News providers in the United Kingdom are generally committed to the watchdog function of journalism, although this commitment is often implicit rather than placed at the centre of public statements about organizational goals. Broadcast news, underpinned by legislation, enacts Parliament’s definitions of, and criteria for, public service broadcasting, which includes a number of specific purposes that broadcast journalism should achieve. National newspapers don’t all publish mission statements defining the obligations of their journalism in holding power to account, but all adhere to one or other standards code that promotes at least some aspects of the watchdog function.
The BBC’s Object, as defined in the Royal Charter and Agreement, is the fulfilment of the Corporation’s Mission and the promotion of its public purposes. The BBC’s Mission is broad, reading: “The Mission of the BBC is to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain” (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, 2016a, p.5). The Public Purpose relating to news is then set out as follows:
To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them: the BBC should provide duly accurate and impartial news, current affairs and factual programming to build people’s understanding of all parts of the United Kingdom and of the wider world. Its content should be provided to the highest editorial standards. It should offer a range and depth of analysis and content not widely available from other United Kingdom news providers, using the highest calibre presenters and journalists, and championing freedom of expression, so that all audiences can engage fully with major local, regional, national, United Kingdom and global issues and participate in the democratic process, at all levels, as active and informed citizens (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, 2016a, p.5, emphasis in original).
The watchdog function of journalism is therefore implicit rather than explicitly set out in the BBC’s constitutional documents. The Corporation’s Editorial Guidelines go further, however, describing the BBC’s editorial values as operating “in the public interest – reporting stories of significance to our audiences and holding power to account” (BBC, 2019c, p.13).
The news provision of all commercial broadcasters are provided by Independent Television News (ITN), with the exception of 24-hour news channel Sky News. All are regulated by Ofcom, which is tasked by legislation with producing a Broadcasting Code that covers all programming but has special criteria for the provision of news and current affairs. The mission statements of ITN and Sky News do not in themselves include references to watchdog journalism, though ITN lists several examples of investigative journalism in its annual report to demonstrate the value of its news programming to audiences (ITN, 2019, pp.9-11). Sky News defines its mission in terms of audience trust, “dar[ing] to challenge” and clarity (Sky News, 2020).
Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code does not in and of itself comprise a mission statement for broadcast journalism’s role in society. It transposes the aspects of the Communications Act 2003 and the Broadcasting Act 1996 where they relate to news programming and content, including on accuracy and impartiality in news programming. Ofcom is tasked with ensuring that the UK’s Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) fulfil their duties as defined by Parliament; while there is no single definition of Public Service Broadcasting, impartial news provision that supports democracy is agreed to be crucial to the maintenance of PSB and central to broadcast news in the UK (House of Lords, 2019). There is therefore an implicit commitment throughout UK broadcasting for the provision of news that fulfils the watchdog function on journalism.
The UK’s national newspapers largely do engage in investigative journalism to varying degrees. Their mission statements differ significantly, and – perhaps reflecting the current circumstances facing journalism – place more focus on business sustainability than the watchdog function of journalism. For example, DMGT, ultimate owner of the Daily Mail, frames its publisher’s mission statement almost entirely in financial and business terms, and describes the performance of its journalism portfolio in similar terms. A single sentence in the corporation’s most recent annual report does, however, define the wider purpose of its journalism as “holding authority to account through high-quality journalism.” (DMGT, 2019, p.31).
News Corp UK & Ireland is the owner of three of the UK’s most prominent national newspapers: the tabloid Sun and the broadsheet Times and its Sunday stablemate The Sunday Times. The Times titles are renowned for their investigative journalism, particularly via the Sunday Times Insight team. The publisher, however, does not refer directly to watchdog functions in the descriptive summaries of its newsbrands (News UK, n.d.)
Reach Plc publishes the most national newsbrands, having taken over several newspapers in 2019. Its flagship title, the Mirror, defines its mission as “to make sense of a rapidly changing world for our readers. To challenge wrongs where we see them. To stand up for the underdog against authority. And to entertain” (Mirror, n.d.). The Express, encompassing both a daily and a Sunday newspaper, outlines its purpose as follows: “Every day we endeavour to provide our readers with the very best journalism, to inform and entertain. We are committed to reporting the news accurately, fairly and vigorously and will always hold those in authority to account” (Express, n.d.). A third Reach title, tabloid newspaper the Daily Star, does not include a mission statement referring to its vision or principles.
The vision statement of the Telegraph is centred on business sustainability – perhaps not surprising, given the current economic pressures being exerted on commercial news organizations – but also contains references to exemplars of high-profile stories based on investigative journalism. Primarily, however, the Telegraph defines its purpose in political and economic terms: “The Telegraph is for everyone but The Telegraph has certain values. We are right of centre, in support of free markets and deregulation. We’re in favour of enterprise. The Telegraph supports fair-play, the rule of law and equality of opportunity” (Telegraph, n.d.)
The Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, set up by the family of former owner and editor C. P. Scott; the corporation cites an essay article by Scott as a guiding document in the company’s mission (Guardian, 2017a). While the essay does not explicitly define the watchdog role of the newspaper it does describe the wider social purpose of a newspaper as a powerful force in society. More recently, the current editor of the Guardian, Katharine Viner, set out the values and principles for the title for the present day in another essay, stating that; “[w]e will give people the facts, because they want and need information they can trust, and we will stick to the facts. We will find things out, reveal new information and challenge the powerful. This is the foundation of what we do” (Guardian, 2017b).
The Independent (and its sister title the London Evening Standard) does not publish a mission statement online, although its Code of Editorial Conduct (which covers the print and broadcast outlets operated by the owner) specifies public interest exemptions under certain circumstances for reporting that meets the definition of ‘watchdog’ journalism, including “detecting or exposing crime or impropriety, protecting the security of the general public and preventing people and communities from being misled by the behaviour of another individual or organisation” (Independent, n.d.).
The Financial Times does not explicitly refer to the fulfilment of a watchdog function in its Editorial Code of Practice or in its brief website commitment to upholding “the highest possible standards of ethical and professional journalism” (Financial Times, n.d.). Despite this, the newspaper has a reputation for high-quality journalism, including investigative reporting on large businesses and organizations. The Code of Practice itself refers to ethical and professional standards in reporting, but the inclusion of the Editors’ Code of Practice as the standards code followed by the FT (even though it is not a member of IPSO) includes references to “the public’s right to know” and includes the public interest exemptions in the IPSO Code (see below) (Financial Times, 2020).
Though not specifically part of the mission statements of newspaper publishers, all members of the press regulators IPSO and IMPRESS are obliged to comply with their respective standards codes, and most members host statements online and in print notifying audiences of their observance of standards codes. IPSO members are obliged to adhere to the Editors’ Code of Practice, which allows journalists to disregard certain clauses where doing so can be demonstrated to be in the public interest. The Editors’ Code defines the first clause of the public interest definition as follows:
- The public interest includes, but is not confined to:
I. Detecting or exposing crime, or the threat of crime, or serious impropriety.
II. Protecting public health or safety.
III. Protecting the public from being misled by an action or statement of an individual or Organisation.
IV. Disclosing a person or organisation’s failure or likely failure to comply with any obligation to which they are subject.
V. Disclosing a miscarriage of justice.
VI. Raising or contributing to a matter of public debate, including serious cases of impropriety, unethical conduct or incompetence concerning the public.
VII. Disclosing concealment, or likely concealment, of any of the above (Editors’ Code of Practice Committee, 2019).
Clause 1 outlines the extent to which the public interest exemptions are designed to provide protections to journalists engaging in investigative journalism. The exemptions relate to Code clauses on: Privacy; Harassment; Children; Children in sex cases; Reporting of Crime; Clandestine devices and subterfuge; Witness payments in criminal trials (excluding while proceedings are active); and Payment to criminals. The Codebook accompanying the Code clarifies that the public interest should be applied in such a way that it enables “investigative journalism, or exposure of serious wrongdoing” Editors’ Code of Practice Committee, 2020, p. 120).
The IMPRESS Standards Code, with which all members to that regulator must comply, includes in its preamble the aim of IMPRESS to “ensure that journalists behave responsibly, while protecting their role to investigate and report freely,” while the public interest exemptions listed underneath consist of the following:
- The revelation or discussion of matters such as serious incompetence or unethical behaviour that affects the public.
- Putting the record straight where an individual or organisation has misled the public on a matter of public importance.
- Revealing that a person or organisation may be failing to comply with any legal obligation they have.
- The proper administration of government.
- Open, fair and effective justice.
- Public health and safety.
- National security.
- The prevention and detection or crime.
- The discussion or analysis of artistic or cultural works (IMPRESS, n.d., pp.2-3).
Some of these clauses represent core aspects of the watchdog function of journalism; they are endorsed by members of IMPRESS through their membership of that regulatory system and obligations to comply with the Code.
