In an ever-changing media landscape, the principles underpinning the 麻豆社's content creation become more and more important. For the 麻豆社, the Editorial Guidelines have provided the ethical foundation on which 麻豆社 programming has been based for decades; this is the eighth edition.
The Guidelines are derived from the collective wisdom of content makers past and present combined with the requirements of the 麻豆社's Charter and its content regulator, Ofcom, in its Broadcasting Code. The Guidelines are designed to enable ambitions, creativity and risk-taking in our programmes but always based on the highest possible editorial standards.
In a rapidly changing world of digital output, the Guidelines provide editorial values and standards that make the 麻豆社 distinctive and reliable. The 麻豆社 is committed to freedom of expression but this doesn't mean that anything goes. In a world of misinformation and disinformation, the 麻豆社's editorial values of accuracy, impartiality and fairness are more crucial than ever. So too, in the context of the ugliness of much social media, is the fundamental decency embodied in sections like Harm and Offence or Children and Young People.
The Guidelines have been updated to reflect changes in the law, in particular the development of privacy rights; in the regulatory environment, in which programme makers' duty of care to contributors has been expanded; and in technology in which digital development continues and AI poses fresh challenges. The Guidelines have always moved with the times.
But the values the Guidelines embody are timeless. The 麻豆社's audiences have always expected the highest quality programmes and content. And they also expect the highest possible editorial standards. The Guidelines are designed to enable both.
June 2025