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One of ITV’s prime responsibilities is to inform the public about issues that affect them through news and current affairs programmes. We focus on producing high-quality bulletins in peak time, based on accurate, sensitive, and independent reporting.

Our network news programmes continued to deliver comprehensive UK and international coverage throughout the year. Despite widespread pressure on news budgets, we maintained our spend on coverage in real terms in 2009.

Reliable and relevant information

News programmes have a crucial social function. In an increasingly multi-media world, television continues to be the primary source of information.

ITV is widely considered one of the most trusted providers of news.

News programmes inform public opinion and generate debate, which is particularly important in a General Election year. The potential to influence opinion means that broadcasters must have high ethical standards and report issues accurately, objectively, responsibly, and fairly. The commercial instinct to be first with a story must not compromise these standards. Our programmes must always comply with our own high editorial standards, as well as the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

Comprehensive coverage

ITV News comprises ITV Network and ITV London News, produced by ITN, and ITV’s other regional news programming produced internally by the ITV News Group. ITV News is highly influential, reaching an estimated average of 13.5 million viewers per week in 2009.

ITV’s network news programmes cover stories from all over the world. As well as its headquarters in London and UK regional bureaux, ITN has permanently staffed offices in Washington, Brussels, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, and Beijing.

ITV airs three main National News programmes each weekday. These are the ITV News at 1.30pm, the ITV News at 6.30pm and ITV News at Ten. We run news summaries through the night and produce a half-hour regional ITV News programme at 5.30am each day across the country. We are able to interrupt the schedule to broadcast breaking news at any time. ITV News produces News Specials and extended coverage when merited – such as the General Election which we broadcast through the night.

Under the terms of our Ofcom licence, we must broadcast 365 hours of news programming a year, 125 hours of which must be aired at peak time.

In 2009 we exceeded/missed our target and achieved 238 hours in peak time and 384 hours in total.

In 2009 ITV invested in a new look with a new studio and graphics and a fresh marketing campaign to develop ITV Network News and make it more engaging for viewers.

Editorial standards

Sound editorial judgment is crucial to the making of responsible news programmes. Our newsrooms apply the Ofcom Broadcasting Code when making editorial decisions, which have to be taken quickly, in a highly pressured environment. A specialist lawyer is present in the newsroom each week day until 10:30pm. Legal advice is available 24 hours a day. ITV regional newsrooms are supported by legal advice from the ITV compliance team.

ITN uses an instant cross-company internal notice system to alert editorial staff about legal or compliance issues such as court orders, requests by police, and adjudications by Ofcom. We apply a consistent standard of compliance across all media platforms.

Compliance training

ITN’s head of compliance holds regular seminars to brief news teams on legal and code compliance issues. In 2009, topics included legal sensitivities in reporting and copyright issues. We provide compliance training throughout the year for our regional news desks. In 2009, a former head of news, travelled to each news desk to provide in-depth, bespoke training on compliance issues .

ITN’s Compliance Manual provides guidance on the most commonly encountered risk areas. Every new member of staff is required to read this manual on joining ITN.

In 2009, journalists in ITV News Group were required to complete an online compliance training module which aims to ensure each employee has a thorough understanding of how to apply the high standards of due impartiality and due accuracy required in news programmes.

The module presents real life and hypothetical scenarios, including footage from different sides of a story. Participants must then create a fair and duly impartial report based on this footage. The Director of Programme Compliance provides explanations about how the report should meet due impartiality standards.

We have a near miss tracking system to enable us to gather knowledge from events where content that would break regulatory requirements has come close to being broadcast, and include these scenarios in the training.

Legal and regulatory compliance

In 2009 there was one complaint to Ofcom partly upheld against ITV News Group. There was one legal claim against ITV Meridian news which was settled by agreement between the parties.

ITN had no instances of legal non-compliance.

Journalist safety

The work of television journalists and camera operators frequently exposes them to dangerous situations. We use a “traffic light” rating system to classify the potential level of danger. The highest category is “Red” which automatically includes any assignments in war zones, where there is fighting, or where journalists or westerners are being targeted.

There were a total of 27 “Red” deployments and no significant safety incidents involving our news teams in 2009.

Staff working in the field attend a five-day course on operating in hostile environments before obtaining clearance to work on these assignments.

Compliance rulings

There were no complaints upheld against ITV National News programmes by OFCOM in 2009.

Read about some hard-hitting coverage of social and environmental news stories covered in 2009

Engaging young people

ITV News works with schools and colleges to encourage the next generation of news journalists. The team hosts talks and correspondents to visit colleges to explain journalistic approaches and to give advice on a career in television journalism. Students visited ITV almost every week during 2009 to learn about news journalism and for tours of the newsroom.

“Thank you so much for talking to the students. It was really great that you could spare us the time, particularly because we know how incredibly busy you are. The students are still buzzing today about their experience.”

Claire Simmons, Senior Lecturer, Broadcast Journalism, University of Gloucestershire