The BBC’s
EditorialStandards

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1.1 (p.12)

Introduction
1.2 (p.13)

Our EditorialValues
1.3 (p.14)

The PublicInterest
1.4 (p.15)

Ofcom1.5 (p.16)

Accountability
1.6 (p.16)

Complaints
1.7 (p.18)

Accessibility

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THE BBC’S EDITORIAL STANDARDS

1.1

Introduction	The BBC’s Royal Charter1 specifies the BBC’s
Mission, which is to act in the public interest,
serving all audiences through the provisionof impartial, high‑quality and distinctive output
and services which inform, educate and entertain.
It also establishes our independence fromgovernment, guarantees our editorial and artistic
freedom and safeguards the licence fee, the uniquefunding arrangement which enables the BBC topursue a distinctive mission.
The Charter sets out the BBC’s Public Purposes:
1. T o provide impartial news and information
to help people understand and engage withthe world around them.
2. To support learning for people of all ages.
3. T o show the most creative, highest qualityand distinctive output and services.
4. T
 o reflect, represent and serve the diverse
communities of all of the United Kingdom’s
nations and regions and, in doing so, support
the creative economy across the United Kingdom.
5. T
 o reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values
to the world.	The Royal Charter and the accompanying Framework
Agreement2 establish that it is a duty of the BBC
Board to set the standards for the BBC’s editorial andcreative output and services. The BBC must publish,
review periodically and ensure the observance ofguidelines designed to secure appropriate editorial
standards for our UK Public Services and safeguard
the editorial integrity and high quality of the World
Service and maintain high standards of editorialintegrity and quality for BBC Monitoring.
1	Broadcasting: Royal Charter for the Continuance of the British Broadcasting
Corporation December 2016.
2	Broadcasting: An Agreement Between Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Culture,
Media and Sport and the British Broadcasting Corporation December 2016.

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THE BBC’S EDITORIAL STANDARDS	Producing and upholding these Editorial Guidelines
fulfils those requirements; making our content to thestandards in them is an obligation on all of us, led by
the Director-General, as the BBC’s editor-in-chief.
All output made in accordance with these Editorial
Guidelines will also thereby meet the requirementsof our regulator, Ofcom3.

1.2

Our Editorial Values	Our audiences trust us and they expect us to adhere
to the highest editorial standards.	We have a right to freedom of expression, includedin the Charter and protected under the European
Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights
Act 1998. This freedom is at the heart of the BBC’sindependence. Our audiences have a right to receive
creative material, information and ideas without
interference. But our audiences also expect us tobalance our right to freedom of expression with
our responsibilities to our audiences and toour contributors, subject to restrictions in law.	We operate in the public interest – reporting stories
of significance to our audiences and holding power
to account. In our journalism in particular, we seek
to establish the truth and use the highest reporting
standards to provide coverage that is fair and accurate.
Our specialist expertise provides professional
judgement and clear analysis. We are impartial, seeking
to reflect the views and experiences of our audiences– so that our output as a whole includes a breadthand diversity of opinion and no significant strandof thought is under-represented or omitted. We areindependent of outside interests and arrangementsthat could compromise our editorial integrity. Our
editorial standards do not require absolute neutrality
on every issue or detachment from fundamental
democratic principles.
3 The Ofcom Broadcasting Code.
bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines

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THE BBC’S EDITORIAL STANDARDS	Free speech enables the exchange of informationand ideas without state interference. It helps to informpublic debate – encouraging us to be curious, engagedand critical. It allows, for example, dramatists, satirists
and comedians to comment on the world around us.
However, freedom of expression is not an absoluteright – it carries duties and responsibilities and isalso subject to legal restrictions and limits.	In exercising freedom of expression, we must offer
appropriate protection to vulnerable groups and avoid
causing unjustifiable offence. We must also respect
people’s privacy – only putting private information into
the public domain where the public interest outweighs
an individual’s legitimate expectation of privacy.	We have a particular responsibility towards children
and young people and must preserve their right tospeak out and be heard. Where they contribute toor feature in our output, we must take due careto ensure that their dignity and their physicaland emotional welfare are protected.
See Section 9 Children and Young People as Contributors: 9.1	As members of our audiences, they have a rightto access information and ideas; however, we mustensure that content that might be unsuitable forthem is scheduled appropriately.

1.3

The Public Interest	
The BBC’s Mission4 specifies that we must ‘act in thepublic interest’. It is in the public interest to fulfil ourmission to produce output to inform, educate andentertain. There is no single definition of public interest,
but it includes freedom of expression; providing
information that assists people to better comprehendor make decisions on matters of public importance;
preventing people being misled by the statements
4	Article 5 The BBC’s Mission, Broadcasting: Royal Charter for the Continuance of theBritish Broadcasting Corporation December 2016.

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THE BBC’S EDITORIAL STANDARDS

or actions of individuals or organisations. The public
interest is also served in exposing or detecting crimeor significantly anti-social behaviour and by exposing
corruption, injustice, significant incompetenceor negligence.

1.4

Ofcom	Under the Charter, Ofcom must regulate the standardsof relevant BBC UK Public Service content to ensure
it meets the requirements of Ofcom’s Standards andFairness Codes5. It therefore considers complaints
against some BBC broadcast content.
See Section 1 The BBC’s Editorial Standards: 1.6	It must also regulate BBC UK Public On-Demand
Programme Services (‘BBC ODPS’) in line with theserequirements, so far as Ofcom determines them
relevant. These requirements are set out in Ofcom’s
Broadcasting Code.	Ofcom also considers complaints against BBC online
material if the complainant is dissatisfied with the BBCresponse. Ofcom will give an opinion as to whether
the relevant content meets these Editorial Guidelines,
and may require the BBC to reconsider the matter.
However, Ofcom has no further enforcement powers
and the final decision is the BBC’s6.	Ofcom does not regulate standards for the BBC WorldService. BBC commercial broadcast services, provided
by BBC companies, are not UK Public Services but they
are subject to Ofcom’s content standards regulation
where they are distributed under Ofcom licences.	Where Ofcom finds a breach of its Broadcasting Code,it may require the BBC to broadcast a statementof its findings. Where Ofcom considers its code has
been breached ‘seriously, deliberately, repeatedly
5	Article 46 Principal functions of Ofcom, Broadcasting: Royal Charter for theContinuance of the British Broadcasting Corporation December 2016.
6	This does not apply to some categories of BBC content, including material on thirdparty platforms, social media and BBC corporate information.
bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines

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THE BBC’S EDITORIAL STANDARDSor recklessly’ it can impose sanctions which range froma requirement to broadcast a correction or statementof finding to a fine of no more than £250,000.	All BBC services are regulated by these
Editorial Guidelines.

1.5

Accountability	The Charter sets out our duty to be transparent andaccountable. We must publish an Annual Report andAccounts which must include information about howhigh editorial standards have been set, reviewed andmet. It must also include information about how wehave served the nations and regions of the UK andwhether there have been significant changes to anyof our Public Services. We must also report on how
complaints have been handled and what we havelearned from them.

1.6

Complaints	We are open in acknowledging mistakes when
they are made and want to learn from them.
We are required to set and publish procedures forthe handling and resolution of complaints. The BBC
Complaints Procedure7 sets out the timeframes thatcomplaints will normally be answered within and must
relate both to the obligations of our Public Services
and also our commercial operations.	Complaints about most BBC content8 are dealt
with initially by the BBC, as set out in the Complaints
Procedure9. Complaints are handled by BBC Audience
Services in the first instance, but complainantsdissatisfied with the response can ask the BBC’S
Executive Complaints Unit to investigate.
7 BBC Complaints Framework and Procedures October 2017.
8	Individuals may make first-party complaints relating to fairness and privacy directly to Ofcom.
9 BBC Complaints Framework and Procedures October 2017.

17THE BBC’S EDITORIAL STANDARDS	The Executive Complaints Unit deals withserious complaints about possible breachesof the BBC’s editorial standards in connection
with specific programmes or items of content.
It deals with complaints about any BBC service orproduct where the BBC has editorial responsibility.
This includes international, public and commercial
services and BBC-branded magazines.	The Executive Complaints Unit’s decisions are
subject to review by the Director-General, as theBBC’s editor-in-chief.	Where the Executive Complaints Unit identifies
a serious breach of the editorial standards set
out in these Guidelines, its finding will normally be
published on the BBC complaints website. It may also
direct the BBC to broadcast an apology or correction.	If complainants are not satisfied with the Executive
Complaints Unit finding, and the complaint relates
to BBC content regulated by Ofcom, the complainant
can refer the matter to Ofcom, after the BBC has
finished considering the complaint. Ofcom will
adjudicate on whether there has been a breachof the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.	If the complaint relates to online material, Ofcom
will consider and give an opinion as to whether thematerial breaches these Editorial Guidelines andmay ask the BBC to reconsider the matter; however,
Ofcom has no further enforcement powers.	Complaints about World Service content and ourcontent on social media do not come within Ofcom’s
remit and are considered within the BBC’s complaints
process, in line with the Complaints Procedurebbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines

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THE BBC’S EDITORIAL STANDARDS

1.7

Accessibility	The BBC is committed to being inclusive and accessible
to all our audiences. We are required by law to make‘reasonable adjustments’ to our content to ensuredisabled people can access our output.	The BBC provides subtitling, audio-description
and sign language services, but what is considered‘reasonable’ will evolve as technology develops10.	Ofcom also sets mandatory requirements
for all broadcasters11.	Decisions taken throughout the production process
will affect whether output is accessible to people withsome visual impairment (including colour blindness),hearing or speech impairment (for voice recognition).
Producers must take account of the requirement
that, as far as reasonably practicable, our content
is accessible to those audiences.	See Guidance online: Visually Impaired Audiences and Hearing
Impaired Audiences10	BBC Policies: Subtitles on TV and Audio description on TV. Available on Gateway
for BBC staff or via commissioning editors for independent producers.
11
Ofcom’s Code on Television Access Services.

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THE BBC’S EDITORIAL STANDARDS

bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines