Fairness Policy

This policy sets out the way we carry out the work of The Journal Investigates to ensure our stories and investigations are in the public interest and to avoid attempts to drive individual interests or use our platform for ulterior motives.

Treatment of tips:

• We accept tips from any party without fear or favour and treat every person who sends us such information as a journalistic source. As such, all sources and associated information are subject to rigorous research and analysis.
• Due regard is given to the motivation of any source in highlighting an issue and this is weighed against the value to the public in having this issue investigated.

Investigations:

Once our journalistic team embarks on an investigation, we commit to:

• Operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council of Ireland
• Using as many primary sources, eg, raw data, original documents, verified witness interviews, to establish a credible, fact-based and fact-checked basis for any content we publish
• Creating work that refrains from the use of language that is partisan or employed to persuade the reader to a viewpoint that is not based solely on fact
• Seek pre-publication comment from and treat with utmost fairness any individual, organisation, company or other entity who is referred to in a The Journal Investigates article
• Employ additional expertise where necessary, if it can contribute to a more rounded understanding of issues being investigated
• Spend significant time on redrafting our work, through an open and transparent discussion between reporters and editor, until we are satisfied that we are publishing the best, most accurate, fair and impartial version of our findings

It should be noted that The Journal Investigates understands the importance that our audience is confident that our editorial decisions are not influenced by any external or internal influences or pressures, political, commercial or otherwise.

To that end, our reporters and editors are contractually obliged to declare any business, political or other interests which would conflict with their journalistic output. We do not publish investigative work from authors who are currently active members of political parties, running for or holding political office.

While we cannot prevent The Journal Investigates employees from participating in civic, charitable, religious, social or residential organisations, we demand that such participation must not influence a reporter or editor's journalistic output, nor make it seem that The Journal Investigates subsidises or supports this activity.

A most important note: Our published output is not subject to previews or reviews from any individual or entity outside of the The Journal Investigates team, with the exception of our legal advisors.