Last Updated: August 2026
1. Our Role
Wyndham TV is an independent news and media organisation reporting on news, events and matters of public interest affecting Wyndham and the wider Victorian community.
We are committed to responsible journalism and to the principles of accuracy, fairness, editorial independence, freedom of expression and the public’s legitimate interest in being informed.
These standards apply to news and current affairs material produced or published by Wyndham TV across its website, social media platforms, video services and other publishing channels.
2. Accuracy
Wyndham TV takes reasonable steps to ensure factual material published in our news reporting is accurate and not misleading.
Information may be obtained from sources including police and emergency services, government agencies, courts, councils, public authorities, witnesses, businesses, community organisations, documents, media releases, publicly available information and Wyndham TV’s own journalists and camera operators.
Where allegations have not been determined by a court, Wyndham TV will endeavour to report them as allegations and use appropriate language such as “alleged”, “police allege” or similar terminology where required.
The fact that information has been provided by an official source does not prevent Wyndham TV from correcting a significant factual error if one is subsequently identified.
3. Corrections
Wyndham TV will consider requests to correct significant factual inaccuracies.
A person requesting a correction should identify:
- the specific material alleged to be inaccurate;
- why it is said to be inaccurate; and
- where appropriate, information or evidence supporting the requested correction.
Wyndham TV may correct, clarify or update published material where appropriate.
A disagreement with a report, objection to its publication, or dissatisfaction with being depicted in legitimate news footage does not, by itself, establish that the report is inaccurate.
4. Privacy and Journalism
Wyndham TV recognises that individuals have legitimate interests in privacy while also recognising the important role of journalism and freedom of expression in informing the community.
Privacy considerations will be assessed having regard to the circumstances of each publication, including the nature of the information, where and how it was obtained, the person’s reasonable expectation of privacy, the seriousness and newsworthiness of the matter and the public interest in publication.
There may be circumstances where the public interest in reporting a matter outweighs an individual’s preference for privacy.
5. Filming and Photography in Publicly Viewable Areas
Wyndham TV routinely films and photographs news events occurring in streets and other public or publicly viewable locations, including police operations, emergency incidents and matters of community interest.
News footage recorded from a public or publicly viewable location may incidentally include vehicles, business vans, residential and commercial properties, registration plates and other objects or activities visible from that location. This is a normal and unavoidable incident of reporting on events occurring in public.
The incidental appearance of a person, vehicle, van, registration plate or property within news footage is not, and should not be interpreted as, an allegation that the person, owner, driver, occupier or business depicted is involved in the events being reported, unless expressly stated in the report.
Wyndham TV does not apply a blanket policy of blurring, obscuring or removing incidentally-captured people, vehicles, plates or properties. Such material is frequently a normal and unremarkable feature of a public scene, and an automatic blurring or removal policy would compromise the accuracy and integrity of legitimate news footage. Whether to obscure identifying material in a given case is an editorial decision, made at Wyndham TV’s discretion, having regard to:
- its relevance to the story being reported;
- whether its inclusion could reasonably be understood to suggest involvement in wrongdoing;
- the reasonable expectation of privacy in the circumstances — footage taken from a public street generally attracts a lower expectation than footage revealing something not otherwise visible from that location;
- any credible safety concern raised by the person affected;
- applicable Victorian and Commonwealth law; and
- the overall public interest in the report.
Nothing in this section creates an entitlement to have any material blurred, obscured or removed.
6. Police, Emergency Services and Crime Reporting
Police operations, arrests, searches, emergency incidents, court proceedings, crime and alleged criminal activity are legitimate subjects of news reporting.
Wyndham TV may report information supplied by police, emergency services, courts, government agencies and other authoritative sources.
Where information is attributed to police or another source, that attribution should be understood as identifying the source of the information and not as an independent finding of guilt by Wyndham TV.
The presence of a person, vehicle, residence or business within or near a police operation does not necessarily indicate involvement in alleged criminal activity. Wyndham TV will endeavour not to represent incidental persons or property as being involved where no such allegation has been made.
7. Vehicles, Business Vans and Registration Plates
Vehicles, business vans and registration plates may appear in news footage where visible from a public or publicly viewable location, including where parked at or near the scene of a reported incident.
A vehicle or plate appearing in footage — including one simply parked nearby — is not, and should not be interpreted as, an allegation that its owner, driver or an associated business is involved in that incident, unless expressly stated in the report.
Wyndham TV does not maintain a general policy requiring vehicles, business vans or registration plates visible in news footage to be blurred, obscured or removed. Whether identifying material of this kind should be obscured will be determined according to the circumstances, having regard to the factors set out in Section 5.
A request that a vehicle, van or plate be obscured or removed will be considered but does not create an automatic entitlement to alteration or removal.
8. Residential Properties, Street Numbers and Addresses
Residential properties, including street numbers, letterboxes and frontages, may appear in legitimate news footage, particularly where an incident or a police or emergency services operation occurs at or near that property, or where the property is otherwise visible from a public or publicly viewable location.
The fact that a residence or street number can be seen from a public or publicly viewable location does not automatically require Wyndham TV to obscure it. Wyndham TV does not maintain a general policy of blurring, obscuring or removing residential properties, street numbers or addresses from news footage.
Greater consideration may be given to obscuring a street number or address where:
- it is not itself a matter connected to the story, as distinct from a formally announced incident address;
- publication would disclose information not otherwise reasonably observable, or would identify a person’s location in circumstances raising a credible safety concern — for example, a family violence context, a protected witness, or another vulnerable person; or
- no genuine public interest is served by the number being individually legible, as opposed to the property or street being shown in general.
A residence’s connection to a reported police operation, court matter or other event is not, by itself, an allegation that any occupant is involved in wrongdoing. A request that a residential property be obscured or removed will be considered but does not create an automatic entitlement to alteration or removal.
9. Identification, Faces and Other Identifying Material
Wyndham TV does not maintain a general policy requiring faces, vehicles, registration plates, businesses or properties visible in news footage to be blurred.
Whether identifying material should be obscured will be determined according to the circumstances and may include consideration of:
- applicable legal restrictions;
- reasonable expectations of privacy;
- the public interest;
- the relevance of the identifying material;
- risks to the safety of individuals;
- the protection of children and vulnerable persons;
- court orders and statutory restrictions; and
- responsible journalistic practice.
A request for identifying material to be removed or obscured will be considered but does not create an automatic entitlement to alteration or removal.
10. Children and Vulnerable People
Wyndham TV will exercise additional care when reporting on children and people whose circumstances make them particularly vulnerable.
Identification may be restricted where required by law or where Wyndham TV determines that identification would cause unjustified harm.
Nothing in this policy overrides statutory restrictions on identifying children, victims of particular offences or other protected persons.
11. Safety and Harm
Wyndham TV takes credible safety concerns seriously.
Where a person claims that published material creates a substantial risk to their safety or the safety of another person, Wyndham TV may consider the nature and credibility of the claimed risk, the relationship between the publication and the alleged risk, the information already publicly available and the public interest in continued publication.
A claim of possible harm or the existence of criticism, abuse or threats from third parties does not automatically require removal of legitimate news reporting.
Where appropriate, Wyndham TV may alter particular identifying material without removing an entire report. This remains a discretionary editorial decision in every case and does not create an entitlement to alteration or removal.
Such an editorial decision does not constitute an admission that the original publication was unlawful or inappropriate.
12. Requests to Remove Published News
Wyndham TV does not ordinarily remove accurate news reports merely because a person subsequently objects to publication, considers the report unfavourable, or does not wish to remain associated with a news event.
Requests for removal will be considered individually. Relevant considerations may include:
- factual accuracy;
- applicable law and court orders;
- public interest;
- the seriousness and continuing relevance of the story;
- privacy and safety considerations;
- whether the person is central or merely incidental to the report;
- subsequent developments; and
- recognised principles of responsible journalism.
Requests concerning vehicles, plates or properties: A person who believes their vehicle, registration plate, business van or residential property has been shown in a way that unfairly suggests their involvement in a reported event, or that creates a genuine safety concern, should contact Wyndham TV in writing, identifying the specific report, the material concerned and the basis of their concern. Such requests will be considered in accordance with this Section and Section 5, but do not create an automatic entitlement to have any material corrected, obscured or removed.
Wyndham TV reserves editorial control over whether published material is corrected, updated, edited, restricted or removed.
13. Defamation and Reputation
Wyndham TV recognises the importance of protecting individual and business reputations while preserving the ability of journalists to report matters of legitimate public interest.
Reasonable steps will be taken to distinguish allegations from established facts and to avoid creating unsupported implications about persons or organisations appearing incidentally in news coverage.
Where a person alleges that Wyndham TV has published defamatory or false material, they should identify the specific words, images or representations complained of and explain the meaning they allege the publication conveys.
Wyndham TV will consider properly particularised complaints in accordance with applicable Australian and Victorian law.
14. Public Interest
In determining whether information should be published, Wyndham TV may consider the public interest in matters including:
- crime and public safety;
- police and emergency services activity;
- government and public administration;
- courts and the administration of justice;
- public expenditure and accountability;
- community safety;
- conduct affecting the community;
- significant local events;
- matters concerning elected representatives and public officials; and
- information reasonably relevant to the Wyndham community.
Public interest is not limited to matters that are merely interesting to the public.
15. Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions concerning whether to publish, alter, correct or remove news material remain with Wyndham TV.
Threats of legal action, commercial pressure, advertising relationships, personal objections or demands for removal will not, by themselves, determine editorial decisions.
Wyndham TV will nevertheless consider legitimate legal complaints and credible information demonstrating a significant factual error, unlawful publication or substantial safety concern.
16. Complaints
Complaints concerning Wyndham TV news coverage should be made in writing and should clearly identify:
- the article, video or publication concerned;
- the specific material complained about;
- the basis of the complaint;
- any alleged factual inaccuracies;
- any supporting information or evidence; and
- the outcome being requested.
Wyndham TV will consider substantive complaints and determine whether correction, clarification, amendment or other action is appropriate.
Repeated correspondence that does not raise new substantive information may not receive a further response.
17. Commitment to Privacy Standards
Wyndham TV is publicly committed to observing the privacy standards contained in this Editorial Standards & Privacy Policy in the course of its journalism.
These standards are intended to balance responsible treatment of privacy with freedom of expression, editorial independence and the public interest in legitimate news reporting.
Wyndham TV will periodically review these standards to reflect changes in Australian law, journalistic practice and community expectations.
Wyndham TV Pty Ltd
Editorial Standards & Privacy Policy
Last Updated: August 2026
