Privacy

As a media maker you will often be in contact with other people, they may be the source of your story or characters in your media product. Did you respect the individual’s right to privacy?

Preferably, you should avoid involvement in the intimate private lives of others, unless they specifically want to bring their story into the open. Don't make unjust accusations in your media product, and don't publish anything that could damage someone's honour or good name. An exception is when the facts are of such importance that the public has a right to be informed, although if you are wrong you are liable for prosecution.

With hindsight, do you believe to have delivered faulty information into the world? If so, take immediate remedial action.

Did you get important information from a source that wishes to remain anonymous? If so, then you should respect their wish and protect that person's anonymity. In such cases you have to use your common sense if you could avert a serious crime with the information you have gathered.

Finally, you have to take account of portrait rights. In the UK there is no specific right to privacy in public places. But it is always easier to ask for permission to film or photograph people rather than just do it. Please note - the rights to make images of someone do not give you the right to publish. For that you may have to ask for extra rights, depending on the context the image is used for.

More about photographers rights.