Codes of Practice - Code 3: General Programming

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The Community Radio Codes of Practice (the Codes) set out the guiding principles and policies for programming on community broadcasting stations. They also outline the operational standards for stations that hold a community broadcasting licence.

Purpose: To encourage programming that reflects our community interest and guiding principles

  1. Our community radio station will not broadcast material that may:
    1. incite, encourage, or present for its own sake violence or brutality,
    2. mislead or alarm listeners by simulating news or events,
    3. present as desirable the use of illegal drugs, the misuse of tobacco or alcohol as well as other harmful substances, and
    4. glamorise, sensationalise, or present suicide as a solution to life problems. In particular, broadcast material should not provide explicit details about the method and/or location of a suicide attempt or death.
  2. We will attempt to avoid censorship where possible. However, in our programming decisions we will consider our community interest, context, degree of explicitness, the possibility of alarming the listener, the potential for distress or shock, prevailing Indigenous laws or community standards and the social importance of the broadcast.
  3. We will not broadcast material that is likely to stereotype, incite, vilify, or perpetuate hatred against, or attempt to demean any person or group, on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, race, language, gender, sexuality, religion, age, physical or mental ability, occupation, cultural belief or political affiliation. The requirement is not intended to prevent the broadcast of material which is factual, or the expression of genuinely held opinion in a news or current affairs program or in the legitimate context of a humorous, satirical or dramatic work.
  4. We will have programming practices that protect children from harmful material but will avoid concealing the real world from them.
  5. We will follow applicable privacy laws by:
    1. respecting people’s legitimate right to protection from unjustified use of material which is obtained without consent or through an invasion of privacy,
    2. only broadcasting the words of an identifiable person where:
      1. that person has been told in advance that the words may be broadcast, or
      2. it was clearly indicated at the time the recording was made that the material would be broadcast, or
      3. in the case of words that have been recorded without the knowledge of a person, that person has indicated his/her agreement prior to broadcast.
  6. News, current affairs (including news updates and promotions), documentaries, feature programs and interviews shall:
    1. provide access to views not adequately represented by other broadcasting sectors,
    2. present factual material accurately and ensure that reasonable efforts are made to correct substantial errors of fact as quickly as possible,
    3. clearly distinguish factual material from commentary and analysis,
    4. present news in such a way that it does not create public panic or unnecessary distress to listeners, and
    5. represent viewpoints fairly without having a misleading emphasis, editing out of context or withholding relevant and available material.
  7. Community broadcasters play a vital role in broadcasting emergency information. Community radio stations with the ability to offer emergency broadcasts will:
    1. have procedures in place to enable appropriate local emergency broadcasts,
    2. liaise with appropriate emergency and essential service organisations, and
    3. ensure the accuracy of emergency information.

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