Legal and Ethical Representation

Overveiw
Journalists write articles about practically everything from, lo-cal news
to natural disasters that affect thousands of lives, however no matter
what they right they must follow a set of rules which applies to all of
print media. These laws are set in place to protect peoples lives, wellbe-
ing and livelihoods.
The legal side deals with things such as deformation of char-acter and
slander and protects a person or a group of people from false allega-
tions that my harm them in any way. While the ethical issues are out-
lined in the editors code of practice for journalists, these rules deal
with morals and values which must be upheld within the industry.
 Legal Representation
Defamation (libel and slander)
Slander is when a false statement is spoken usually in public.
Libel is when statements is printed or broadcasted.
Defamation is a fake statement made by one individual another which attempts to discredit that per-
sons character or reputation.

Contempt of court
Acting so as not to prejudice an outcome of a trial this might include taking any photograph, make
or attempt to make any portrait or sketch of a justice or a witness in, or a party to, any proceedings
before the court, either in the courtroom or its precincts.

Copyright
Copyright is a legal right that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights for its use and
distribution. This is usually only for a limited time and protects only the original expression of ideas
and not the underlying ideas themselves.

Official secrets act

A legislation that provides the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to
national security which can not be shared.
 Ethical representation
IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation)
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) is the independent regulator for the news-
paper and magazine industry in the UK. We hold newspapers and magazines to account for their
actions, protect individual rights, uphold high standards of journalism and help to maintain freedom
of expression for the press.

Discrimination
It is illegal to discriminate against anyone on ground such as age, sex disability or race.

Privacy
Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence,
including digital communications.

Harassment
Journalists must not continue to question, contact, or photograph people once they have been asked
to stop. It is illegal for a Journalist to continue to question after they have asked for it to stop

The public interest

Anything affecting the rights, health, or finances of the public at large falls under the public interest. It
is often used as an excuse for publishers to get out of trouble when a controversial story is published.
 representation
While producing my publication I must keep in mind all the
laws and rules I have discovered during my research. I must
not discriminate against any group of people and respect the
diversity of present day society. I must keep in mind everyone
is different and not target or create offen-sive material. I must
not exclude or make anyone feel un-welcome to read my mag-
azine. I will respect people of dif-ferent age, gender, race and
those who have a disability. I will use appropriate language and
correct terms within my material to ensure I do not offend or
discriminate against anyone.