Editorial Code

Real Deals Media is committed to maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards of journalism.

Every editorial team member and contributor must conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the core values of ethical journalism – accuracy, independence and honesty. These standards apply across all forms of media, including print, digital, video, audio and social media.

All journalists at Real Deals Media should be familiar with this Editorial Code, and follow it both in spirit and to the letter.

Real Deals Media’s Editorial Code aims to protect the rights of individuals and organisations, as well as the public’s right to know. 

Our commitments:

• To maintain the highest editorial standards of thorough research and verification, underpinned by a knowledgeable and well-connected team.
• To continually interact with a strong and close community of practitioners spanning the industry as a means of fostering collaboration and information sharing.
• To host impactful events facilitating the deepening of community relationships and sharing of ideas and knowledge, information and experience.
• To provide relevant and timely reporting of need-to-know industry developments.
• To supply advantageous insight to improve our audience’s effectiveness and performance.
• To maintain a deep understanding of our audience’s needs.

Real Deals Media, while not a member of the UK Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), has taken into account the IPSO Editors’ Code of Practice, as well as the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, alongside additional provisions relevant to the particular work carried out by our journalists in the development of this code.

Accuracy 

Journalists must take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. They must verify information before releasing it. They should use original sources whenever possible.

1. Journalists must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by the text.
2. A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and – where appropriate – an apology published.
3. A fair opportunity to reply to significant inaccuracies should be given when reasonably called for.
4. Journalists must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.
5. Publications must report fairly and accurately the outcome of an action for defamation to which it has been a party, unless an agreed settlement states otherwise, or an agreed statement is published

Privacy

1. Everyone is entitled to respect for their private and family life, home, physical and mental health, and correspondence, including digital communications.
   
2. Journalists are expected to justify intrusions into an individual’s private life without consent. In considering reasonable expectations of privacy, an individual’s own public disclosures of information should be taken into account, as well as the extent to which the material is already or likely to be in the public domain.
3. It is not acceptable to photograph individuals without their consent in public or private places where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.
   

Discrimination

1. Journalists must not reference an individual’s race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental illness or disability in a prejudicial or pejorative manner.
   
2. Details of an individual’s race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental illness or disability must be avoided unless genuinely relevant to the story.
   

Financial journalism

1. Journalists must not use financial information they receive in advance of general publication for their own profit. Nor should they pass on such information to others.
2. Journalists must not write about the performance of shares or securities that they or their close relatives have a significant financial interest in without disclosing the interest to the editor.
3. Journalists must not buy or sell shares of securities of which they have recently written about or intend to write about.
   

Confidential sources

Journalists have a moral obligation to protect confidential sources of information.

Corrections and complaints

Journalists must immediately report any significant factual errors to their editors so that they can be corrected.

Plagiarism

Never plagiarise. Always attribute.
Journalists must not plagiarise others’ work. They must not knowingly publish others’ work as their own.

Social media

Journalists must protect Real Deals Media’s reputation for accuracy and integrity when posting on social media.

Recording conversations

Journalists must receive consent from all parties to the conversation if it is to be recorded.
Any recording must be kept safe and secure, and should not be retained for any longer than is necessary.