4F Due Impartiality : Parliamentary Footage and Footage from Other Assemblies
Although no longer a provision of the Code, there are rules which apply to the use within programmes of footage from within Parliament and certain other assemblies. In relation to Westminster and the House of Commons and House of Lords (including Committees in both Houses) these include the following:
- Footage must not be manipulated i.e. pictures or the sound altered in any way.
- Where two sections of a speech are included, it must be clear to viewers that an edit has been made and that the speech as presented is not continuous.
- Parliamentary footage may only be included in news and factual programmes and cannot be used in light entertainment (including political satire), fictional or drama programmes.
Similarly there are rules that apply in relation to footage from within the European Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly. There are currently no restrictions regarding coverage of the London Assembly.