Breaking the code

I have a bit of spare time on my hands for once before knuckling down later on to do my essay so I thought I'd browse a few internet sites and see whats going on in the industry I want to get into.

On the Press Gazette website I came across this little story by Dominic Ponsford about the revealing of a source by the Lancashire Telegraph.

It is an example of why we do journalism at university and go through the theory side and the law side of the industry we are trying to get into. We are going to make mistakes as trainees so its best off to make them at University and learn them so most can be avioded in the "real" world.

You can read more by following the above link but the story is about the PCC (Press Complaints Commission) criticising the Lancs Telegraph for failing to protect a source.

Clause 14 of the Editors’ Code states that journalists have a duty to protect confidential sources.

But the newspapers argument was that the reporter had not known, and had no reason to know, that the man was one of only two employees at his workplace.

Tricky business, the PCC and law as I found out by only passing half of the NCTJ. You really have to be so careful about identifying your sources, Jigsaw Identification, if I remember correctly.

Just interesting to realise that by around June/July next year that is going to be us lot out there in a position of serious responsibility knowing what we write or don't write as the case may be can affect so many people and can lead to so many different outcomes.