Editorial charter

What we are at HelloCare 

• A platform for constructive dialogue, where we have substance behind our articles. We have a heart and that heart shines through to our content. 
• We want our readers to really feel what we are writing and want them to be moved to action or an emotion.
• We want everyone to feel as though they have an opinion in the sector – and we are the voice / the platform for this.
• We are a source of inspiration and education for the elderly, their loved ones and aged care workers.

We are thought leaders, not afraid of pushing the envelope, but we take our public interest role seriously and abide by the ethical code of conduct to deliver fair, unbiased and balanced content.

We have a flair, we find questions the status quo controversial and find topics of significance to our audiences and apply investigative and research approaches to address these, including:

• Quality journalism – no clickbait, no false news, no fear-mongering 
• Factual – we fact check everything if you haven’t got the information yourself then don’t use it. No shortcuts here, if you want to write a quality story make sure you have the facts. We never blame, never accuse, we present factual arguments 
• Honesty – we don’t hide from difficult topics, we approach them with compassion and want to get to the truth for the good of our readers. 
• Independent – from governments, from the business. We show no bias, our reporting is balanced and look at topics from all angles.
• Original – Where possible, we get our own quotes and interviews. If we are quoting from another source, such as a press conference, statement or other media outlet, we attribute the original source. Companies frequently submit media releases to us and when we republish these we expect they have done their own fact-checking before submitting.
• We consult research – We showcase best practice, innovation and new ways of doing things. We quote research we always state the name and date of the study and hyperlink to the study 
• We deal with difficult topics – we don’t shy away from dealing with challenging and difficult topics that impact our audiences, when we address these topics we do so by consulting experts and we always supply links to where people can get further support or advice if affected by the topic of the article

What We Are Not At HelloCare

Sensationalist media: increased traffic is important to us, but never would we put this over the quality of our content. We report the breaking news, but to do it in a constructive tone. In a way that brings about discussion on how things can be fixed – open a discussion.

Not to be negative, critical about the industry and the people in it: while we want to sign light of problems and challenges in the system, we do this to create change not accuse or degrade. 

We back everything up and present a two-sided argument. We always give people the right of response and consult all relevant stakeholders for comment. We never generalise, the acts of one person or organisation are not a reflection of every person or organisation.

HelloCare adheres to the statement of general journalistic principles, as outlined by the Australian Press Council, below: 

Accuracy and clarity

1. Ensure that factual material in news reports and elsewhere is accurate and not misleading, and is distinguishable from other material such as opinion.
2. Provide a correction or other adequate remedial action if published material is significantly inaccurate or misleading (see our complaints procedure for more information).

Fairness and balance

1. Ensure that factual material is presented with reasonable fairness and balance and that writers’ expressions of opinion are not based on significantly inaccurate factual material or omission of key facts.
2. Ensure that where material refers adversely to a person, a fair opportunity is given for subsequent publication of a reply if that is reasonably necessary to address a possible breach of General Principle 3.

Privacy and avoidance of harm

1. Avoid intruding on a person’s reasonable expectations of privacy, unless doing so is sufficiently in the public interest.
2. Avoid causing or contributing materially to the substantial offence, distress or prejudice, or a substantial risk to health or safety, unless doing so is sufficiently in the public interest.

Integrity and transparency

1. Avoid publishing material which has been gathered by deceptive or unfair means, unless doing so is sufficiently in the public interest.
2. Ensure that conflicts of interests are avoided or adequately disclosed and that they do not influence published material.

A full copy of the HelloCare editorial charter is available by request to hello@hellocaremail.com.au