Editorial Policy of Newcastle Community News

Steve Thompson & The N.C.N. Steering Group

SOME DEFINITIONS

• The area of interest is the North East Region of England. Articles do not have to be purely about that region but could be about any topic written by a citizen of the region. This includes expatriate of the region.
• A loose definition of the region would be the area covered by the formal media organisations such as Tyne Tees TV, BBC Radio Newcastle, The Chronicle, The Journal etc.
• N.C.N. is neither a religious nor a political organisation.

POLICY – OWNERSHIP AND COPYRIGHT

• The archive created at Newcastle Community News belongs to the Citizens of the Region. Any copyright material that is used with the permission of the copyright owner remains the property of the original owner

EDITORIAL POLICY

• Items published by N.C.N. will not have any content of a sexist or racist nature.
• Articles should not libel or slander an individual, group or business.
• There will be no use of inappropriate language.
• Opinion should not be presented as fact.
• In some instances where an opinion is published it will be necessary to give an opportunity for an opposite opinion to be reported provided it too falls within editorial guidelines
• Where a report is factual, it should check that all the facts are correct.
• A third party’s copyright must not be infringed.
• A reasonable level of literacy should be present in each article and if necessary a piece should be re-written with help from the Community Reporters mentor until this is achieved.
• Where a story is generated with a participating group of older people or an individual older person special care should be taken. It must be explained to the person how the story will be used. A waiver has been developed for use that should be explained to the interviewee and then signed by them. A copy will be given that may be shown to relatives in case there are an concerns. The Journalistic principle of stating when an item is “off the record” must not apply with older people. If the interviewer gains the trust of the older person they may divulge facts that they would prefer not to be made public. Discretion must be used and the interviewer must double check which parts of an interview the interviewee would prefer to remain private. Any item may be placed “off the record” retrospectively.
• In the case of younger people, no photograph of someone under 18 may be taken without the permission of their parents. Fictitious pen names should be used for young writers and their physical location should not be mentioned anywhere in the document.
• In the case of older community reporters there should be supervision and sufficient training should be given to ensure that the community reporter does not misrepresent N.C.N. whilst reporting in the community and that the “power of the press” is not misused.
• The editor makes editorial decisions at N.C.N. If necessary the editor may consult with the editorial panel which is made up of members of the N.C.N. steering group. The decision of the editor or editorial panel is final. If any group or individual disagree with an editorial decision they may request a written explanation of the editorial decision

The purpose of Newcastle Community News is to give “ordinary” people a media outlet for their artistic endeavours. This is for the enlightenment, education and entertainment of others. Although occasional controversy may occur this is not the main aim of N.C.N.