ITC Publishes Revised Edition Of Programme Code

The Independent Television Commission (ITC) has published a revised edition of its programme code. The revisions, the first to be made since 1998, include a call for greater sensitivity in daytime programming during school holidays and the clarification of rules on considering children participating in programmes.

There are also new rules on the recording of telephone calls by journalists and programme makers in addition to existing regulation on secret filming and recording – written confirmation of the purpose and conduct of interviews is now required if criminal allegations or claims of serious wrongdoing are put to an interviewee.

Another revision is the introduction of a new reference to internet addresses, to ensure that no undue prominence is given to commercial sites either to a licensee or a third party.

The revisions are part of the ITC’s ongoing efforts to streamline, simplify and modernise regulation. No major changes have been made to the policy itself, but the document has been made shorter and written in a way that should give greater clarity of intent and ease or use for licensees. An external consultation was held last year in order to identify the changes to be made.

The new code comes into force from 2 April this year, and applies to all services licensed by the ITC. The revised text is available from the ITC information office and on the ITC website. There will also be a pocket-sized card produced detailing the Code’s key principles for use by viewers and programme makers.

ITC: 020 7255 3000 www.itc.org.uk

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