Pre-publication Legal Due-Diligence Guide for Journalists

This guide has been published to assist journalists with minimising their legal liability by providing a checklist of factors to consider before publication. It outlines four key considerations (indicators): journalistic ethics and best practices, defamation, privacy, and copyright. Finally, it includes additional questions relating to overall risk to consider before publication. Each indicator is explained in general terms (under each section) to enable its application across varied legal systems in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia. Each section concludes with a checklist of questions that journalists can ask themselves before publication as part of a due-diligence check.