Editorial guidelines: Principles and standards

Greenmount Press publications will present facts and express opinions, while taking reasonable steps to comply with the following Principles and Standards of Practice.

Accuracy and clarity

1. Ensure that factual material in news reports and elsewhere is accurate and not misleading, and is distinguishable from other material such as opinion.

2. Provide a correction or other adequate remedial action if published material is significantly inaccurate or misleading.

3. Acknowledge and correct or clarify, in an appropriate manner as soon as reasonably practicable:

1. significant material errors that are readily apparent or have been demonstrated; or
2. information that is likely to significantly and materially mislead

Fairness and balance

4. Ensure that factual material is presented with reasonable fairness and balance, and that writers’ expressions of opinion are not based on significantly inaccurate factual material or omission of key facts.

5. Ensure that where material refers adversely to a person, a fair opportunity is given for subsequent publication of a reply if that is reasonably necessary to address a possible breach of General Principle 4.

Privacy and avoidance of harm

6. Avoid intruding on a person’s reasonable expectations of privacy, unless doing so is sufficiently in the public interest.

7. Avoid causing or contributing materially to substantial offence, distress or prejudice, or a substantial risk to health or safety, unless doing so is sufficiently in the public interest.

Integrity and transparency

8. Avoid publishing material which has been gathered by deceptive or unfair means, unless doing so is sufficiently in the public interest.

9. Ensure that conflicts of interests are avoided or adequately disclosed, and that they do not influence published material.

10. Content must be created in a way that is respectful towards readers and mindful of community standards.

11. Ensure that editorial decisions are not improperly influenced by political, sectional, commercial or personal interests.