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Editorial code meaning

What does Editorial code mean?
An editorial code describes the written standards that govern editorial decision‑making and newsroom conduct, guiding how journalists gather, verify and publish material. It is not a term defined in legislation, but a descriptive expression used across UK and Irish media regulation and self‑regulation. In the UK press, the principal code is the Editors’ code of practice (first adopted in 1991 and regularly updated), set by the Editors’ Code Committee and applied by IPSO to its members; IMPRESS applies its Standards Code. Typical provisions address accuracy and prompt corrections (including, where appropriate, an opportunity to reply), privacy, harassment, intrusion into grief or shock, protection of children and vulnerable people, reporting of crime and sexual offences, clandestine devices and subterfuge, discrimination, financial journalism, hospitals and protection of confidential sources. Public‑interest exceptions may justify otherwise restricted conduct where necessary and proportionate. Broadcasting is regulated under statute: Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code sets binding rules on due accuracy and impartiality, harm and offence, fairness and privacy. In Ireland, the Press Council of Ireland’s Code of Practice applies to member publishers, and broadcasters comply with codes issued by Coimisiún na Meán. Usage and core principles are broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, and compliance...
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NEWS
GB News v Ofcom [2025] EWHC 460 (Admin): politician 'newsreader' ban limited to news programmes; hybrid current affairs allowed; due impartiality context-dependent; Code changes signalled

R (on the application of GB News Ltd) v The Office of Communications (OFCOM) [2025] EWHC 460 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The rising incidence of politicians stepping into atypical media slots will inevitably require OFCOM to address due impartiality and accuracy in news and current affairs more often. Achieving the appropriate balance is notoriously difficult: upholding freedom of expression whilst maintaining impartial and accurate reporting, all against a backdrop of numerous alternative, unregulated online sources, including social media and podcasts. The judgment supplies useful guidance and clearer contours to the existing framework. On the footing of the current Broadcasting Code, the court stated that OFCOM’s effort to stretch the Code so as to forbid politicians from presenting hybrid news and current affairs programmes was unsound. As a result, broadcasters enjoy wider editorial discretion when appointing presenters and designing formats for such output. Nonetheless, the court expressly acknowledged that these broadcasts may still fall foul of impartiality obligations, with any assessment turning on the...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Brazil advertising and marketing law: 2021 Q&A on regulation, enforcement, CONAR, influencer and children's adverts, sector-specific rules, promotions, social media and privacy

Advertising and marketing-Brazil-Q&A guide [Archived, 2021 edition] This Practice Note provides a jurisdiction-specific Q&A on advertising and marketing in Brazil, issued within the Lexology Getting the Deal Through series by Law Business Research (October 2021). Authors: IWRCF-Luiz Werneck; Talita Sabatini Garcia. 1. What are the principal statutes regulating advertising generally? the Brazilian Federal Constitution; the Consumer Protection Code (Federal Law No. 8,078/90); the Statute of the Children and Adolescents (Federal Law No. 8,069/90); the Brazilian Advertising Self-Regulation Code; Federal Law No. 5768/71; Decree No. 70,951/1972; Federal Law No. 5,768/71 and Decree No. 70,951/1972 regulate commercial promotions and sweepstakes; National Health Surveillance Agency resolutions. 2. Which bodies are primarily responsible for issuing advertising regulations and enforcing rules on advertising? How is the issue of concurrent jurisdiction among regulators with responsibility for advertising handled? In Brazil, rule-making for advertising is led by the National Advertising Self-Regulation Council (CONAR) and by the government, represented by the House...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK media and online content regulation: broadcasting, press, advertising, film, VoD, VSPs and social media; Ofcom, IPSO, ASA, BBFC; Media Act 2024 and Online Safety Act 2023

This Practice Note provides an overview of media content regulation in the UK. The primary media regulators are: Broadcasting (television and radio) — Ofcom Press and magazines — Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) Advertising — Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Cinema and video — British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) Video on demand (VoD) — Ofcom Video-sharing platforms (VSPs) — Ofcom Social media platforms and search engines — Ofcom Broadcasting Ofcom oversees television and radio programme content by setting and enforcing codes that broadcasters must comply with. The key code for editorial standards is the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (OBC). Broadcast advertising content is handled by the ASA—see Advertising below. In November 2025, Ofcom sought input on reforming broadcast regulation, inviting views on updates in three broad areas: licensing advertising (with an emphasis on the volume permitted on particular services, rather than advertising content) content standards See: LNB News...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Commercial photography in the UK: UK GDPR/DPA 2018, privacy and ASA compliance—lawful bases, releases and risks, including children, celebrities, crowds, events and weddings

This Practice Note This Practice Note explores matters affecting professional photographers who capture images of models or other individuals, as well as the organisations that commission, produce, licence and use photographs for commercial ends. It explains how UK data protection and privacy law applies and should be navigated when photographs are used commercially in the UK. Commercial use means reproducing a photograph in any form primarily aimed at commercial advantage or financial reward, including marketing on a company’s website or its social media channels. While some principles overlap, this Practice Note is not intended to cover editorial use. Press photographers may need to consider additional data protection and privacy considerations, such as the ICO data protection and journalism code of practice or the IPSO Editors’ Code of Practice, and different exemptions may apply. Nor does this note address domestic use limited to purely personal or household activities. This Practice Note covers: photography and data protection law how privacy law applies to commercial use of photographs...

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