This Code – including this preamble and any public interest exceptions below – sets the framework for the professional standards that The Tonic has undertaken to maintain. It is the cornerstone of the voluntary self-regulation to which we have made a commitment. It is the responsibility of The Tonic’s writers, editors and publishers to apply the Code to editorial material in both this online platform and as part of any live events with which the brand engages. Publishers and editors will maintain in-house procedures to resolve complaints swiftly.
Accuracy
We undertake not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by the text. A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion will be corrected, promptly and with due prominence.
Privacy
Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence, and there will be no intrusions into any individual’s private life without consent. It is unacceptable to publish photographs of individuals without their consent.
Intrusion into grief or shock
In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion, and publication handled sensitively. These provisions should not restrict the right to report legal proceedings if relevant. When discussing suicide, care should be taken to avoid excessive detail of the methods used.
Children
They must not be approached or photographed without permission. Children under 16 must not be interviewed or photographed unless a custodial parent or similarly responsible adult consents. They must also not be identified, or details of their lives published, without express permission.
Hospitals and other places of health or care
All writers, editors and publishers must identify themselves and obtain permission from a responsible executive before entering hospitals or similar institutions to pursue enquiries. Details of individuals’ health is to be treated sensitively and reported accurately without sensationalism. Permission to write about individuals must always be sought from a responsible relation in the occasion where those individuals are unable to make rational choices themselves.
Relating to Crimes and Sexual Assault
Relatives or friends of persons convicted or accused of crime should not be identified without their consent, unless they are genuinely relevant to the story. Particular regard should be paid to the potentially vulnerable position of children or individuals suffering mental health disorders. The Tonic will not identify victims of sexual assault or publish material likely to contribute to such identification without express permission.
Discrimination
The Tonic will avoid prejudicial or pejorative references to an individual’s, race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability. Details of, and reference to, such are to be avoided unless specifically relevant to the editorial story.
The Tonic Code of Practice ©2017
