Respect for truth and the public’s right to information are fundamental principles of our journalism.

As journalists, we search, record, question, disclose, entertain, comment and remember.
We also respect people’s right to privacy.

We aim to inform our residents so they can be active citizens in our democracy.

We keep a close watch on those in power and are aware that we also have and exercise power through our publishing. In this, we aim to be responsible and accountable. We are committed to:
Honesty
Fairness
Independence
The right of the public to know what is happening and how it affects them
Respect for the rights of others

To deliver this:
We report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts. We don’t suppress relevant available facts or place any distorting emphasis. Generally we offer a fair opportunity for reply;

We do not place unnecessary emphasis on personal characteristics, including race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, family relationships, religious belief or any apparent disability;

We attribute information to its source where possible. In a small community such as ours there can be a stronger need for anonymity and we assess this on its merits and aim to avoid neighbourhood disputes. We do not agree to anonymity without considering the source’s motives and any other attributable source. Where confidences are accepted, we respect them in all circumstances.

We do not allow personal interest, belief, commitment, payment, gift or benefit to undermine our accuracy, fairness or independence. We disclose any conflicts of interest that affect or could be seen to affect the accuracy, fairness or independence of our journalism. We do not use our journalistic position for personal gain.

We do not allow advertising or other commercial considerations to undermine our accuracy, fairness or independence.

We use only fair, responsible and honest methods to gather material. We identify ourself before obtaining any interview.

We present words, pictures and sound that are true and accurate to the best of our ability.

We don’t plagiarise. All copy is generated in-house. Any contributed copy is flagged as such.

In matters of death or disaster we aim always to be sensitive, to respect private grief and personal privacy.

We do our utmost to deliver fair correction of any errors.

Modified from the MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics