Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Allchin, and I'm going to be taking you through this citizenship lesson.

I'm going to be providing you with all of the information that you need, and I'll be telling you when you need to pause and complete a task.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.

During this lesson, you are going to be able to explain how and why media is regulated.

This unit of lessons is looking at how does the media hold those in power to account.

And this lesson is looking at what is responsible journalism.

Hope you enjoy the lesson.

So these are the key words that we're going to be looking at this lesson.

There are quite a few, so let's have a look at these together.

So regulation is the rules that control how things are done to keep them fair and safe.

A union is a group of workers in the same trade or profession who have joined together to protect their rights.

Conduct is the way a person or organisation behaves, especially following rules or standards.

A scandal is a situation or event that is seen as shocking or disgraceful because of wrongdoing or improper behaviour.

And impartial means not taking sides, being fair and being balanced.

So during this lesson, what is responsible journalism, we're going to look at how is the media regulated, we're going to look at what makes a responsible journalist, and then we're going to look at what are the media's responsibilities.

So we're going to start off by looking at how is the media regulated.

So regulation in the media means setting rules and checking things carefully to make sure that information is shared with the public responsibly.

It aims to eliminate or at least really reduce false or harmful information.

So to help with media regulation, there are codes of conduct that the media must follow.

And the aims of codes of conduct are to help journalists report information fairly and accurately, and to ensure that the public can trust the information that they are receiving because that is really, really important.

So those codes of conduct really support with this.

Without regulation, it would be difficult to keep checks on the accuracy of the media.

So that regulation is really, really, really good for that sort of checking function to make sure that we can trust what we are seeing and reading and hearing in the media.

So let's have a quick check, what is the missing word? Regulation in the media means setting something and checking things carefully.

And its rules.

So regulation in the media means setting rules and checking things carefully.

There are three major sets of rules which the media are expected to follow, and they are the National Union of Journalists, so the NUJ Code of Conduct.

So that is the code of conduct that journalists follow.

The Editor's Code of Practise and the Royal Charter, which is for specifically for the BBC.

So Alex is saying, "Surely we don't need to have so many different rules and regulations in place." And Lucas is saying, "Well, yes, because a free press is vital in a democracy, we need to know that we can trust the media and the media needs to be able to be free from that government interference.

So yes, we do.

It's really important that we have these in place.

We can't trust that everyone involved in the media will always do the right thing, so we need clear regulations in place.

It'd be lovely if we could absolutely trust that every single journalist and every single media corporation would always tell the truth and always do the right thing.

But just in case that might not always happen.

These regulations really support to make sure that we can still trust the media." So Lucas is saying, "What does the NUJ code of conduct have to do with media regulation?" So the National Union of Journalists, NUJ, is one of the world's largest journalist unions.

So remember at the beginning, we looked at union as a key word.

So if you are a journalist, you can join this union to have your rights protected in the workplace, but it also gives you things that you need to do in terms of your conduct and how you work.

So when a journalist joins the NUJ, they must sign and agree to follow the NUJ Code of Conduct, which is a special set of rules.

And these rules include things such as correcting mistakes if they're made, being clear about fact and opinion.

So really thinking about the words that you are using as a journalist and protecting the identity of sources.

So let's have a quick check.

What does NUJ stand for? Is it A, the National Union of Journalism Studies; is it B, the national undertaking of journalism; or is it C, the National Union of Journalists? And it's C, the National Union of Journalists.

So Alex is asking, "What does the Editors' Code of Practise have to do with media regulation?" So the Editors' Code of Practise are rules that the UK media follow to ensure fair and accurate reporting.

It includes rules such as respecting people's privacy, avoiding discrimination when reporting, and making sure that published information is true and not stating that something is true if they don't know if that's the case.

So this quote is enforced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation, IPSO, who can investigate complaints and demand corrections when needed.

So if there is a complaint or somebody is accusing that perhaps something has been printed that's untrue, that's incorrect, it's something that actually the Independent Press Standards Organisation kind of trying to research and investigate and follow up, and they have got the power to make media outlets print or produce a retraction to basically saying that they were wrong and correct their mistake.

So let's have a quick check.

Who enforces the Editor's Code of Practise? Is it A, the Independent Media Standards Organisation, IMSER; B, independent Press Standards Organisation, IPSO; or C, Independent Press Interest Organisation, IPIO? And it's B, IPSO.

<v ->So Alex is saying, "Why do we need</v> the Editors' Code of Practise and the NUJ Code of Conduct?" So they have similar aims, but they're slightly different in their focus.

So the Editor's Code of Practise is enforced by IPSO, which is an external independent organisation, whereas the NUJ Code of Conduct isn't enforced by an external organisation.

People see it as more of a personal moral guide.

So the NUJ code of Conduct is something that you are agreeing to sign up to and follow as a journalist, whereas IPSO offers that external independent regulation.

But both are really, really important.

And by having the two, it makes that regulation stronger.

"So does anyone know why the BBC is different from other broadcasters?" Is a question that Lucas is asking.

So if you want to, have a little pause and think to yourself, what makes the BBC different from other broadcasters? So BBC actually stands for, and you might not know this, the British Broadcasting Corporation, so BBC, and it's the UK's national broadcaster.

It was founded in 1922, so a long time ago now, to provide a service of information, education and entertainment to the public.

It is independent from government control.

So just like a free press, it's independent from government control, but it is publicly funded.

And this is really, really different because its funding comes from a TV licence fee that's paid by households in the UK.

So this is something you might have even heard people at home talking about.

So it doesn't make its money through adverts or subscriptions like lots of other broadcasters do.

And that's why if ever you are watching something on BBC, the programmes don't have adverts in between, which is really, really interesting, because they don't need to make their money that way because they make it through a TV licence fee.

So it's ultimately paid for by the public to provide a service to the public.

So Luke's saying, "What's the Royal Charter and why does a BBC have to follow it?" So in 1927, the BBC was officially established by a Royal Charter, and it was this charter that made it independent from the government but funded by citizens, and as such its primary focus is to serve the public interest.

So that's why we have a charter to make sure that because the BBC is funded by the public, it is serving the public interest.

This means that it must stay impartial as it serves everyone in the UK.

It would not be fair or right for the BBC to have a really grow or against sort of political stance or views about certain things, because it needs to serve everyone and there's going to be lots of differences within the people of the UK.

So the Royal Charter is an official document that sets the BBC's responsibilities and goals, which are based on being educational, entertaining, informative, and impartial.

So let's have a quick check about that.

So why does the BBC have to follow the Royal Charter? Is it A, King Charles demanded it once he became king; is it B, the BBC is publicly funded and serves everyone; or C, because they once broke media regulation? And it's B, the BBC is publicly funded and serves everyone and that's why it needs to follow the Royal Charter.

So Lucas is asking, "What might the media be like if there wasn't any regulations?" If you want to pause and have a think about this yourself.

So without regulation, the media could publish really any information without there being any checks for accuracy or fairness.

And this could lead to false and misleading information being consumed by citizens.

Citizens could be treated unfairly by the media, for example, they could have false information released about them, they could be harassed by the media, or they could be outed as media sources.

And all of this could lead to a real lack of trust in the media, which would be really harmful to a democracy, because in a democracy, we need to be informed citizens so we can make decisions.

So therefore if we didn't have regulation and we started to lose the trust in the media, that would be really, really negative.

So let's have a quick check.

What are the missing words? Without regulation, the media could publish any information without checking for what or what.

You've got a clue there from Lucas.

He's telling you that one of the words starts with an A and the other with an F.

So without regulation, the media could publish any information without checking for accuracy or fairness.

So for task A, I would like you to write one summary paragraph that explains why media regulation is so important.

Your paragraph could include the words accuracy, fairness, and standards.

So pause while you have a go at this task.

So your paragraph may have looked like this.

Media regulation is important because it helps keep accuracy, fairness and high standards in the news.

Regulations make sure that information shared with the public is true and checked carefully so people don't get misled by false information.

Regulations also ensure fairness by preventing the media from being biassed or treating people unfairly.

By setting standards, regulation keeps the media responsible and trustworthy, which helps people rely on it for important news and information.

So we're now going to start looking at what makes a responsible journalist.

So a journalist's job is to find and share information with the public.

So they research things, they interview lots of different people, and write stories about events or issues that we can all read to be informed.

Journalists help people to understand what's happening locally, nationally, and internationally by providing facts and different viewpoints.

So Alex is asking, "What qualities would you expect a journalist to have?" So pause and have a think about this yourself if you like.

So Lucas is saying that he would expect them to be truthful because we rely on them for accurate information, which is something you might have come up with yourself as well.

So the role of a journalist carries a great deal of responsibility.

They are the person that will be bringing a particular piece of information to the public, so we need to be able to trust them.

We expect journalists to be truthful, to be accurate, to be fair, to be impartial, to be compassionate, and to be accountable.

So there's lots and lots of expectations there for a journalist.

And these are all really important qualities within a democracy and are what a journalist signs up to when they join the National Union of Journalists.

So these are the things that we are expecting from journalists and what journalists sign up to when they take on that role.

So what do we not expect journalists to be? Is it A, untruthful, B, impartial, or C, accountable? So we do not expect journalists to be untruthful.

So Alex is saying, "So what exactly does the NUJ Code of Conduct cover?" We've talked about it already this session, we've touched upon it.

What does it actually cover? So journalists that have joined the NUJ must uphold and defend media freedom.

That's about their values, correct harmful inaccuracies, so mistakes might sometimes happen, but when they do, they need to sort of hold their hands up and correct that so that people can see that a mistake was made.

They need to use their wording carefully, so they're distinguishing between fact and opinion and they're careful not to report something that's opinion as fact.

They need to gather material openly and honestly.

They need to make sure that they're not invading people's personal privacy unless it's absolutely required and appropriate.

They need to protect the identity of sources, so people giving them information and not copy the work of fellow journalists and not to commit plagiarism.

So what might this look like in practise? So it means that they need to be accountable for genuine mistakes and printing a retraction if needed.

So not just thinking, oh, I've made a mistake, I'm a bit embarrassed, I'm gonna pretend it's not happened.

But owning up to that and printing that retraction so people can be told that actually information in a previous newspaper on a news segment was actually incorrect.

They need to make sure that they're not doing things such as harassing the family of a murder victim during a funeral so they might think, well, that'd be a really interesting piece, but that would clearly be invading on privacy.

So that's an example there as well.

And also using terms like suspected to describe someone that has not yet been found guilty of an offence.

So there you are distinguishing between fact and opinion there by making sure that you're using the term suspected to make it really clear that that person has not actually has yet been charged with a crime.

So let's have a check.

According to the NUJ Code of Conduct, what would be unacceptable behaviour for a journalist? A, writing a story about a politician deceiving the public; B, refusing to attract a story that was proven false; or C, interviewing people who are victims of violent crime.

And it's B, refusing to retract a story that was proven false.

The NUJ Code of Conduct is seen as an important and ethical regulation that supports accurate reporting and increases citizens' trust in the media.

If a NUJ member breaks a code of conduct, they would face disciplinary actions.

So basically they would get into trouble for that.

There would be a consequence for that, and this could include being fined, this could include being suspended from work, and it could actually include being fired to actually not being allowed to work there anymore.

And it's the National Executive Council, the NEC, that make the decision about whether the journalist should be fired.

So there's that bit of separation there.

So that decision can be made 'cause that's a really, really serious decision that's going to impact someone's life potentially.

So let's have a quick check.

True or false? A journalist cannot be expelled from work because this goes against democracy? Is that true? Is that false? And then try and think about why.

So it's false.

Why? If a NUJ member breaks a code of conduct, they would face disciplinary action, which could include a fine, being suspended from work, or being fired.

So for task B, you've been asked to write a person specification for a national newspaper who are looking for new journalists to join their team.

Your person specification should provide a list of the qualities that a journalist should have to successfully do the role.

And Alex is telling you, if possible, try to expand each bullet point by giving a brief explanation.

So pause while you have a go at this task.

So you may have said, with this task, person specification, we need our journalists to be truthful, to take care not to print false information, to be accurate, to fact check and double check their information.

To be fair, provide balance and not portray people unfairly.

To be impartial, so to not take sides and to remain professional.

To be compassionate, to think about the feelings of others when reporting.

And to be accountable, to own up to mistakes and be willing to attract them if need be.

We're now going to look at the third part of our lesson outline which is, what are the media's responsibilities? So media refers to all of the different mediums that are used to provide information to a mass audience and include print media, broadcasting media and new media.

Media is accessed by a huge proportion of the population and it's a really key feature of a democratic society.

So therefore, the media as a whole also has key responsibilities when providing information to the public.

So Lucas is saying, "What do these responsibilities include?" Have a think to yourself if you would like to pause for a minute.

So the media must verify details and fact check to ensure accuracy.

They shouldn't be printing something without thinking about it and carefully checking it, because people are going to be reading that and trusting that information to be true.

They need to avoid exaggerating something or scare mongering, which means, you know, printing things that are quite alarmists that are going to make people feel really, really scared or worried about a certain situation when there doesn't need to be that scare mongering in place.

And it also includes being accountable, which we've looked at already this lesson.

So including putting the journalist name next to the work so we can see who it was that's actually written certain pieces.

And also, holding all those in power to account.

So actually the media has that really important responsibility in a democracy of having that checking function and making sure that people in power, so politicians and people like that are held to account if need be.

So Lucas is saying, Sound sensible, are there any examples?" So let's have a look at some.

So in 2009, the media reported on how MPs were spending public money through expenses.

And this became known as the MP expenses scandal.

As a result, many MPs were sanctioned and there is now much more transparency over MP expenses.

So MPs are absolutely allowed to put things on expense for their role.

So for example, if they were getting a train somewhere, into Central London to carry out their work, they're allowed to claim that money back.

But what this scandal uncovered was that some MPs were actually putting very personal things on expenses, which they shouldn't have been.

And this was reported by an uncovered by the media, so it is therefore an example of the media holding those in power to account.

So let's have a quick check.

What is the media not responsible for? So is it A, verifying details; B, holding people in power to account; C, printing the journalist's name on work; or D, offending politicians.

And it's D, offending politicians.

The media also has a duty to report information that is in the public interest.

So Alex is saying, "What does this actually mean?" So if you want to, have a little pause yourself and think what does it mean, if something's in the public interest, what does that actually mean? Public interest is used when talking about the public's right to know the facts about an incident or situation such as exposure of crimes, protection from being misled, safeguarding of public health and safety, and miscarriages of justice.

So these are things that would be classed as public interest.

It's in our interest to know this information.

So examples of information that would be in public interest could include a company testing medicine being suspected of cruelty to animals.

People might want to know that so they can make an informed decision about whether to choose that medicine.

Products being sold by a supermarket that have been contaminated with bacteria.

Again, we've got a right to know that.

It's our interest to know that.

A politician awarding a contract to a family member.

Again, we've got a representative democracy, we trust our politicians.

Any behaviour that could be seen as a little bit not how they should be acting.

Again, it's our right to know the information.

Or a local council overspending its budget despite past warnings.

Again that that's money for the public that's been overspent.

So all of these would be examples of stories that would be in public interest.

So let's have a check.

True or false? Reporting about product sold by a supermarket that have been contaminated with bacteria is not in the public interest.

So is that true, false, and tell me why.

It's false.

Why? Because public interest refers to the public's right to know the facts about something, like exposure of crimes, protection from being misled, and safeguarding of public health and safety and miscarriages of justice.

And this clearly lies within safeguarding of public health and safety.

"Are there any famous examples of when the media is acted irresponsibly?" Alex is asking.

And the news of the world was a tabloid newspaper, which regularly featured stories about celebrities.

And between 2005 and 2011, a number of journalists at News of the World were investigated for hacking into the phones of certain people of interest to try and get some stories.

In July, 2014, their features editor was found guilty of conspiracy to hack phones and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

And in 2011, the news of the world was actually shut down and was ceased publication.

So that's a clear example there where the media has acted irresponsibly and there were sanctions as our results.

So this scandal had a huge impact on media regulation.

In 2011, the government set up the Leveson Inquiry into press conduct, and the inquiry heard evidence about the culture, practises and ethics of the media and the role of the media in a modern society.

The report made recommendations about how the press should be regulated.

And disagreement with the recommendations from many newspaper owners and editors led to the establishment of their own independent body, IPSO, which self regulates most newspapers in the UK today.

So let's have a quick check.

Which high profile scandal led to a change in press regulation? A, B, or C? And it's C, the phone hacking scandal.

So for task C, I'd like you to write an opposing argument to the following statement.

So it is acceptable for the media to break regulation because sometimes a story is just too important not to tell and rules must be broken.

So you are writing and opposing, so the opposite argument to that statement.

Your opposing argument could include the words fair, trust and accurate.

So pause while you have a go at this task.

So you may have written something like this.

It is never justifiable for the media to break regulation and the press code when reporting on an issue.

'cause these rules exist to protect people and ensure news is fair and accurate.

If journalists ignore these standards, they risk spreading false information or harming someone's reputation without real proof.

Breaking regulation can also break people's trust in the media.

So in summary for this lesson on what is responsible journalism, the media is bound by regulations that they must follow to ensure accountability, accuracy, and trust.

When journalists join the National Union of Journalists, they agree to follow the NUJ Code of Conduct.

This outlines how they should carry out their work with fairness and combustion.

The editor's code of practise is enforced by IPSO, an external independent organisation.

And the BBC is held accountable and impartial by the Royal Charter.

The media as a whole also has responsibilities to ensure they verify details, avoid scare mongering, remain accountable, and hold those in power to account.

Well done for all of your hard work this lesson.

We hope you enjoyed it and that you'll be back for more citizenship lessons in the future.