Transparency Report Submitted!

This page provides the necessary guidelines and resources to help you present your Transparency Report and get certified through JTI. You will also find important information about the certification process and how to pay certifiers.

Guidelines for Presenting the Transparency Report

How to Present Your Transparency Report and JTI on Your Media

Press Release Template

Once you have published your Transparency Report, you can communicate it through various media channels. Please feel free to use our Press Release Template to ensure consistent and clear messaging when announcing the report.

This template is designed to help you structure your announcement and effectively share key insights with your audience.

Graphical Guidelines

Our Graphical Guidelines ensure a cohesive visual identity across all platforms. These standards cover logo usage, typography, color palettes, and imagery, helping maintain brand consistency and recognition.

Webiste Badge Integration

Displaying the JTI badge reflects our dedication to upholding the highest standards in quality, sustainability, and corporate responsibility. This certification ensures that we meet rigorous industry requirements, fostering trust and confidence with our stakeholders. Browse the best practises.

Public Disclosure​

Once your Media Outlet is linked to a Legal Entity, you can activate your Transparency Report. This will generate a link which you can embed on your own website. To do so, please click ‘COPY’ in the ‘TRANSPARENCY REPORT’ box on your dashboard. A window will pop up containing an HTML code that you can copy and integrate in your own sites. The ‘PREVIEW’ option leads you to the dedicated page that displays your Transparency Report. The ‘download your questionnaire’ option will remain, but at this point you will receive an official document – the ‘Transparency Report’ – with an executive summary and the original questionnaire that you filled out attached.

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Is it possible to change or add information to my self-assessment once I have entered stage two (Public disclosure)

Yes, you can always access the questionnaire and add and amend entries as needed. The number of changes will be displayed in the header of the Transparency Report, as well as the dates of the first publication and the latest amendment.

02/
Can I unpublish my Transparency Report as a Media Outlet?

Yes. You can deactivate your account via the account settings at any time. This will also deactivate the link to your Transparency Report and the display of your data on the JTI website. Of course, this action will not delete previously scraped or downloaded data by third-parties. Deactivation means that we will store all content associated with your account, so that it can be reactivated– however, we cannot legally guarantee that your data can be restored. If you want to permanently delete your account and all data associated with it, you need to deactivate it first, then please contact the Help Desk.

03/
Who will have access to my data once I am in stage two (Public Disclosure)?

Everyone. The Transparency Reports are publicly available, for example via a searchable database on the JTI website. The publication is subject to the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported) and the Terms of Service that you subscribe to.

04/
What happens if my Legal Entity deletes its account?

Basically deactivating or deleting a Legal Entity Account is the same as a Media Outlet account, however with one important difference.
If your Legal Entity deactivates or deletes its account, all aligned Media Outlet accounts will be notified and automatically downgraded to stage one. You would then need to link your Media Outlet to another Legal Entity in order to regain access to your Transparency Report or Certification status (see II.3.).

How to Get Certified

Once you have completed 100% of your Self-Assessment, including all mandatory questions, you are ready to proceed to the third and final stage of the JTI web application and initiate the third-party audit.

Connect with an independent Certification Body

To move forward, you must first connect your account with an independent Certification Body. This can be done in the following ways:

  • If your selected Certifier already has an account: you can simply select their name from a dropdown list.
  • If your Certifier is not registered yet: you can invite them to create an account through the tool.

In both cases, the Certification Body will receive a notification of your request. Once your request is accepted you will immediately enter stage three – again, congratulations!

What happens during the Audit

Once the third-party audit begins, your questionnaire will no longer be editable. You will be able to track the progress of the audit within your workspace, where each clause will be marked as approved, or put on ‘To Revise’ state by the Certifier.

Document submission

At the start of the audit process, the Certification Body may request additional documents, which can be uploaded via the web application. You may also add notes alongside the documents. These documents will be used to support the third-party assessment but will not be published.

Final certification

Once the audit is completed successfully, your Transparency Report will be converted into a Certificate. You’ll have the option to download the Certificate or get a link to embed it directly on your website.

Sponsor disclosure

At this stage, you’ll be prompted to indicate one or more sponsors of your certification. Sponsors may include targeted subsidies or donor funding, and this disclosure is crucial for transparency. You can update this information at any time via your account settings. Please note that the audit process requires a direct contractual relationship between the Legal Entity of your Media Outlet and the Certifier. This agreement ensures the proper handling of the audit process.

Find Certification Bodies

Certification is, like tax audits, a competitive marketplace and the JTI team does not recommend Certification Bodies. However you may find a list of already registered ones in the web application. Access to that list is tightly regulated by international governance bodies and the relevant regulation, standards and guidelines, all together called accreditation. As a general rule, all Certifiers that are accredited according to ISO/IEC 17065:2012 (‘Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services’) are eligible.

Deloitte

Deloitte provides trusted certification services, ensuring credibility globally

Bureau Norme Audit

Audit, certification, consulting services for regulatory compliance

Bureau Veritas

Global leader in testing, inspection, certification, and compliance services

Alliance for Audited Media

Provides media audit, verification, and audience measurement services

How to Present JTI to Your Audience

Easily share What JTI is!

We created a dedicated page to help you explain what JTI is to your audience. Simply copy the link and add it to your website when sharing your Transparency Report. This ensures your readers understand the importance of JTI and media transparency.

Additional Insights

Explore our list of experienced and trusted certifiers who specialize in reviewing and certifying media transparency.

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How much does it cost and who pays for it?

Typically, conforming entities, in this case the Media Outlet and its Legal Entity, commission the audit and pay for it. In some cases, subsidies from donors might be made available. The cost depends on the size and complexity of the specific task, but also the market environment.

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How long is the certification valid and what happens then?

A Certificate automatically expires after two years and both the Media Outlet and its Certification Body will receive a notification prior to that date. Recertification is usually less burdensome and less expensive than the original assessment. Recertification might also become necessary when relevant data in the self-assessment changes. In that case, the Certification Body is automatically notified via the web application. External complaints could trigger a re-certification

03/
Is It Possible to Update or Add Information to My Self-Assessment After Certification?

Yes. Any change will trigger a notification on the end of the Certification Body to assess the need for recertification. In this case, the certificate will be temporarily suspended or permanently deactivated, depending on the result of the assessment by the certifier.

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