartiality from its broadcasters and also makes sure no broadcaster shows bias.

PCC:
PCC stands for Press Complain Commission. The PCC regulates magazines and newspapers and is quite a mild form of regulator. Their code doesn't mention impartiality thus newspapers can get away with bias.

BBC code:
The BBC code is a self made guide for employees of the BBC and is similar to that of the PCC however they insist on absence of bias.

Confidentiality/Secrecy & Privacy

Confidentiality

Confidentiality within Journalism depends completely on the type of secret information in question.

A person is in breach of confidence if they pass on information that:

-Has the necessary quality of confidence i.e the information was important and not already known
-There was no permission to pass on the information
-Was provided in circumstances imposing an obligation i.e a conversation between a doctor and patient
-Detriment is likely to be caused to the person who gave in the information (definition of detriment is basically


Privacy.

The Humans Rights Act, Section 8, tells us all that we need to know about privacy when reporting.

Privacy is all about 'family life' i.e tabloid & celebrity journalism, where family/personal information is printed about anyone celebrity or not.

The defence against this is of course an injunction which is easy to obtain as the claimant will say there is a danger of a crime happening.
The benefit of an injunction is that an injunction against one media organisation, is an injunction against all publishers. People with something to hide (most celebrities!!) will often opt for an injunction in an attempt to cover up their secrets as they hope that the legal cloud will cover over the actual main point of the articles they have got an injunction against.

Recent Media Law Cases

Rooney VS News Of The World

Wayne Rooney accepted damages of over £100,000 from the News of The World paper following allegations in 2006 that he slapped his fiance Colleen McLoughlin (now Rooney) round the face in a Cheshire Nightclub.

Naomi Campbell VS Daily Mirror

In 2001 The Mirror published an article about Naomi Campbell’s drug addiction, including photographs of her leaving a meeting of Narcotics Anonymous that were secretly taken. Campbell brought an action against the newspaper for a violation of her common law right to privacy and a breach of her Article 8 privacy rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Ozzy Osbourne VS Daily Star

Ozzy Osbourne accepted undisclosed libel damages over claims that he was too ill to present the Brit Awards. The article claimed Ozzy was extremely ill and collapsed twice before the show was due to go live. Osbourne's lawyer John Kelly said the article had caused "considerable embarrassment and distress".

Cristiano Ronaldo VS Daily Mail

Ronaldo won substantial libel damages over claims he was "living it up" in a Hollywood nightclub and putting his injured ankle at further risk when he was supposed to be resting. The report that he put down his crutches to dance with four models caused offence and embarrassment, the court heard, and the Mail later admitted this report was false and were forced to pay out substantial compensation.

Peaches Geldof VS Daily Star

Peaches Geldof won libel damages after the newspaper claimed she worked as a prostitute.