The Journalism Trust Initiative standard

Understanding the Journalism Trust Initiative standard

To implement the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) standard, officially published in December 2019 by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) in the form of a Workshop Agreement with reference CWA 17493, media outlets must first commit to the Declaration on Ethical and Professional Journalism, which outlines the fundamental principles of ethical journalism.

They must also comply with the clauses of the JTI Standard, which translate these principles into concrete transparency and governance requirements. These clauses cover key aspects of the identity and the operations of a news organisation — including its editorial mission, ownership structure, management, sources of revenue and accountability to the public.

Together, the declaration and the clauses form a framework that helps media organisations demonstrate their commitment to transparency, editorial independence and trustworthy journalism.

Browse the sections below to explore the different requirements included in the JTI Standard.

1. Declaration on Ethical and Professional Journalism

We define Journalism as the gathering, production and dissemination of information in a framework of ethical values. Its purpose is to provide citizens with information that empowers them to fully participate in society.

Acts of journalism may be performed by individuals or collectively organised through news media.

We commit ourselves to four primary indicators of ethical quality in journalistic work: ethical practice in editorial activity; good governance in the ownership and management of news media; respect for principles of self-regulation and active engagement with the public.

We practice journalism according to the following key principles:

  • Accuracy and fact-based communication;
  • Independence from political, corporate or other centres of power;
  • Due impartiality in a systematic approach to reporting and editing;
  • Fairness, respect and consideration of the impact of journalism on the lives of others;
  • Transparency to facilitate accountability and responsibility to the public.

We implement these principles through a code of conduct or mission statement, enhanced through Editorial Guidelines, which provide practical guidance on ethical challenges that might arise.

We strive to reflect high levels of good governance that protect editorial independence by showing transparency of ownership and management, whether public or private.

We demonstrate commitment to recognised and essential principles of internal transparency and accountability to the public.

We agree that good governance, which includes respect for recognised norms of human rights, equality, and contractual obligations, may be identified and monitored through periodic reflection and auditing of internal systems and rules designed to strengthen ethics and management of Media Outlets.

We work to develop systems to strengthen awareness of core values of editorial practice through codes of conduct and editorial ethical guidelines. We also work to provide mechanisms for internal self-regulation, including dealing with complaints and comments from the public through the appointment of readers’ editors or ombudspersons or a designated editorial manager. We further demonstrate respect for self-regulation through attachment to industry-wide or national bodies, for example press councils or press associations, established to promote ethical journalism and to deal with complaints from the public.

Building public trust in journalism requires active engagement with the public at large. We provide opportunities for our audience to comment, to respond, and to suggest improvements to the editorial process. We implement accessible and transparent systems to deal with complaints from the public and, where appropriate, to provide remedies.

2. Clauses of the Journalism Trust Initiative standard

Section A: Identity and Transparency

1.1. Legal Entity Name

The Media Outlet, as Conforming Entity, shall provide the name designating the Legal Entity or entities under which it is conducting business. In some cases, this will be the company or public entity (branch of government, parliament, legally authorised state institution, etc.) that has ultimate legal ownership of the Media Outlet. This usually is the body that would be held liable in a court case. It is the body that enters into transactions such as paying employees and suppliers or receiving funds from readers, viewers, customers, advertisers and other sources of funding.

1.2. Contact Details and Identifiers

The contact details that shall be provided are the postal address and both a general telephone number and email address for the Legal Entity or entities designated in clause 1.1 “Legal Entity Name”, as well as existing identifiers. Clarification: This should be the contact details for the Legal Entity. Elsewhere in this document, means of contact for reader, viewer or listener enquiries, editorial input and other purposes are required.

1.3. Description of Media Outlet

The Conforming Entity shall list all brand names, titles, publication names, etc. under which its Content is published, broadcast, printed or otherwise disseminated to the public or customers. These will be known for this document and this process collectively as the Media Outlet. It is that Media Outlet that will conform with this Journalism Trust Initiative Standard. This is the Conforming Entity. These include all names used on website URLs and on social media accounts, etc.

1.4. Distribution Channels and URLs

The Media Outlet shall list all URLs on which it publishes. If broadcast or audiovisual, the Media Outlet shall list all terrestrial frequencies, satellite, cable, streaming and other platforms on which it is distributed.

1.5. Safety Concerns

The Media Outlet shall at all times keep the safety (including digital safety and cybersecurity) of staff, contributors and owners as a primary concern. If full transparency of contact details or other information might endanger individuals, the Media Outlet shall describe what it can about the legitimate reasons for a lack of disclosure or use of pseudonyms for that purpose. Safety concerns shall not be misused to refrain from disclosure.

1.6. Location

The Media Outlet shall provide the physical address of the headquarters of the legal entity referred to above in 1.1 Legal Entity Name. Clarification: This is necessary in cases where the address listed in the Contact Details clause (1.2) does not specify a physical location, or where the location designated by the contact details referred to in 1.2 is not the same location as the headquarters. Clause 1.5, Safety Concerns, may be applied.

1.7. Founding Date

The founding date of the Legal Entity referred to in clause 1.1 “Legal Entity Name” shall be specified. If the Media Outlet designated in clause 1.3 “Media Outlet” has a different founding date, the history of former legal entities and their founding dates shall be listed.

2.1. Editorial Mission Statement

The Media Outlet shall disclose its editorial mission statement which shall be consistent with the fundamental ethical principles of trustworthy journalism, and, as described in the Preamble, should incorporate principles of: ethical practice, good governance, self-regulation and Engagement with the public. A Media Outlet shall set out how it proposes to uphold these journalism principles through its Editorial Guidelines and processes which shall include arrangements in relation to internal accountability and of appropriate external accountability (see clauses 9 – 15). Best practice is to have these arrangements codified and made available publicly.

3.1. Public Service Media Mission, Governance and Independence

The Media Outlet shall describe its public service mission and the legal instrument on which it is based. It shall describe its governance structure, including the role of all relevant governance bodies or organisations (for example, regulator, supervisory board, government/parliament role). It shall state how its financial income is generated and what proportion of its financial resources are totally or partially provided by public funds. It shall state if both external and internal governance measures guarantee its editorial independence.

4.1. Privately held

The Media Outlet shall declare its legal status clarifying what type of company it is registered as. For example, if it is a limited or incorporated company. It should use the legal definition used in its country of registration and provide the relevant registration information.

4.2. State or Publicly Owned

The Media Outlet shall state clearly if it is fully or partly owned by the government, a state institution, or other public body, providing information on the specific department, entity, or body that exercises that ownership and its relationship with the government.

4.3. Publicly Traded Company

The Media Outlet shall indicate if it is a publicly traded company and where it is legally registered and where its shares are traded. The company shall also provide its share name and indicate what proportion of its ownership is publicly traded.

4.4. Other

If the ownership of the Media Outlet is different from the above, for example if the organisation is a co-operative or member-owned, the Media Outlet shall indicate its form of ownership and provide links to local legal definitions of the type of ownership. If the ownership of the Media Outlet is made up of a combination of the above types of ownership, then it shall provide a breakdown of the ownership indicating clearly which share is which ownership type.

The identity of owners shall be disclosed: including direct owners, indirect or beneficial owners, shareholders, indirect or beneficial shareholders. Information on any type of influence and/or conflict of interest should be provided and monitored internally. The information shall be updated on an annual basis and easy to access, preferably online. If the Outlet has no website, the information should be published or communicated clearly in all its publications or transmissions.

5.1. Names of Owners and Board Members

The names of direct, indirect, controlling or beneficial owners shall be disclosed. If any of these is also the beneficial owner of another company, the name and main activities of that company shall be clearly stated. The business sectors in which these other companies are operating shall also be indicated. The names of the members of supervisory structures, like the board, shall also be disclosed. If any of these persons is an active member of a political party or movement, holder of an elected office, or a candidate to a political election, the name of that party or movement shall be clearly stated.

5.2. Contact Details of Direct and Indirect Owners

The contact details of direct and indirect owners shall be disclosed, preferably online, along with the contact details of the members of the board of directors.

5.3. Names of Shareholders

The names of direct and beneficial majority or controlling shareholders shall be disclosed. If the shareholder is a company, the name and main activities of that company shall be clearly stated. The business sector in which this company is operating shall also be indicated.

5.4. Percentage of Shareholdings

The percentage of the controlling shareholdings should be disclosed, regardless of the percentage.

5.5. Exception for Member-owned Media Outlets

The names and contact information for all owners is not required to be disclosed, but it is required for the leadership, e. g. the Board of Directors according to clauses 5.1 and 5.2.

The organisational structure of the Media Outlet shall be publicly available with up-to-date information on the names, positions and contact details of the people in charge. The address, usually the headquarters, shall be clearly indicated. If the company has several offices based in different places, their addresses shall also be disclosed. If the physical address cannot be stated for security concerns a correspondence address shall be provided.

6.1. Management Directory

Chief executive officer, managing director, directors, all the people holding responsibility in the company shall clearly be identified. Their name, position and professional contact details shall be disclosed.

6.2. Location of Branches and Offices

The location of the headquarters, main branches and offices of the Media Outlet shall be disclosed, including the full address, a contact phone number and email address.

7.1. Social Media

The Media Outlet shall provide the contact details of the professional social media accounts of those responsible for interacting with and responding to public queries about the organisation’s editorial content. This can be management, senior editorial staff, the ombudsperson, readers editor or equivalent.

7.2. Newsroom Contact Details

The Media Outlet shall provide public contact details that will facilitate communication with the newsroom(s). The editorial staff, when informed of the public’s queries, should be able to communicate back to the public.

7.3. Customer Service Contact Details

The Media Outlet shall provide all available contact details: telephone numbers, email addresses, and correspondence address of its customer service. If the organisation does not have a department, a contact should be provided for readers or other stakeholders to be able to get in touch with the Media Outlet.

The aim of disclosure is to be able to assess potential conflicts of interests. Media Outlets are encouraged to exceed the financial disclosure requirements mandated by their national laws in order to achieve this goal. In cases where the requirements cannot be met, a justification for non-compliance should be published.

8.1. Sources of Revenue

The Media Outlet shall disclose a list of its sources of revenue, ranked from largest to smallest. These may include subscriptions, advertising, major donors and donations, subsidies, fees, sales, memberships, sponsorships, events, etc.

Organisations obliged to publish or make public their financial information shall provide a reference to the source where the data is accessible.

The Media Outlet may disclose its revenue and/or the categories of its sources of revenue, including the respective ratios.

A Media Outlet owned by the state or the government, or financed with public money, shall disclose the nature of its source(s) of revenue: license fees, government budget, partnerships, public subscriptions, grants, commercial advertising, or other.

Where a media entity deems itself precluded from disclosure of information due to safety and security concerns as outlined in the Terms and Definitions section, these shall be explained.

8.2. Data Collection Disclosure

Where a Media Outlet processes personal data from its audiences, on its own or by engaging with third parties, that shall be disclosed.

The Media Outlet shall describe what personal data is processed, by which methods and for what purpose.

Section B: Professionalism and Accountability

9.1. Editorial Guidelines

A Media Outlet shall produce a set of Editorial Guidelines or adhere to an external set of guidelines (for example the Model Editorial Guidelines provided as a reference document to this Standard), to which its journalistic operations comply. They should govern meaningful principles of journalistic content, dissemination and conduct. These guidelines, and the identity of the person or group of persons with ultimate responsibility for them within its organisation, shall be made available to the public in a readily accessible and understandable form. Best practice is to have these guidelines available publicly rather than on request.

9.2. Purpose of Guidelines

A Media Outlet shall ensure that these Editorial Guidelines set clear expectations of the behaviour it requires from its own staff, its contractors and from all other contributors to its editorial content. It should also set out the structure of responsibility within the organisation, making sure it is clear who is accountable for each stage of the process that leads to publication.

9.3. Guidelines and Journalism Principles

A Media Outlet shall ensure that these Editorial Guidelines embody the core ethical principles of journalism. The Editorial Guidelines may impose specific requirements in addition to these core ethical principles; but any additional requirements shall not compromise these core ethical principles as described in the Preamble of this document.

9.4. Conflicts of Interest

Editorial Guidelines shall ensure that there are no conflicts of interests – real, potential or perceived – damaging the integrity of the story or the editorial independence of those working on it. They should have guidance on how to deal with conflicts related to political, business and personal interests. Editorial structures should protect the journalism from any undue influence by the Media Outlet’s executive management or ownership authorities outside the formal editorial process and from any external interests, commercial, social or political.

10.1. Processes for Ensuring Accuracy

The Media Outlet shall have internal rules with a systematic editorial process to make sure that the content is accurate and the Editorial Guidelines are adhered to. This may include the verification process for the content and the role of editorial oversight.

10.2. Process Review

There shall be a mechanism for the periodic review of the editorial processes to ensure that they are in compliance with the Editorial Guidelines and that the accountability processes are effective and being used to support them.

10.3. Statistics and External Content

Statistics and external photographs/video/audio content should be sourced and verified.

10.4. Identification of Journalists, Agencies

Principle and secondary authors should be identified, or if not, then recorded via publishing mechanisms, so that this information can be accessed if there is a query. This includes any news agency material subscribed to by the Media Outlet. Any details of individuals should be subject to the legal requirements of data protection and security considerations.

10.5. Location Reporting

In news reporting, it should be clear to any reader or audience where a report is being written from, and if it includes location reporting. Where location reporting is constrained due to the mechanism or conditions of the facilitation this should be identified, e.g. an embed with an official army or independent travel with local militias. This may also include occasions where the reporting has been facilitated by a commercial, NGO or governmental organisation and labelling is necessary for transparency.

10.6. Automatically Generated Content

News content generated, wholly or partly, automatically by means of algorithmic processes (such as but not limited to text generating systems, bots or artificial intelligence) shall be clearly indicated.

10.7. Algorithmic Dissemination and Curation

A Media Outlet shall indicate its policy on the use of algorithms for news content dissemination or curation and its adherence to best practice requirements from regulatory or advisory bodies.

10.8. Treatment of Explicit Content

Editorial processes shall ensure the ethically appropriate treatment of violent and explicit content, of content which features children or other vulnerable people, and of live content.

11.1. User Generated Content/Eyewitness News

A Media Outlet shall ensure that the same principles of checking for accuracy, legal, and ethical compliance are applied to journalistic content sourced from the general public (UGC or Eyewitness News content) as with all content it publishes.

11.2. Editorial Guidelines for UGC/Eyewitness News

There should be specific categories within the Media Outlet’s Editorial Guidelines for dealing with User Generated Content (UGC) or Eyewitness News and these should be publicly accessible.

In relation to this type of content the guidelines shall indicate the verification process to be used, how the content should be published with any labelling required and include guidance on dealing with the content providers in a responsible manner.

11.3. Opinion Guidelines

In relation to opinion or comment pieces the guidelines should set clear requirements of the ethical principles expected which may include but is not limited to prohibition of comment due to defamation, privacy, hate speech and harassment. The Media Outlet should make clear its policy on the moderation of such content, whether it is pre or post publication, and its policy on take-down, notice and appeal provisions.

A Media Outlet shall ensure that the sources used for its journalism are dealt with responsibly and their anonymity protected when justified.

12.1. Anonymity

The procedures for granting anonymity to sources shall be covered by the Editorial Guidelines. The reason for anonymity should be clarified for the public.

12.2. Privacy Rights

Editorial guidelines should protect the privacy rights of individuals and their safety.

12.3. Independence and Sources

There should be guidelines on establishing relations with sources which protect the independence of the journalism.

12.4. Diversity of Sources

Editorial guidelines should ensure that a diversity of sources are consulted in producing journalistic content with adequate time for response.

13.1. Sponsored Content Policies

Professional journalism principles shall have clear and distinct editorial practices in distinguishing advertising and sponsored content, commercial or commissioned, from editorial content independently produced by the Media Outlet.

13.2. Sponsored Content Indicators

In Media Outlets, sponsored content shall be clearly identified with the words content ‘sponsored by’, ‘paid by’ or other explicit and easy to understand terms. Particular care should be taken in distinguishing so called ‘native’ content (where the item is sponsored but is published or broadcast next to ordinary editorial content) from its surrounding material.

13.3. Separation of News and Opinion

Editorial Guidelines shall ensure that there is a clear distinction between news content and opinion and between news content and other content provided by an external non-journalistic body by requiring labelling or an equivalent mechanism.

14.1. Dealing with Inaccuracies

There shall be a systematic editorial structure in the Media Outlet to ensure that any inaccuracies in its content are corrected in a timely and transparent manner. This shall include a clear process to allow potential errors to be communicated to the Media Outlet by the public and those with knowledge of the story and for assessing and dealing with the claims.

14.2. Publishing Corrections

In particular, in relation to inaccuracies, a Media Outlet shall adopt good practice for correcting inaccuracies, such as making a clear indication of the correction in a similarly prominent place and manner as the original version, such as the same URL or in similar time and format of broadcast.

14.3. Contact and Process for Complaints

A Media Outlet shall have a designated person and/or contact information in place for complaints. A process shall exist for members of the public to open a dialogue with the organisation in the event of potential breaches of its journalism principles or Editorial Guidelines. This information shall be easily available.

14.4. Internal Process for Complaints

The Media Outlet shall have a clear procedure in place to ensure that all staff are aware of the process that must be followed when such a complaint is received. For example in larger Media Outlets, it must be known and accepted that the creator of a piece of journalism that is subject to such a complaint must escalate the issue to a designated third person. A Media Outlet shall ensure that complaints are addressed within the Media Outlet in a fair, reasonable and timely manner.

14.5. Independence of Ombudsperson

Where a Media Outlet’s internal accountability mechanism takes the form of an ombudsperson, that person may be appointed by the Media Outlet; but in this case there shall be a transparent process for his/her appointment and the ombudsperson’s independence shall be protected to ensure that he/she cannot be removed from the position simply for challenging journalistic or editorial decisions or actions.

14.6. Powers of Ombudsperson

Where a Media Outlet’s internal accountability mechanism takes the form of an internal or external ombudsperson or equivalent, it should take steps to ensure that this person has powers to remedy any breaches of its Editorial Guidelines, provide redress to affected parties, deter future guidelines’ breaches and provide an opportunity for its decisions to be appealed or reviewed.

15.1. External Oversight

Trust in the Media Outlet is enhanced if it is subject to a form of external accountability that is effective and independent. To this end where appropriate, a Media Outlet may wish to commit to an independent and effective form of external accountability for its journalism principles, which may take the form of an external ombudsperson, press or media council or statutory regulator.

15.2. Compliance with External Accountability

Where a Media Outlet commits to a form of external accountability, it shall comply with any guidance, structures or best practice directions issued by that body.

15.3. Absence of External Oversight

External accountability is not always possible due to the absence of such mechanisms in many countries or a lack of confidence in the efficacy, independence or trustworthiness of existing mechanisms. Where this is the case it may be helpful for the Media Outlet to state the reasons for non-compliance, taking into account the legal requirements applicable to particular media. The Media Outlet may in certain cases align with other media entities to participate in a more appropriate mechanism.

15.4. Contact Details of External Accountability Bodies

Where a Media Outlet commits to a form of external accountability, it shall publicise the process by which the public can contact that body to complain about potential breaches of its Editorial Guidelines in a manner that is easily accessible for all.

15.5. Other Associations

The Media Outlet may publicly list its membership of all bodies that require members to adhere to published guidelines, standards or norms to maintain status in that organisation. Best practice is to publish which associations a Media Outlet is a member of, listing the names and contact details.

16.1. Recruitment and Training

There shall be professional guidelines for the recruitment and training of editorial staff. This includes responsibilities for implementing diversity policy and staff welfare. Recruitment policy, (use of open competition etc.) and staff welfare principles should be publicly available.

16.2. Working Conditions, Contract Policy and Labour Relations

Journalistic principles and practice should be supported by the organisational environment including protection for journalistic integrity through adherence to labour laws and regulations, transparency of contract policy and freedom to organise. The duration or nature of the contract should not inhibit a journalist from operating in an ethical manner and the organisation structure should protect that principle.

16.3. Staff Welfare

Responsibility for the welfare of staff and those contracted on a freelance basis should be an important part of a Media Outlet’s role. Organisational Editorial Guidelines should be protective against any form of discrimination and supportive of equality of opportunity. It should ensure safety at work and in the working environment (including remote and online) and have guidelines, which support staff who have been exposed to material of a sensitive or upsetting nature or have suffered physical or psychological harm in the course of their work.

17.1. Training in Editorial Guidelines

A Media Outlet should have a structured mechanism to ensure that its employees or operators have full training in journalism principles, Editorial Guidelines and the demands laid down by legal and ethical compliance.

17.2. Continuous Training

Its training process should be continuous to ensure content creators, including technical staff developing new editorial tools, are fully acquainted with changes in relevant laws or ethical requirements.

17.3. Support and Advice

A Media Outlet should provide a support structure to ensure all its employees feel they can seek expert advice when necessary, for example when reporting court or legal proceedings.

18.1. General Public

After conducting a self-assessment according to this Standard, a Media Outlet should publish the results in ways visible to the public, preferably online. Best practice is to publish the full text of the questions and answers on an “about” or similar page on the website of the Media Outlet.

18.2. Machine-readability

A Media Outlet should publish the answers from the self-assessment in a format making it easily visible to machine readers employed by advertisers, social media and related platforms, researchers and others.

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