Editorial statute of pressetext (pte)

1. Preamble

   The management and editorial council of the pressetext.europe news agency (pte) have agreed on the following editorial statute in order to safeguard the editorial quality and independence of pressetext.europe reporting. A further goal is to promote the standing of pte on the competitive news and business markets in the interest of the company and its employees, as well as to promote the continual development of pte. Both partners agree to uphold these goals as best they can.

2. Editorial tenets

   pressetext.europe is an internet-based news agency with a focus on business, technology and innovation. Its core competencies lie in the channels hightech, media, business, and science. It is used by journalists, investors, and opinion leaders throughout Europe.

   pressetext is an internationally oriented medium freely accessible to internet users and financed through the distribution of paid press releases, content sales, and advertising. The core target group consists of journalists from print and online media, professional and public media, as well as radio and television. In addition to this, pte is directed at communications professionals, investors, decision-makers, and opinion leaders in business and the public arena.

   pressetext journalists consider themselves independent and objective chroniclers of ongoing activities in business, finance, and technology. They primarily report on events in the form of 'breaking news', but they also report on financial and technological interrelations in the form of background stories or documentation. In this sense they consider themselves a traditional news agency.

   News written by pte journalists must be reliable and verifiable (listed source). Its quality and the timeframe in which it is published should meet the international agency standards. The reports should achieve a high standard of objectivity and meet the journalistic standards of "check and recheck". The press secret always applies.

   pte-news are not influenced by the personal views of the individual journalist and management. The editorial staff decides independently on the writing and publication of a report. The form and appearance of original text releases (pts - pressetext.service) published on pressetext by clients (businesses, public institutions) differs distinctly from that of reports by the editorial staff. They have been declared as paid releases, and the sender alone is responsible for their content. The pts-releases may not influence the work of the editorial staff.

   The general tenets for journalistic work as devised by the Austrian Press Council also apply. The undersigned declare these to be part of the editorial statute.

3. Independence of the editorial staff

   The independence of the editorial staff is outlined and safeguarded in the editorial tenets. Management has no influence on the content of the individual articles. The current head editor is responsible for the basic orientation of the medium.

   As far as the work of the editorial staff goes, their independence in researching, preparing and writing reports has also been safeguarded. Editorial services are understood to include reporting on selected topics for which a client has paid. Reports written by editorial services must be specifically labeled.

4. Protection of ethos

   No member of the pte editorial staff may be coerced into writing or publishing anything that goes against his convictions in reports that reflect his research and are signed by his name or code.

   Whenever possible, significant changes to the content of a report undertaken by a head editor should be made with the permission of the journalist who wrote the report. When this is not possible, publication of the report should be delayed as long as this does not endanger the relevance of the report. If the altered report must be published for reasons of relevance, the journalist has the right to withdraw his name from the report.

   This rule does not apply to decisions made by the editor in chief or responsible head editors with respect to the topic and length of reports, or the decision not to release a report due to lack of quality or unclear source.

5. Right to be informed

   The editorial council should be informed and consulted ahead of time in the following cases:

   • Decisions made by the company that significantly change owner structure
   • Significant changes in the editorial budget
   • At least once a year after publication of the yearly report, and by request of information on the financial development of the company.
   • When company releases relevant to the editorial staff are published by pressetext.europe (corporate news releases)
   Information reaching the members of the editorial council in this way is subject to the internal company vow of secrecy.
   
   

6. Participation rights

   The editorial staff and the editorial council have the right to participate in the selection of a new editor in chief and the head editor. Management is required to come to a consensual agreement with the editorial staff, which must approve the decision made by management with a quota of 50 %.

7. Editorial council

   The editorial council is identical to the editorial assembly (all employees affected by the statute), as long as the editorial assembly has no more than ten members. As soon as the assembly exceeds ten members, an editorial council shall be elected by simple majority for the period of a year.

8. Operative area

   The editorial statute applies to all regularly employed members of the editorial staff and free journalists. With its signature, the board of directors guarantees the rights and freedoms of the editorial staff, and with its signature the editorial staff complies with the editorial tenets and duties described in the editorial statutes.

9. Validity

   The editorial statute becomes valid through the signature of management and the signature of those journalists working at pte at the end of April 2002, and is published on the home page. The editorial statute is also binding to legal successors of the current owners and future employees.

   The editorial statute has been composed for an undetermined time and can be cancelled by either of the signatories with six months notice. Any changes in the editorial statute can only be undertaken with the agreement of both contractual partners. All matters regulated by constitutional labor law are expressly excluded from the operative area of the editorial statutes.

10. Final comments

    Press distribution has caused pte to tread new ground and it will continue to do so in the future. This not only applies to the development and delivery of its contents, but also to the further education and development of its employees, customers, and subscribers. Pressetext considers itself a 'laboratory' for new media forms and content (medialab), and will therefore develop as dynamically and organically as the journalistic and commercial environment demands.