Editorial Standards

Victoria Crime News follows the MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics and the Mindframe guidelines for safe reporting on suicide, mental health and family violence. This page sets out, in plain language, how we work.

Sourcing and verification

We try to verify every factual claim with at least one primary source — a court judgment, a published police statement, a coronial finding, a sworn affidavit, an open record, or a named, on-the-record source — before publication. Where information comes from a single anonymous source, we say so. Where we are reporting allegations that are contested, we say so. Where the matter is still before the courts, we tell readers and we are careful not to prejudice a fair trial.

Court reporting

Court reporting carries particular legal risks in Victoria. Our practice is to:

Treat charged persons as innocent until proven guilty in every story.
Use the language of allegation when describing matters that are sub judice.
Comply with every suppression order, statutory non-publication restriction, and identification protection that applies to a matter.
Where a name has been suppressed, not publish the name — and not publish other particulars that would lead to identification.
Where a person has been acquitted, report the acquittal with the same prominence as the original charge.

Family violence and sexual assault reporting

We do not identify victim-survivors of family violence or sexual assault unless they have given fully informed consent and there is no statutory bar. We follow the Our Watch national guidelines on how to report on violence against women and children. We do not publish content that excuses, minimises or explains away violence. We always include support information — 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Safe Steps (1800 015 188) and the Sexual Assault Crisis Line (1800 806 292) — in articles where it is relevant.

Reporting on suicide, self-harm and mental health

We follow the Mindframe guidelines. We do not describe method, location or specific detail. We do not romanticise or sensationalise. We always include support contacts — Lifeline (13 11 14), Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636), and 13YARN (13 92 76) for First Nations support — in articles where it is relevant.

Reporting on First Nations communities

We follow the MEAA Respectful Reporting guidelines. We treat the cultural protocol of naming deceased First Nations persons with care, and where we name a deceased person we will note that family members may find the name distressing.

Children

We do not identify children involved in proceedings under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005. We do not identify victims, witnesses or accused persons under the age of 18 except where the law specifically permits and where doing so serves a clear public interest.

Conflicts of interest

Each of our reporters has a published bio. Where a reporter has a personal connection to a matter — family, professional, financial or otherwise — that reporter does not write the story, and where it is unavoidable we disclose the connection at the top of the piece.

Advertising and sponsored content

We accept some display advertising. Display ads are clearly labelled and are served programmatically; their presence does not influence our editorial. We do not run paid editorial. If we ever publish a piece commissioned or paid for by a third party, that piece will be labelled Sponsored at the top and at the byline, and our editorial team will retain the right to refuse anything that contradicts our standards.

Corrections

If we get it wrong, we fix it. To request a correction, email [email protected] or use our contact page. We will respond within five business days, and where we make a correction we will note the change clearly on the article. Where the correction is material, we will issue a separate correction notice.

Right of reply

Where an article makes a serious adverse statement about a person or organisation, we will offer them a right of reply before publication. If we are not able to reach them or they decline to respond, we will say so in the article and we will publish a reply if it is provided to us afterwards.

Take-down requests

We will consider take-down or amendment requests where the request is supported by a court order, a statutory restriction, a credible safety concern, or a clearly demonstrated factual error. We do not take down accurate news reporting on the basis of reputational embarrassment alone.

AI tools

Members of our editorial team may use generative-AI tools as part of research, headline drafting or copy editing. The substantive editorial judgment, sourcing and writing of every article rest with the named human reporter. We do not publish wholesale AI-generated articles.

Last updated: May 2026.