Editorial Policy

Emirates247.com is committed to world-class standards of journalism and publishing. We outline our editorial policy here to help our readers understand who we are and what we do.

Who We Are
We are a dynamic, trendy, interactive and community-oriented 24|7 online news website with a UAE-focus, regional perspective and an international outlook, reflecting the three elements - life here, life in the region and life back home -- that impact on us as citizens and expatriates in the Emirates.

Mission Statement
Our mission is to educate, inform and entertain in a fresh, dynamic and stylish fashion. We aim to capture the spirit of the modern Emirates and help to bring the world into focus for our readers by selecting content that is directly relevant to them.

Code of Practice
Emirates247.com adheres to the UAE Journalism Code of Ethics, which outlines the media’s responsibility to uphold the truth and principles of freedom, justice, values, ethics and respect of law. Our Editorial Policy, below, incorporates the main tenets and spirit of this Code of Ethics.

We will display responsible freedom by reflecting all sides of all issues and endeavour to promote universal human values.

All members of the Emirates 247.com team have a duty to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards. Our code sets the benchmark for those standards.

It both protects the rights of the individual and upholds the public's right to know.

The code will be the cornerstone of our system of self-regulation to which we make a binding commitment: we will ensure that the code is observed rigorously, not only by our staff, but also by anyone who contributes to our website.

Court Coverage Explained

When we only print the initials of individuals involved in court cases it is because they are part of an ongoing case. Consequently, under UAE law, it is considered to be prejudicial to name them and the newspaper can be sued. The individuals can only be named in full once the court has given its verdict and the timeframe allowed for an appeal has expired.

Anonymous Sources Explained

We do not support the 'anonymous source’ policy. But on occasion names of interviewees or sources will not be published based on their request because of the sensitivity of the issue or because of the nature of their jobs. We will also protect the identities of the more vulnerable sources who can incur disciplinary actions from their employers for speaking to the press.

Political Terms Explained

Although we strive to be non-partisan wherever possible, we recognise that the use of terminology, particularly when dealing with certain political situations such as Palestine, can be an extremely contentious issue. In a bid to clarify our stance and reflect the views of our readers, we have therefore chosen to explicitly state our position on such matters so readers can understand why certain terms are used in news reporting.

In keeping with the vast majority of our readers, we regard Palestine as an occupied country. Examples of how this impacts on our coverage are that we refer to Jerusalem as Occupied Jerusalem.

Accuracy

As professionals, we strive for absolute accuracy. However, the vast amount of work involved in the production of a daily newspaper means there will be occasions when human error r misinterpretation creeps in.
 
Opportunity to Reply

We are committed to correcting any errors and consequently a fair opportunity for reply to inaccuracies will be given to individuals or organisations when reasonably called for. We encourage you to contact us, informing us of inaccuracies you have spotted.  

Privacy

i) Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence. We have to be able to justify intrusions into any individual's private life without consent.  ii) Journalists should respect the privacy of individuals. If details of personal conduct are of public interest, it should be covered without violating the personal rights of uninvolved individuals.  

Harassment

i) Journalists and photographers must neither obtain nor seek to obtain information or pictures through intimidation or harassment.  ii)  In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries should be carried out and approaches made with sympathy and discretion. Publication must be handled sensitively at such times but this should not be interpreted as restricting the right to report judicial proceedings.  

Children

i) Young people should be free to complete their time at school without unnecessary intrusion.  ii) There must be no payment to minors for material involving the welfare of children nor payments to parents or guardians for material about their children or wards unless it is demonstrably in the child's interest. iii) Where material about the private life of a child is published, there must be justification for publication other than the fame, notoriety or position of his or her parents or guardian.  

Hospitals and Medical Cases

i) Publishing the first stage of medical research work must not be portrayed as final and undisputed.  ii) Journalists or photographers making enquiries at hospitals or similar institutions should identify themselves to a responsible executive.

Reporting of Crime

i) A suspect is innocent until proven guilty, so names and photos of suspects should not be published until a final verdict is issued.  ii) We should avoid identifying relatives or friends of persons convicted or accused of crime without their consent.  iii) Particular regard should be paid to the potentially vulnerable position of children who are witnesses to, or victims of, crime. This should not be interpreted as restricting the right to report judicial proceedings.  

Attribution

Any unattributed copy is provided by AP, AFP or Reuters or other wire services.