BBC unveils new ethics code

BBC unveils new ethics code

BBC staff are to be told that "accuracy is more important than speed"
in breaking news, as the corporation publishes the first major
overhaul of its editorial guidelines since the publication of the
Hutton report. The new guidelines mark the first time the BBC has
made the commitment to
accuracy explicit and are designed to reflect the "changing media
environment". The corporation will also introduce a time delay on its
live coverage of sensitive news events such as September 11 and the
school massacre in Beslan. The time delay will last several seconds
and will allow editors to cut any scenes they believe are too
shocking for viewers. The BBC said it had made the decision following
unease in some quarters over its coverage of Beslan last September,
when several
broadcasters were criticised for losing sight of the meaning of such
tragedies in an effort to be first with the news. All the major news
broadcasters reported live from the scene of the hostage crisis, in
which more than 300 people died. In some cases cameras were rolling
as bloodied hostages, many of them children, fled the school.

Source: Guardian
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1512669,00.html