COMPLAINTS POLICY OF THE BRIDGE
- The Bridge (‘We’ or ‘Us’) view complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve the
quality of our journalism and the contents of our publication(s) for the future, as well
as a chance to put things right for the person (or organisation) that has made the
complaint. - Our policy is:
- To provide a fair complaints procedure that is clear, convenient and easy to
use for anyone wishing to make a complaint (in particular those that are
vulnerable or who have disabilities) - To uphold and adhere to the Standards Code (“Code”)
https://impressorg.com/standards/ set out in the Impress Regulatory Scheme
in our assessment of all complaints - To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that readers know
how to contact us to make a complaint - To make sure everyone working for us knows what to do if a complaint is
received - To make sure all complaints are dealt with promptly and fairly, with decisions
based on sufficient investigation of the circumstances and (where
appropriate) offer a suitable remedy - To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that trust
in our journalism and our publication(s) remains strong - To gather information about all the complaints we receive to help continually
improve the quality of our journalism and our publication(s) - To submit an annual report to Impress of all complaints received and their
outcomes - To submit any complaint that is not resolved by us in a timely or satisfactory
way to Impress and to comply with directions issued by Impress relating to its
Regulatory Scheme - To make available to all our employees a confidential whistleblowing hotline
which is independently operated by Impress and not to take any action to the
detriment of anyone who uses the hotline or declines to breach the Code.
Definition of a Complaint
- A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about the
editorial content, standards of journalism or conduct of employees or contributors
involved in production of our publication(s) that engages the standards set out in the
Code.
Who Can Complain and How? - Complaints may come from any person or organisation who is:
- personally and directly affected by an alleged breach of the Code
- a representative group affected by an alleged breach of the Code, where
there is public interest in the complaint - a third party seeking to ensure accuracy of published information
- A complaint should be received by email or in writing although complaints are
accepted by other reasonable means where it is not convenient or practical for the
individual complainant to complain in writing. - A complaint should be clearly marked as such. General enquiries and requests for
corrections will not normally be dealt with as a complaint under this policy unless the
complainant makes it clear that they wish to make a complaint.
Whistleblowing Rights of Employees and Contributors - Employees or contributors are encouraged to contact the Impress confidential
whistleblowing hotline (“the Hotline”) if they are being pressurised to breach the
standards set out in the Code or if they have concerns that the standards set out in
the Code are not being adhered to more generally by Us. - We will publicise the contact details of the Hotline to all our employees and
contributors. - Any employee or contributor of who uses the Hotline does so with Our full support
and in the knowledge that they will not be sanctioned as a result of doing so, - We guarantee to protect all whistle-blowers from possible reprisals, victimisation or
sanction if a disclosure has been made in good faith even if a subsequent
independent investigation carried out by Impress into our journalism finds there to be
no breach of the Code or of the Impress Regulatory Scheme. For the avoidance of
doubt, We will not take any action to the detriment of anyone who uses the Impress
whistleblowing hotline or declines to breach the Standards Code adopted by Us as
part of our compliance with the Impress Regulatory Scheme.
Confidentiality - All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to
know and following any relevant data protection requirements.
Compliance Records - In respect of each title We will maintain a written record of all complaints, to include
the name and contact details of the complainant, the material or conduct in respect of
which the complaint is made and the alleged Code breach. - For each complaint record, We will include any steps taken by Us to address the
complaint, and the outcome of the complaint. This record will be made available to
Impress and to the public (in a redacted form, where necessary), for publication by
Impress in its annual report. - We will report to Impress all compliance failures of which We become aware
(whether complained about or not) - Monitoring and learning from complaints are reviewed quarterly by Us to identify any
trends which may indicate a need to take further action.
Responsibility - Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with our Editor and
Owner. - Responsibility for ensuring that complaints are managed in accordance with this
policy lies with a nominated senior legal and compliance standards individual for
each title. - Each title shall include a statement of arrangements which includes details of the
internal authority structure, where responsibilities for Code compliance lie, to whom
notice of failure in compliance would be reported (whether complained about or not),
together with steps to deal with any failures in compliance.
Procedure
Stage One: Making a Complaint - Information on how to make a complaint is clearly publicised in our publication.
- Complaints may be sent in writing to Us by email at [email protected]
or telephone on 07857075245 or other reasonable means where this is more
convenient and practical for the complainant. - Complainants should provide the following information before their complaint will be
considered:
- A contact email address, and where possible, the complainant’s name and
telephone number - If the complaint is about a news article it must include:
the name and date of the publication and page reference of the
specific article being complained about plus the URL.
URL/Link to any visual or audio element of the complaint.
a written account of what is being complained about with clear
reference made to (i) any specific words or phrases in the article that
are relevant to the complaint; and (ii) any clauses of the Standards
Code adopted by Impress (“Code”) that the complainant believes to
have been breached
The desired outcome or remedy sought by the complainant - If the complaint is about the conduct or behaviour of an employee or
contributor it must include:
the name(s) of the individual(s) being complained about (if known) or
any other information which may identify the individual (s)
a written account of what is being complained about with clear
reference made to (i) the nature of the behaviour or conduct being
complained about including any relevant times, dates,
correspondence or other evidence to support the complaint; and (ii)
any clauses of the Code that the complainant believes to have been
breached
The desired outcome or remedy sought by the complainant
- We will make reasonable efforts to contact a complainant by telephone, e-mail or in
writing to ensure that sufficient information is provided to respond to the complaint.
Stage Two: Recording, Investigating and Resolving the Complaint - The complaint information should be passed to the person we have nominated as
being responsible for legal standards and compliance. They will record it in the
complaints log and will acknowledge receipt of the complaint by e-mail or in writing
within 7 calendar days of receipt of the complaint. - The acknowledgement of receipt of a complaint should say who is dealing with the
complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. Any conflicts of
interest should also be declared at this point. A copy of this complaints policy should
be attached. - The legal standards and compliance contact is responsible for ensuring that the
circumstances of the complaint are investigated fairly and that any conflicts of
interest are managed. This may require the complainant to provide additional
information, documents or other evidence to support their complaint. - Complainants should receive a final decision letter within 21 calendar days from the
date of the receipt of the complaint. - The final decision letter will inform complainants that they have the right to refer their
complaint to Impress, stating the applicable time limits, set out in clause 4.4 of the
Impress Regulatory Scheme, and how to contact Impress. - Whether the complaint is justified or not, the reply to the complainant should describe
the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation,
and any action taken as a result of the complaint.
Stage Three: Escalating the Complaint to Impress - If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved by Us at
Stage Two or if the complainant feels that there are justifiable reasons why the
complaint is so urgent that they cannot wait for Us to respond, they can request that
the complaint is reviewed by Impress in accordance with its Regulatory Scheme, by
contacting Impress using the following details:
W: impressorg.com/complaints
E: [email protected]
T: 020 3325 4288
Review
This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required.
Adopted on:……………………………8th May 2024
Last reviewed:…………………………8th May 2024