Sensitive Reporting, Privacy & Public Interest Policy

1. Introduction

VALCORED News Network recognises that journalism can have profound consequences for the people, families and communities involved in the stories we report.

News coverage may concern death, injury, violence, illness, crime, grief, discrimination, personal hardship, public controversy and other highly sensitive circumstances.

Although the public has a legitimate interest in receiving information about important events, that interest must be considered alongside privacy, personal dignity, fairness and the potential consequences of publication.

Our Sensitive Reporting, Privacy & Public Interest Policy establishes the standards VNN applies when reporting stories involving vulnerable individuals or circumstances capable of causing significant distress or harm.

We believe that:

A story can be important without every private detail being necessary for publication.

2. Purpose

This policy aims to:

• Protect human dignity in editorial reporting.
• Reduce unnecessary harm to vulnerable people.
• Establish appropriate safeguards for sensitive personal information.
• Support responsible coverage of trauma, death and violence.
• Define how public-interest considerations influence editorial decisions.
• Protect children and other vulnerable individuals.
• Encourage accurate and non-stigmatising language.
• Establish responsible use of disturbing photographs and video.
• Ensure privacy and safety concerns are appropriately considered.

3. Scope

This policy applies to all VNN editorial activities involving sensitive subject matter.

It covers reporting, interviews, photographs, recordings, social media material, live updates, editorial illustrations and other published content.

It applies to journalists, editors, contributors, photographers, multimedia producers and individuals exercising editorial authority.

4. Understanding the Public Interest

The public interest concerns information that can make a meaningful contribution to public knowledge, accountability, safety or informed decision-making.

Examples may include:

• Exposure of serious wrongdoing.
• Government and institutional accountability.
• Public health and safety.
• Misuse of public resources.
• Significant environmental harm.
• Corruption or serious misconduct.
• Matters affecting democratic processes.
• Systemic failures affecting vulnerable people.
• Major economic or social developments.
• Events with substantial consequences for communities.

Public interest is not synonymous with public curiosity.

The fact that information attracts attention, generates online engagement or concerns a well-known person does not automatically justify publishing private or sensitive details.

5. The Public Interest Assessment

Before publishing sensitive information, VNN should consider:

1. What legitimate public-interest purpose does publication serve?
2. Is the information necessary to explain the story?
3. Is the information accurate and sufficiently verified?
4. Could publication cause avoidable harm?
5. Is the individual a public official, public figure or private person?
6. Does the information relate to public responsibilities or purely private conduct?
7. Can the same public-interest purpose be achieved through less intrusive reporting?
8. Are children or vulnerable people involved?
9. Are relevant legal restrictions in force?
10. Is the potential public benefit proportionate to the foreseeable harm?

The seriousness of the privacy intrusion should influence the level of editorial justification required.

6. Respect for Personal Privacy

VNN recognises that individuals may have legitimate expectations of privacy even when they become involved in newsworthy events.

Editorial personnel should avoid unnecessarily publishing:

• Private residential addresses.
• Personal telephone numbers.
• Private email addresses.
• Identification document details.
• Confidential financial records.
• Sensitive health information.
• Intimate personal images.
• Information exposing children to risk.
• Unnecessary details concerning uninvolved family members.
• Information that could facilitate harassment or violence.

Where identifying details are necessary, editorial personnel should consider whether partial identification, redaction or another protective measure would adequately serve the public interest.

7. Public Figures and Private Individuals

Public officials and other influential individuals may properly be subject to scrutiny concerning their public responsibilities and conduct.

However, public prominence does not eliminate all privacy interests.

The publication of private information should remain connected to a legitimate journalistic purpose.

Private individuals unexpectedly involved in newsworthy events may warrant additional care, particularly where they have not voluntarily sought publicity.

VNN should not assume that information is ethically suitable for republication merely because it appears elsewhere online.

8. Reporting Involving Children

Children require additional protection because they may not fully understand the consequences of interviews, photographs or permanent online publication.

Before identifying or interviewing a child, VNN should consider:

• The child’s age and understanding.
• The nature and sensitivity of the story.
• Appropriate parental or guardian involvement.
• The child’s own wishes and willingness to participate.
• The risk of stigma, bullying or retaliation.
• Relevant legal identification restrictions.
• The likely long-term consequences of publication.
• Whether identification is necessary.

A child’s agreement or a guardian’s consent does not automatically make every form of publication appropriate.

Editorial personnel should not pressure children to discuss traumatic experiences.

Extra care is required when reporting matters involving child protection, abuse, custody disputes and criminal proceedings.

9. Victims and Survivors of Crime

Reporting involving victims and survivors must balance public-interest reporting with respect for personal dignity.

VNN should avoid:

• Unnecessary identification.
• Victim-blaming language.
• Sensational descriptions of suffering.
• Intrusive publication of private information.
• Unnecessary repetition of traumatic details.
• Misleading suggestions of responsibility.
• Interviews conducted through coercion or undue pressure.

Victims and survivors should be allowed to decline or end an interview.

Where identification is legally restricted, the applicable restrictions must be observed.

10. Sexual Violence and Abuse

Sexual violence reporting requires particular sensitivity.

VNN should:

1. Avoid language that trivialises sexual assault.
2. Distinguish allegations from proven findings.
3. Respect applicable identification restrictions.
4. Avoid unnecessarily graphic descriptions.
5. Consider the survivor’s safety and privacy.
6. Avoid publishing details that could indirectly identify a protected person.
7. Refrain from suggesting that a victim is responsible for the alleged conduct.
8. Exercise care when describing ongoing legal proceedings.

A survivor’s consent to identification must be considered alongside relevant laws and court orders.

Legal restrictions can differ across jurisdictions and may change over time.

11. Reporting Death and Bereavement

The death of a person can be a matter of legitimate public interest, but reporting must be handled respectfully.

Before publishing, VNN should take reasonable steps to verify the death through credible sources.

Where appropriate and practicable, consideration should be given to whether close relatives have been informed.

Care should be exercised when contacting bereaved families.

Editorial personnel should not exploit grief to obtain emotionally distressing content.

Personal circumstances, photographs and family information should be included only where relevant and appropriately justified.

12. Suicide and Self-Harm Reporting

VNN recognises that reporting on suicide and self-harm can affect vulnerable audiences.

Our approach is informed by Australian Mindframe guidance and other appropriate evidence-based media recommendations.

Editorial personnel should:

• Consider whether reporting an individual death is justified.
• Avoid sensational or romanticised presentation.
• Avoid unnecessary descriptions of methods.
• Avoid detailed descriptions or images of locations associated with suicide.
• Avoid simplistic explanations attributing suicide to a single event.
• Verify the circumstances before asserting that a death was suicide.
• Use respectful and non-stigmatising language.
• Consider the potential effects of repeated prominent coverage.
• Include appropriate help-seeking information where relevant.
• Avoid presenting suicide as an inevitable response to adversity.

Where assistance information is included, contact details should be accurate and suitable for the intended audience and jurisdiction.

Reporting should provide appropriate context without encouraging harmful imitation.

13. Mental Health Reporting

Mental health issues should be reported accurately, sensitively and without unnecessary stigma.

VNN should avoid:

• Using psychiatric diagnoses as insults.
• Presenting mental illness as synonymous with violence.
• Speculating about diagnoses without adequate evidence.
• Describing people solely through their illness.
• Suggesting that all individuals with a diagnosis have the same experiences.
• Using misleading or dehumanising imagery.

Where a person’s mental health is relevant to a story, the connection should be supported and proportionate.

Medical or psychiatric information should not be published solely to attract attention.

Reporting should acknowledge that mental health experiences vary and that recovery, treatment and support may be possible.

14. Health and Medical Privacy

Health information may include diagnoses, treatment, medication, disability, hospitalisation and other sensitive personal circumstances.

VNN should not disclose private medical information without an appropriate legal and editorial basis.

Information obtained from social media, third parties or purported leaks requires additional scrutiny.

A public figure’s health may be newsworthy in some circumstances, but relevance to public responsibilities should be carefully distinguished from curiosity about private medical details.

Reporting on medical treatment should avoid unsupported claims and misleading generalisations.

15. Eating Disorders and Substance Use

Coverage of eating disorders, alcohol and other drug use should avoid stigmatising language and unnecessary details that could encourage harmful behaviour.

Editorial personnel should consider:

• Whether numerical details are essential.
• Whether descriptions could inadvertently function as harmful instructions.
• Whether images create misleading stereotypes.
• Whether the story accurately represents relevant evidence.
• Whether people with lived experience are portrayed respectfully.
• Whether appropriate expert context is necessary.

The objective is to inform audiences without reinforcing harmful misconceptions.

16. Family and Domestic Violence

Reporting on family and domestic violence requires particular care concerning safety, identification and language.

VNN should avoid implying that violence is justified by jealousy, separation, anger or other personal circumstances.

Reporting should consider:

• The safety of victims and survivors.
• The potential identification of children.
• Active protection orders.
• Ongoing court proceedings.
• Risks associated with publishing locations.
• Whether a headline inappropriately minimises the conduct.
• The distinction between allegations and established facts.

Safety concerns should influence decisions about photographs, names and other identifying details.

17. Crime and Criminal Allegations

VNN supports accurate reporting on crime, policing and legal proceedings.

However, an accusation is not a finding of guilt.

Editorial personnel must distinguish between:

• A person being questioned.
• A person being arrested.
• A person being charged.
• A person pleading guilty or not guilty.
• Evidence presented in court.
• A judicial finding.
• A conviction or acquittal.
• An appeal or subsequent legal development.

The legal status of the matter must be represented accurately.

Relevant suppression orders, statutory identification restrictions and other legal obligations must be considered before publication.

18. Disasters, Emergencies and Mass-Casualty Events

During emergencies, information can affect public safety and family wellbeing.

VNN should avoid:

• Publishing unverified casualty figures as confirmed.
• Speculating about causes before credible evidence is available.
• Identifying victims prematurely.
• Distributing misleading emergency instructions.
• Publishing disturbing imagery without editorial justification.
• Interfering with emergency operations.
• Disclosing locations that could place people at risk.

Official emergency instructions should be attributed accurately and checked for currency.

Where information changes, significant updates should be communicated clearly.

19. Graphic Photographs and Video

Some events require visual reporting to communicate their seriousness.

However, graphic material must have a legitimate editorial purpose.

Before publication, VNN should consider:

1. The public-interest value of the image.
2. Whether less graphic alternatives are available.
3. Whether the material is authentic.
4. Whether the people depicted can be identified.
5. The dignity of victims and deceased persons.
6. The effect on relatives and vulnerable audiences.
7. Whether the image could encourage harassment or further harm.
8. Applicable content restrictions.

Where appropriate, content advice, restricted previews or less prominent presentation should be considered.

Graphic imagery must not be used merely as an engagement tactic.

20. War, Terrorism and Armed Conflict

Coverage of armed conflict may involve propaganda, disinformation, graphic imagery and disputed claims.

VNN should:

• Attribute claims to their actual sources.
• Avoid repeating unverified casualty figures as confirmed.
• Assess imagery for manipulation or misidentification.
• Distinguish allegations from established findings.
• Avoid unnecessary amplification of extremist propaganda.
• Consider risks to civilians and identifiable sources.
• Apply relevant legal restrictions.
• Avoid dehumanising descriptions of populations.

An assertion made by a government, military force or armed organisation should not automatically be treated as independently verified.

21. Race, Religion, Culture and Identity

VNN recognises the importance of reporting accurately about diverse communities.

References to ethnicity, religion, nationality, disability, gender or other personal characteristics should be relevant to the story.

Editorial personnel should avoid unnecessary stereotyping.

Care should be taken with cultural practices, names, translations, historical context and identity-related terminology.

Where reporting concerns Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, relevant cultural sensitivities and community guidance should be considered, including the treatment of images and names of deceased people.

22. Trauma-Informed Interviewing

Interviews involving traumatic experiences should be conducted with respect.

Appropriate measures may include:

• Explaining the purpose of the interview.
• Identifying the journalist and publication.
• Allowing reasonable opportunities for questions.
• Avoiding unnecessary pressure.
• Respecting a person’s decision to stop.
• Considering whether a support person is appropriate.
• Avoiding repeated requests for distressing detail.
• Explaining relevant publication expectations without making unrealistic promises.

Interview participation should not be obtained through threats, deception or exploitation unless exceptional public-interest circumstances and applicable law justify a particular investigative method.

23. Social Media and Sensitive Information

Information publicly posted on social media may still raise privacy and ethical concerns.

VNN should consider whether republication substantially increases exposure or harm.

Special attention should be given to:

• Children’s photographs.
• Personal addresses.
• Private messages.
• Intimate material.
• Family disputes.
• Medical information.
• Videos of traumatic incidents.
• Content originally shared with a limited audience.

Availability online does not automatically establish unrestricted permission to republish.

24. Right of Reply and Fair Treatment

Where VNN reports serious allegations affecting an identifiable individual or organisation, a fair opportunity to respond should be considered.

Material responses should be represented accurately.

VNN should not unnecessarily publish information that exposes unrelated family members or other individuals to harm.

Privacy safeguards and fair reporting obligations should be considered together.

25. Corrections and Removal Requests

Individuals may contact VNN regarding sensitive material they believe is inaccurate, unjustifiably intrusive or otherwise inappropriate.

VNN should evaluate the request according to:

• Accuracy.
• Public interest.
• Privacy.
• Safety.
• Applicable law.
• Historical value.
• The seriousness of the potential harm.

A request for removal does not automatically establish a right to deletion.

However, where continued publication is unlawful or unjustifiably harmful, appropriate restriction, correction or removal may be warranted.

26. Editorial Escalation

Stories presenting significant legal, privacy or safety concerns should receive additional editorial scrutiny.

Examples include:

• Identifying protected victims.
• Publishing sensitive information concerning children.
• Serious allegations against identifiable individuals.
• Confidential medical material.
• Graphic evidence of violence.
• Confidential-source disclosures.
• Material affected by suppression orders.
• Information that may expose individuals to retaliation.

Qualified legal advice should be obtained where necessary.

27. Accountability and Review

The publisher or designated editorial lead is responsible for overseeing this policy.

Contributors must raise material concerns before publication whenever reasonably possible.

Sensitive-content decisions should be documented where warranted.

The policy should be reviewed annually and following significant developments in applicable law or media reporting guidance.

28. Our Commitment

VNN believes journalism should illuminate events without unnecessarily diminishing the dignity of those involved.

The public’s right to know is an important principle, but responsible reporting requires thoughtful consideration of what is necessary, accurate, lawful and proportionate.

Behind every headline is a human story. We intend to treat that responsibility with care.