Nine Publishing Charter of Editorial Independence

Nine Entertainment Company commits to the continued observance of the Charter of Editorial Independence in relation to its mastheads The Age,The Sydney Morning Herald,The Australian Financial Review,Brisbane Times and WAtoday. The Charter provides:

1. That Nine publicly declare a commitment to the fundamental and longstanding principle of editorial independence.
2. That Nine acknowledges that journalists,artists and photographers must record the affairs of the city,state,nation and the world fairly,fully and regardless of any commercial,political or personal interests,including those of any proprietors,shareholders or board members.
3. That editorial staff shall not be required to work other than in accordance with the Media,Entertainment and Arts Alliance journalist code of ethics and in line with rulings of the Australian Press Council.
4. That full editorial control of the mastheads,within a negotiated,fixed budget,be vested with the editors of the mastheads and that the editors alone shall determine the editorial content of the mastheads.
5. That the editors alone shall hire,fire and deploy editorial staff.
6. That the editors shall not sit on the board of Nine,or any non-publishing subsidiary companies,and shall not be directly responsible to the board but to its appointed management.
7. That the editors must at all times carry out their duties in a way that preserves the independence and integrity of the mastheads.