Registered Office: 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS

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Barnsley Chronicle Ltd Annual IPSOreport March 2018Introduction:The Barnsley Chronicle is a weeklynewspaper that has covered the geo-graphical and municipal borough ofBarnsley since 1858.It is owned and operated by theHewitt family and is part of the widerAcredula Group which has businessinterests in book publishing, B2B mag-azine production, public relations,graphic design, social media manage-ment and leisure.The Chronicle is the largest-circulat-ing weekly newspaper in Yorkshireand remains one of the biggest-sellingweeklies in the UK.The paper covers local news for theBarnsley audience – there is noregional content for South Yorkshireor the wider region.As well as the Chronicle, the companyalso publishes We Are Barnsley andthe Holme Valley Review which arefree titles.Our editorial standards:The Barnsley Chronicle sets out to bean authoritative, trustworthy journaland takes an independent position onthe material it carries.Stories are verified as much as possi-ble by the editorial team before publi-cation.Over the last few years, the newspaperhas built up substantial audiences onsocial media (the Facebook page has37,000 likes while it has 14,500 follow-ers on Twitter).As with most media outlets, we usethese extensive online connections tosearch out story ideas, follow up leadsand make contact with people.However, we have a strict policy thatwe do not publish a story obtainedfrom social media sources withoutfirst checking its accuracy andauthenticityWe do no share / re-tweet posts wherewe are unable to confirm authenticity.When we follow up a story garneredfrom social media, our general proce-dure is to contact the original sourceand ask for their co-operation.If that is not possible, we will thentake alternative steps to check accura-cy. These steps might include directlycontacting other people mentioned inthe original post, for example.As in my last report in 2017, I can con-firm that we still refuse to carry sto-ries emanating from social mediawhere we have not been able to con-firm their accuracy.I believe this is the responsible stanceto take and do not envisage thischanging while I remain as editor.In simple terms. our policy is to treatsocial media leads as nothing morethan tip-offs that may or not turn outto be true.Dealing with social media has provedone of the most challenging aspects ofthe editorial department’s role in thelast couple of years.We have, on occasions, received com-plaints from people who have posted

issues in public groups (On Facebook,for example) but then have believedthat we have ‘no rights’ to report theircomments or question them furtherabout them or the issues they haveraisedThis is a subject I feel very stronglyabout as none of the mainstreamsocial media platforms have reallymade any attempt to explain to usersthe implications of posting in publicforums.Consequently, I was very keen toexplain my concerns to CharlotteUnwin when she got in touch last yearasking for views on dealing withsocial media.I’m pleased to say she took heed of myconcerns and addressed some of themin the very helpful guidelines whichwere circulated in 2017.These guidelines were quickly sharedamong my colleagues as I think theywere useful in helping clear some ofthe blurred lines regarding usinginformation sourced from socialmedia.The Chronicle continues to coverthings such as council meetings andpublic meetings in the traditional way– ie a reporter in attendance.If the issues being discussed are con-tentious, it would be expected that ourreporters would contact with bothsides to ensure a story is balanced.If people choose not to speak to us, wealways make it clear in the story thatthey have been offered the opportuni-ty but chose not to take it rather thanleave readers in any doubt.Our responsible person(s):As editor, the paper's nominatedresponsible person for IPSO obliga-tions is Andrew Harrod. In the eventof his absence, this responsibilitywould pass to the deputy editor, StephDaley.Between them, Andrew and Stephhave 60 years' experience working onlocal newspapers. Andrew was the edi-tor of several national magazinesbefore returning to the Chronicle aseditor five years ago.Our complaints-handling process:Any minor complaints will generallybe dealt with initially by the reporterinvolved in preparing the originalstory.Our editorial staff are instructed notto shy away from making a correctionwhere it is warranted.Occasionally, a complainant maymake contact via phone or in personand ask to speak to someone 'incharge'.These calls would initially be dealtwith by the newsdesk and the deputyeditor who works on the newsdeskwill often assess the seriousness ofthe complaint.If it can be resolved promptly andamicably then she is empowered todraft and arrange publication of asuitable correction.It is our aim to keep the complaintsprocess as simple as possible.Occasionally, a complainant may

insist on speaking to the editor –bypassing the reporter and newsdesk– and our staff are not instructed toput anyone off contacting me directly.My phone number and direct emailaddress is on our website and if read-ers contact the switchboard, they arereadily put through to me.A copy of our complaints procedure ison the website and also appears regu-larly in the newspaper on the letterspage, referenced below:

We accept complaints in most formats– phone, letter, email or in person.By virtue of its public nature, if acomplaint is posted on one of oursocial media channels, we would nor-mally request direct contact details sowe can investigate the matter further.Our training process:All staff have been briefed on our poli-cy regarding complaints handling. Acopy of the Code of Editors has beenincluded in the handbook given to allmembers of the editorial team ontheir first day.A copy is posted on the office noticeboard and a fresh copy is distributedto every member of the team as andwhen it is updated. The most recentversion was circulated to staff onJanuary 5 2018.During the period relevant to thisreport, we have not organised any for-mal training on the IPSO code but ourcompliance with it is often discussedin relation to stories the news teamare working on.I frequently ask reporters dealingwith stories that have the potential togenerate a complaint to consider thecode's impact on their conduct whileboth preparing and then subsequentlytheir writing of a story.How we deal with pre-publicationguidance:In the period relevant to this report,we have not had cause to seek prepub-lication guidance from IPSO advisors.However, all staff are aware that suchguidance is available.I would normally expect thatapproach to IPSO to be made by eithermyself or the deputy editor althoughreporting staff would not ben discour-aged from making such an approachthemselves if it was felt necessary.

AT the Barnsley Chronicle, we try to get thingsright but occasionally, we make mistakes.

If you have a complaint about a story featuredin our newspaper or on our website, pleasecontact the newsdesk on Barnsley 734262 or emaileditorial@barnsley-chronicle.co.uk.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint toyour satisfaction, the matter can be referred tothe Independent Press Standards Organisation ofwhich we are a member.

We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice asdemanded by IPSO.

For details on the code and what you should doshould you beunsatisfied with theway we handle yourcomplaint, pleasevisit their website –www.ipso.co.uk.