There are no formal rules that might underpin the news selection and production process, but a constant debate among the editorial staff about what could and did go wrong is regular practice. Journalisticvalues such as independence, objectivity,representation of both sides of an issue, checking news sources, and so forth, are valued to a great degree. Stylebooks are sometimes used only if problems arise, but not necessarily with any consistency. Some stylebooks define the importance of issues such as the diversity of news sources. Most news media is governed by the self-regulation body Netherlands Press Council, which looks at complaints of violation of good journalistic practice. Aiming to contribute to the transparency of its judgements on behalf of the professionals and the public, the Press Council publishes a guidebook for journalistic behaviour. This has been revised and amended several times since it first appeared in 2007, with the last changes made in 2018. Some media outlets – among them De Telegraaf – do not recognise the Press Council, which undermines its legitimacy.
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