My name is Tom and this is my podcast about Legal and Ethical issues.

First of all, the legal and ethical regulations are set and enforced by IPSO,
the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The rules for journalism
ethics are outlined in 16 clauses which all journalists and publishers must
abide by. Also, there is copyright law, defamation law, and others which
shall be discussed.
IPSO was formed as an independent company after the 2006 News Of The
World phone hacking scandal (Phones and other online activity are seen as
private in the editors code of practice). It used to be ran by executives from
the Media itself, however that system was incredibly corrupt as the
executives made sure THEIR companies were not punished.
Ethical issues are not illegal per se however a magazine or newspaper with
unethical practices will be distrusted by the public and their reputation will
be damaged. Ethical issues are pushing the boundaries of what is legal
and moral. This rule bending is unacceptable to a self respecting
publisher as it can damage their sales and public opinion if exposed.
However unethical practices can be excused if the information gained is
within public interest.
Information within public interest is information about a story that the public
either need or want to know. Also, if the information is crucial to the well
being of the public, such as the identity of a criminal, it can be deemed
public interest. It is not a get out of jail free card but can be used to excuse
certain practises.
The editors code of practice is a set of 16 rules which outlines how
Journalists can and cant behave. For example, they are not allowed to use
violence or intimidation. Furthermore, it shows how a journalist can report
on a story, names they can publish, language they can use and where they
can take photos of people. The editors code is enforced to all news
publishers that cooperate with IPSO. This is mandatory for all newspapers

and magazines. In general, this would stop a magazine from harassing

celebrities for photos or interviews, and it would keep legal proceedings of
celebrities private until they decide to release it.
In terms of Metal Hammer, the code of practice would stop them from
publishing legal details about copyright that often happen in music. An
example would be the 2013 Queensryche and Geoff Tate copyright battle.
This would also prevent unsolicited interviews and photos of the musicians
and famous people within the community and increase privacy.
Another clause important to any publisher that deals with any sort of news
is the first. Which states that the press may not publish misleading or
inaccurate information, such as misleading titles or statistics. It is also
important that the press differentiates between fact, opinion and
speculation in order to not mislead readers.This more applies to the
Guardian however since Metal Hammer also largely publish news, this also
dictates their reporting heavily. Due to the personal nature of music news
however, it is a lot more difficult to distinctify conjecture from confirmed
fact, such as new music. The second clause privacy also applies to MH
as it cannot harass people for interviews and it also cannot publish or leak
any private information regarding a musician they may be reporting about.
On the other hand, The Guardian is much more restricted by the editors
code of practice due to it reporting mostly on National and World News.
This mostly restricts their ability to report on crime, especially that involving
children. They also have an obligation to protect confidential sources and
must not pay witnesses for information. If the Guardian were to break these
rules their credibility would be shattered. Especially with misleading or false
information. An example of this would be the Suns reporting of the
hillsborough disaster, has completely removed public trust from the Suns
audience in Liverpool, where it is no longer sold.

Copyright law applies to both magazines and newspapers, chequebook

journalism being the most notable example. It entails paying for the
exclusive rights to a story or interview, and is generally frowned upon by
most Journalists and the public.However, it protects the story by removing
any competition, allowing for a less nuanced portrayal which is useful for
pushing an agenda. Whether this be Metal Hammer paying for an exclusive
interview or The Guardian buying the rights to someone's life story, it is still
mainly an ethical issue in that case. However it can become a legal issue if
the rights are infringed upon by another publisher.
Defamation and libel are legal issues that apply to both. Defamation is the
act of damaging someones good reputation with insufficient evidence to
back claims. Libel is written defamation. The Guardian can defame political
figures by misusing quotes, or just plainly publishing a dishonest article.
Metal Hammer can defame musicians, record labels and other figures
within the music industry. However, in order to be classed as defamation it
has to be damaging to the business of said figure. So it does not apply to
just anyone.
Sometimes it can be difficult to differentiate between legal and ethical
issues, especially in an area as grey as defamation and libel. It is especially
hard to distinguish a simple comment from intentional slandering and
damaging of reputation.