The Illawarra Flame is a member of the Local and Independent News Association and the Australian Press Council.
The Illawarra Flame is bound by the Standards of Practice of the Australian Press Council.
If you believe the standards may have been breached, you may approach the Illawarra Flame or make a complaint to the Australian Press Council in writing at www.presscouncil.org.au. The Council may also be contacted on 1800 025 712.
The LINA editorial standards are:
1. Independence At all times, editorial content will not be influenced by any financial contributions or other considerations from outside entities.
Whenever advertising or other sponsored content is published, that content will be clearly labelled to distinguish it from the member’s own independent editorial content.
2. Accuracy Members aim to ensure that all editorial content is accurate and is presented in context.
3. Fairness Members are committed to the following hallmarks of fairness:
- Providing a reasonable opportunity to respond where allegations or criticisms are made
- Attributing information to its source wherever possible
- Not plagiarising or misrepresenting the work of others
- Informing those we approach or contact that we are journalists
4. Diversity Members aim to be relevant to the community they serve, and to include an appropriately wide diversity of voices, views and issues.
5. Harm and Offence While some content may offend, disturb or annoy, members aim to avoid unnecessary, excessive or gratuitous harm and offence to the extent compatible with their role as a source of public interest news.
6. Privacy Members have a privacy policy relating to the protection and management of any personally identifiable information gathered and/or shared via their platforms.
In addition, they are committed to ensuring that any content which intrudes into the private lives of individuals is appropriate and proportionate when balanced with the public interest in the disclosure of information and freedom of expression.
7. Moderation of comments
The publication encourages contributions and comments on stories. However, those comments should contribute to a civil conversation and they should not be abusive, contain personal attacks, be inflammatory, racist or profane. The publication reserves the right to make the decisions about which comments violate these ground rules and the broader editorial guidelines of LINA, and will moderate comments at its discretion.
8. Advertising
LINA members may accept advertising or sponsored content in a number of forms, including through paid business listings and display advertisements.
Where such advertising is accepted, it will be clearly labelled to distinguish it from editorial content.
9. Accountability and Corrections
Members make all reasonable efforts to abide by LINA’s editorial standards, and invite any community members who feel the standards have been breached to complain in writing.
Material complaints will be taken seriously, and any breaches of these standards will be acknowledged and corrections made.
Advertising Standards
Advertisers should abide by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics. Download a PDF of the AANA Code of Ethics here. We reserve the right to refuse to publish an advertisement for any reason.
A note for Advertisers & Contributors: Editorial is not paid-for content. Advertising is paid-for content. The only time anyone can dictate the wording or design of content in the magazine is when that specific content has been paid for. The editors reserve the right to edit editorial submissions for any reason and do not allow writers, publicists or other interested parties to see editorial pages prior to publication.
Complaints handling process
Have a complaint about an article? We value your feedback and are committed to resolving issues in a fair, timely and efficient manner. Here are three steps in our process:
1. WRITE TO US: Please email your complaint to the Word Bureau at hello@theillawarraflame.com.au, or write to PO Box 248, Helensburgh, NSW 2508 or call Genevieve Swart on 0432 612 168.
2. WE’LL BE IN TOUCH: We will contact you to discuss, address and resolve complaints.
3. FINDING A SOLUTION:
• If we have made a factual error, we will publish a correction as soon as possible in print and/or digital.
• If you disagree with a particular point of view, you are welcome to write us a letter for publication. Letters should be a maximum of 150 words and may be edited. Email us at hello@theillawarraflame.com.au or write to PO Box 248, Helensburgh, NSW 2508.