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Stuff Editorial Code of Practice and Ethics

Friday, 17 November 2023

Stuff's journalism aims to make Aotearoa New Zealand a better place - socially, economically, culturally and environmentally. We believe in fiercely independent, fair, accurate, balanced, inclusive and trustworthy journalism that serves the common good.

We work in the public interest, independent from political or corporate influence. We seek to represent New Zealand's diverse communities and interests. Stuff's journalism depicts the reality of life, presents a healthy range of perspectives, reflects the everyday concerns of people living in Aotearoa New Zealand, and holds the powerful to account.

Across a broad range of topics, we publish content that informs, uplifts, entertains and is useful.

While our staff are employed across multiple products, including Stuff.co.nz, our metropolitan mastheads, our regional titles and our magazines, the standards set out in the following are applicable to all.

Stuff editors and journalists must uphold the highest professional standards. The practices and ethical standards outlined in this code have been determined by Stuff's editorial leadership in consultation with editors and journalists. This is a living document, and subject to change.

Stuff editors and journalists are expected to uphold the highest professional standards, including adhering to the Media Council principles.

The following terms are used frequently in this code:

To send us your feedback on this code, email editor@stuff.co.nz.

Accuracy

Journalists should strive to verify information is correct before publication. When alerted to errors, we should correct the record promptly and transparently, according to the Corrections Policy in this document.

We subscribe to the ABC of accurate journalism:

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence covers a broad range of technologies designed to replicate human intelligence and automate human processes.

AI tools present opportunities to significantly enhance journalism and the experience for audiences, while improving productivity, but also create some risks.

Human oversight and fact checking

Any content generated by AI must meet the same standards of accuracy, fairness and balance as any other piece of content.

The content will be held to the same standards as content written by professional journalists.

Content must adhere to the requirements of New Zealand law and the principles of the New Zealand Media Council, of which Stuff is a member, and to Stuff's Editorial Code of Practice and Ethics. You can read more here.

Balance

Journalists should strive to represent all significant sides to a story, to serve our audience with a balanced picture.

For long-running issues, balance can be achieved cumulatively over time rather than every piece of content needing to feature every voice.

Journalists must be wary that striving for ‘balance’ does not compromise accuracy or fairness; we should not equate opinions with facts or knowingly publish false information in order to give the appearance of balance. For example, quoting vaccine misinformation as a counterpoint to comments from an epidemiologist or public health expert would not be genuine balance.

We should also remember that the vast majority of people who speak to us are doing so for their own reasons. We should not construe opinion - even from knowledgeable people - as fact.

We understand and accept that the real world is complicated. We should strive to present nuance and context in all of our reporting.

Bias

Stuff is politically non-partisan. Journalists should take care not to allow bias – or the perception of bias – in their reporting and in public comments, including on social media.

Scrutinising the government of the day – and other elected representatives – is a key function of the news media, and holding politicians to account should not be mistaken for bias.

Journalists should guard against bias based on societal structures or their personal background.

Journalists should not write opinion articles, except in exceptional cases which have been reviewed by editors and are not considered to pose a conflict or perception of bias. See Opinion & Commentary for details.

Bylines

Stories, videos and photographs will usually carry a byline identifying the authors or creators.

Journalists should only add their byline when they have contributed original material.

Some stories will not carry a byline, either because the journalist has security concerns or because the reporting effort involved was limited.

Editorials usually will not carry a byline, because they represent the view of a publication, not an individual.

When a piece of work has multiple contributors, we may use group bylines (such as ‘Stuff reporters’).

Stories also contain a source attribution field at the footer, crediting the originating brand. That may be a Stuff Ltd brand such as Stuff or the Sunday Star-Times, or a third-party brand such RNZ or the Washington Post.

Campaigns

Stuff may, on rare occasions, choose to advocate for social or legislative change, or raise funds for a cause, when such campaigns contribute to making Aotearoa a better place.

Cheque-book journalism

Stuff does not pay interview subjects for stories or pay for story tips.

Public Relations, Lobby Groups and Vested Interests

Stuff recognises a large industry has grown over recent decades around public relations and lobbying. This industry seeks to use the media and other channels to communicate with the public and elected officials. Stuff journalists will also treat information released by public relations specialists and lobby groups - from across the political divide - with scepticism and, as with any other source material, alway test its veracity. Where lobby groups or individuals with vested interests are quoted, the nature of their interest will be transparently reported.

Children and young people

Journalists should take particular care when contacting minors as part of newsgathering to make clear the intention of the contact and what you will do with any information provided, and to involve a consenting adult.

Journalists should pay particular attention to the best interests of children and young people when reporting, which may mean that even when information is provided with parental consent it may not be appropriate to publish it.

Clarity

News reports should be expressed in plain, direct, unembellished language, and journalists should strive to state the facts in the clearest possible manner.

We will be diligent in busting jargon, double-speak and obfuscatory language that hides true meaning.

Climate change

Stuff adopts a science-led approach and recognises the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is real and caused by human activity. We welcome robust debate about the appropriate response to climate change, but will not provide a venue for denialism or hoax advocacy in either our reporting or in user comments.

Comments

See Stuff’s terms and conditions for comments and user-generated content.

Complaints

We are committed to correcting errors as quickly as practicable, and to being transparent about disclosing our mistakes.

Complaints or correction requests should be made in writing to the relevant editor. Complainants should specify alleged errors with due particularity.

Editors should respond to complaints as soon as reasonably practicable. When a complainant doesn’t accept an editor’s response, they have the right to complain to the Media Council.

Errors should be addressed with prompt corrections that explain the error without continuing to perpetuate it. For egregious errors, an apology may be appropriate.

When a substantive correction is made to a story, a postscript labeled ‘Correction’ should be added to the foot of the online story explaining the change. A record is also published on Stuff’s Corrections and clarifications page. Any print publication that carried the story should publish the correction in the next available edition. Our library service will be informed so archived stories can be annotated to avoid errors being repeated.

When a contested point is largely correct but the manner of expression makes it liable to misinterpretation, a ‘Clarification’ may be published in the same format as a correction.

Published content forms part of the permanent, public historical record. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, we rarely agree to retract content from Stuff or from search engine results, or edit them retrospectively to remove salient details. We apply this policy particularly firmly to stories about criminal offending. Media reports are not subject to the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004. Regardless of whether a story is about criminal offending, neither the age of a piece of content nor a claim that it is no longer newsworthy will usually be sufficient reason to justify removal.

On rare occasions we will retract editorial content because it does not meet our editorial standards or because we are compelled to for legal reasons. When possible, the content will be replaced with a message explaining its removal. Such retractions can only be authorised by a senior editor.

Content warnings

When a story contains material that is graphic, obscene or likely to offend our audience, we will include clear warnings. Such material generally should not feature in headlines, homepage or front page images, video previews, or other placements where readers and viewers are unable to exercise their choice to avoid it.

However, news outlets do the public a disservice if they sanitise real life, or decline to report newsworthy issues or events in case they cause offence. While we will be sensitive to community standards of taste and decency, we will sometimes publish confronting material in the public interest.

Conflicts of interest

Journalists should not allow their personal interests to influence them in their professional duties. Neither should they be influenced by any consideration, gift or advantage offered. While some departments – notably Travel – will make arrangements for products or services to be provided for review purposes, outside those official arrangements journalists should not solicit gifts or free products or services.

When an external financial contribution has enabled content to be created – e.g. a funding grant from a charitable foundation, or flights and accommodation from a tourism operator for a travel review – that should be clearly disclosed.

Journalists should avoid activity in partisan public causes that could compromise or might be seen to compromise the journalist and/or Stuff. Those responsible for covering news, current affairs or opinion should not be members of a political party or stand for public office. Journalists should be particularly mindful of social media activity.

If the activities of a member of a journalist’s immediate family might compromise them or their publication, the journalist must inform their editor.

Copy approval

Journalists will not allow a source or interviewee to vet or review a story before it is published, as doing so invites infringements on journalistic independence. On rare occasions when a story is technically complex, a journalist may share passages with a subject matter expert before publication to ensure accuracy.

We respect the principle of copyright and abide by relevant legislation, including fair dealing for the purposes of news reporting under the Copyright Act, and any relevant industry agreements. Permission should be sought before using copyright material, and it should be clearly credited to the copyright holder.

Dateline & timestamp

When Stuff journalists travel internationally to report a news story, we add the location (in journalistic jargon, the 'dateline') at the start of the text to make it clear the reporter was physically in that place rather than reporting from a distance.

Each story on Stuff includes a timestamp below the headline, showing when the article was published or updated.

Diversity, discrimination and prejudice

Stuff seeks to fairly represent Aotearoa New Zealand in the voices it publishes. We will reflect diversity through our story selection, a rigorous approach to gauging a broad range of perspectives, and actively committing to an inclusive editorial recruitment policy.

Journalists should not publish pejorative or prejudiced material based on ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical appearance or ability, social status or illness. Neither should those factors be unduly emphasised in stories unless they are genuinely relevant.

This is not intended to limit legitimate public debate on such issues in the public interest, or to impede journalists’ ability to ‘speak truth to power’. Stuff can and should still report on challenging topics in a respectful manner.

We acknowledge we have an obligation to educate ourselves to understand key sensitivities and differences among ethnic and cultural groups we report on.

As Stuff aims to represent Aotearoa New Zealand’s diversity, journalists and contributors should feel culturally safe to express their own cultural beliefs and language without pressure to conform to the dominant Western culture.

Embargoes

We will generally respect externally-imposed embargoes on the release of information, provided there is a genuine reason for such a provision.

If an embargo is breached by another media outlet – or if another media outlet is given preferential treatment – we reserve the right to consider the embargo void. Good practice is to confer with the party that imposed the embargo before publishing, but that may not always be practical.

In the event that we accidentally breach an embargo, the matter will be referred to a senior editor. If the content has already reached an audience, it may not be practical to retract the story.

We will not be bound by an embargo if we have received the information independently from another source.

Fairness

Journalists should be diligent and thorough about ensuring pertinent facts and views are included in coverage. Content should not mislead, either deliberately or through the omission of relevant information. Coverage should be proportionate.

Verification

Journalists must take all reasonable and practicable steps to satisfy themselves of the veracity of a witness account or piece of media before publishing.

Those steps may include:

Sources who provide information should be required to establish their credentials, and journalists must draw a clear distinction between events witnessed first-hand and hearsay.

The authenticity of supplied or crowdsourced video, images and audio should be corroborated.

Falsification and hoaxes

Deliberately publishing falsified or made-up material is strictly prohibited. This extends to hoaxes, including for April Fool’s Day. We take the trust of our audience seriously and do not attempt to fool our audience. Where an article that is satirical and intended humorously is published, it will be clearly labelled as “satire”.

Funerals and tangihanga

By default, funerals are understood to be open to the public, meaning journalists do not need permission to attend. However, if family members of the deceased express that they do not want media present, we will refrain from attending unless there are exceptional circumstances.

If wishing to cover tangihanga, journalists should follow marae protocol.

Grief

Journalists should approach cases involving personal grief or shock with sympathy and discretion.

Without restricting our ability to report newsworthy information, we should be mindful of the impact of the reporting process on people experiencing trauma. In particular, editors should consider the news merit of publishing sensitive videos or images - such as photos of houses or crash scenes - and consciously weigh up the public interest value with any countervailing factors of privacy or trauma.

Journalists should make best endeavours to ensure next-of-kin have been alerted before publishing the identity of someone who has died, except when the exigencies of significant news make that impractical.

Identification

Journalists should identify themselves and their purpose clearly and not misrepresent themselves, unless there is a case of compelling public interest and the information cannot be obtained in any other way. Press cards are issued to all journalists.

Independence

Journalism must be conducted independently of any commercial interests of Stuff or of individual staff. Advertising clients do not have the ability to control or influence news reporting.

When Stuff enters commercial partnerships involving production of content, any related stories will be clearly labelled and disclosed to readers, following our guidelines for advertising-related content.

Interviews, sources and subterfuge

Interviews should be conducted in person, by phone, or by video chat. On rare occasions, interviews can be conducted by email or chat/messaging app if the interviewee is unavailable to speak.

When dealing with organisations, an interview is strongly preferred over written statements. When comment is provided through a statement rather than an interview, that should be noted in the story. When individuals or organisations decline comment, that should be noted in a story, and when salient questions are unanswered it may be appropriate to note the questions in the story.

Journalists should not share questions with interviewees before an interview, though it may sometimes be appropriate to provide broad outlines of the topics for discussion.

Interviews conducted by journalists are assumed to be on the record and able to be reported unless otherwise specified. Interviewees cannot retrospectively put interviews off the record.

Definitions:

Media Council

Stuff abides by the Media Council principles.

Editors agree to publish any decisions in which the Media Council upholds complaints against their publication within the timeframe specified by the Council.

Opinion and commentary

Stuff will endeavour to publish material representing a diverse range of opinions. Such opinions represent the views of the individual authors; not the views of Stuff.

Opinion content should be clearly distinguished from news content through the prominent use of an ‘Opinion’ label or, in the case of user-generated content, with a ‘Reader report’ label.

Authors of news stories should avoid expressing opinions or “editorialising” within those stories. We must draw a clear distinction between comment and fact.

The credentials of opinion authors should be disclosed in a short statement to allow readers to gauge the author’s credibility. When we publish opinion submissions from people purporting to be experts on a topic, we should verify their credentials.

Stuff’s editorial policy is that journalists should not write or produce opinion. This is to avoid perceptions of bias, or conflict with their primary role of reporting the news.

However, we recognise that there may be occasions where an individual journalist can add valuable perspective to newsworthy debates. In those cases, the exception to our policy will be reviewed by a senior editor.

Similarly, journalists in the sport and lifestyle areas have some additional leeway to contribute occasional opinion articles.

A detailed outline of our policy on journalists writing opinions can be read here.

Photography and videos

Journalists must not tamper with photographs or videos to distort and/or misrepresent the image – except for purely cosmetic reasons – without informing the reader what has occurred and why.

Stuff avoids blurring or pixelating images or videos unless required to comply with the law or for practical journalistic purposes. This must be approved by a senior editor.

Plagiarism and attribution

Stuff values originality in journalism, and deliberate plagiarism is strictly forbidden.

When using material from another source – including other media organisations – journalists should clearly credit the originating party.

Police officers and lethal force

Stuff abides by the industry-wide undertaking given to Parliament in May 2004 that police officers who use lethal force in carrying out their public duty will be named only if there is a compelling matter of public interest.

Privacy

We strive to strike an appropriate balance between reporting information that is in the public interest and observing personal privacy. People have a right to a reasonable degree of privacy, and journalism should not unduly impinge upon that.

Information that is already in the public domain will not usually be considered to be subject to an expectation of privacy. The identity of a person carrying out their job is not a private fact, and neither is a person’s death.

People who occupy public office or high-profile positions, or who deliberately court publicity, have a lower genuine expectation of privacy than ordinary citizens.

In some cases where genuine privacy rights exist, they may be outweighed by public interest considerations.

As a general rule, videos or photos that are shot from public land – and therefore depict what any member of the public in the same position could observe – will not be considered a breach of privacy.

See also: Stuff’s privacy policy covering the use of user data in our service.

Profanity/Obscene language

Stuff reaches a broad and diverse audience. Our content should be suitable for a wide range of ages and sensibilities, which means avoiding profanity and obscene language.

Unless profanity is integral to the meaning or impact of a quote or phrase, the best option is usually to omit it. When profanities are used, they should be censored with an audible bleep in videos and ellipses in text. Profanities should rarely be used in headlines, intros, social posts or video captions, even censored. Please consult a senior editor before use.

Mild profanities that are broadly accepted by New Zealanders can be used uncensored if they add to the meaning or impact of a story, but in most circumstances should still be avoided in headlines, intros, social posts and video captions.

Public contact

When dealing with members of our audience or other members of the public, staff must remain courteous and respectful. We value contact with our audience, and that includes being open to receiving critical feedback.

Our staff have no obligation to endure abuse from members of the public or people involved in stories, and will terminate contact if abused or threatened. Serious threats or abuse – including of self-harm – will be referred to appropriate authorities.

However, we will not disparage our audience, including by sharing their messages publicly, even when they are abusive toward us.

Quotations

Words presented between quote marks should be verbatim as provided by the interviewee, with the exception that some idiosyncrasies of speech – such as the word “um” – may be removed for clarity.

Ellipses are used to indicate when words have been removed. Parentheses are used to add clarifying information. Square brackets are used when words have been replaced.

Recording of interviews

Interviews will often be recorded to ensure their contents are reported accurately. Journalists do not need the consent of interviewees to record interviews.

Journalists should seek the consent of interview subjects before recording photos, video or audio that is intended for publication or broadcast. Exceptions are permissible when the story being reported is in the public interest and consent is withheld or is likely to be withheld.

We may record footage in public places without requiring the consent of people whose presence may be captured.

Reporting on terrorist and national security events

Stuff has agreed to work within protocols developed between representatives of all major New Zealand media organisations and relevant government agencies. These protocols set out the broad parameters for editors and journalists to pay heed to when reporting on a terrorist event while it is underway, acknowledging that such events can be unpredictable, fast-moving, confusing and highly charged.

While we steadfastly defend the critical role we play in relaying accurate information when a terrorist event unfolds, we acknowledge the government's overarching concerns about protecting life and property. Hence, a central goal of the protocols is that the media will work responsibly and co-operatively with police and other anti-terrorism agencies while such an event is underway, while seeking to inform the public to the maximum extent possible.

Right of reply

Any subject of a news story who is facing criticism or allegations must be afforded a reasonable right of reply before publication. Journalists must make every reasonable effort to reach the subject of a story to extend them right of reply. This should not be construed as harassment.

‘Reasonable’ right of reply means they must be given a fair summary of the allegations against them, and adequate time to respond. The response time allowed will vary depending on the nature of the story and production requirements.

On rare occasions when it is not feasible to seek comment before content is published, the right of reply should be offered as soon as practicable afterwards and the subject’s response published either in an update or a new story.

The right to comment is also relevant to people who are integral to a story but are not subject to allegations or criticism. We must take all reasonable steps to contact affected parties to seek their views. We should not presume how people might react when contacted, or let anticipation of a negative reaction deter us.

In cases when it is not practical to wait for comment before publishing - particularly around the reporting of court judgements or coronial decisions - interested parties should be contacted as soon as possible after publication, and stories should be updated with their responses.

Opinion articles do not necessarily attract a right of reply. Editors will consider these on a case-by-case basis, and are not compelled to publish a competing opinion in response to any particular article but will be guided by professional standards including this code (see Balance).

Social media and messaging platforms

When active on social media and messaging platforms, journalists should consider themselves representatives of Stuff, unless their accounts are set to private and accessible only to family and friends.

Journalists are expected to uphold Stuff’s professional standards. When expressing opinions or relating personal experiences, journalists should be mindful of whether doing so will compromise their impartiality regarding people or topics they may be called on to cover. Before posting to social media, ask: “Does this risk eroding trust in me or in Stuff?” In particular, journalists must avoid giving the impression they are politically partisan.

Staff should disclose their connection to Stuff in their profile, should behave respectfully toward other users, and should not make comments that are discriminatory, defamatory, abusive, threatening or offensive.

When members of the public post to social media, their comments are taken to be in the public domain and may be quoted or embedded in stories. Posters still retain copyright in visual material, and permission should generally be sought before re-publishing videos or photos.

Sources

Stuff’s position is that names are news. Individuals featured in stories should be quoted under their real name unless there are compelling reasons for confidentiality and it is in the public interest that their comments be reported.

While confidential sources are valuable because anonymity can allow people to reveal public interest information that would otherwise stay concealed, or to give a voice to disadvantaged people, overuse of anonymity undermines audience confidence because readers are unable to evaluate the credibility of an interviewee.

If a source is reported under a made-up name, this must be clearly disclosed. We generally avoid the use of pen names for supplied content, should only agree to these in exceptional circumstances, and fully disclose the use to readers.

Journalists must act with integrity and preserve their sources. When we accept information from a confidential source, we must protect their identity.

Stories about Stuff

When Stuff itself is newsworthy, journalists covering the story should act impartially and treat Stuff as we would any other organisation.

When Stuff staff are featured in content – for instance, as interviewees or case studies because of their personal experience – we should disclose that they are employed by Stuff.

Subterfuge

Journalists should not engage in subterfuge or use deception to get information unless a story has genuine public interest value and the information cannot be obtained another way. Subterfuge includes failing to identify oneself as a Stuff journalist, adopting a fake identity, and using hidden devices to make recordings for publication.

In circumstances where subterfuge is considered necessary, approval must be secured from a senior editor.

Suicide reporting protocols

Reporting suicide requires journalists to exercise fine editorial judgement within the framework of statutory constraints imposed by the Coroners Act 2006.

The media have a recognised duty to inform the public on matters of public interest. Suicide is an issue of legitimate concern to the public and the media can perform an important role in informing and educating the public about this complex issue. Stories can address likely causes; warning signs; trends in suicide rates; recent advances in treatment; and suicide prevention strategies.

Individual suicides may be inherently newsworthy and need to be reported. In such cases, a responsible approach will consider the potential for news coverage to both contribute to cause further harm and to communicate positive messages that may save lives.

Editors, editors-in-chief and editorial leaders of Stuff publications, who are aware of the ongoing debate about, and research into, links between media reporting and suicide rates, accept the need to:

Our suicide reporting policy applies to deaths in New Zealand and overseas, though with international cases editors may on rare occasions decide to include the method in stories, when omitting it would be absurd (such cases will usually involve prominent people or historical deaths).

Te reo Māori

Te reo Māori, an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand, is a taonga with endangered status. Stuff has a role to play in the normalisation and revitalisation of the language.

We actively encourage the use of te reo Māori in content. That extends to frequently using te reo Māori names for our brands and mastheads, including Puna for Stuff. Words that are in common usage will not be translated into English.

Treaty of Waitangi

We recognise the principles of partnership, participation and protection should help guide our actions.

Transparency

We accept transparency in our professional duties and acknowledge we should be able to account for the way we operate, to the same standard we expect of those we report on.

We must be mindful of the power the media wields, and exercise that responsibly and with due regard to the rights and sensibilities of the people and institutions we cover. This is especially important in a digital era when the impact of coverage can be amplified and enduring.

This should not deter us from reporting on difficult but newsworthy topics or fulfilling our role to hold the powerful to account. Anticipation of ‘blowback’ from people or organisations with power - including those with their own audience or significant social media followings - should not prevent valid journalism in the public interest.