These guidelines were approved by Yle's editors-in-chief on 11 May 2015. The guidelines were updated at the meeting of the editors-in-chief on 29 May 2019.
Yle contents on social media
An increasing share of communication is taking place on social media. Yle must remain part of this trend.
Through social media, Yle can reach a larger number of people as well as audiences it would not reach otherwise. By using social media, we can create new contents together with our audiences.
Yle must be present on social media, answer questions and react to comments. Online communication skills are part of an Yle employee’s skillset. What we do on social media requires constantly assessing our actions and being receptive to change.
On social media, we abide by the same laws, values and code of conduct as in our other publication activities. In addition, the same editorial decision-making processes and responsibilities as those used in other publication activities apply to social media.
Any social media appearances on behalf of the company, editorial staff or a programme are decided in the usual manner by Yle’s editorial offices on a content-oriented basis. Yle employees are personally responsible for their private social media accounts. However, in specific cases, Yle can agree with the employee on the use of their account in the promotion of Yle contents.
Yle employees on social media
- Think about how your actions on social media affect your credibility as a Yle employee. You cannot decide whether others see you as a Yle employee or a private individual. Although you can set your profile as private, your messages may still be used to publicly scrutinise your activities.
- Consider how you express your opinions. Do they undermine your or Yle’s credibility in the eyes of others?
- You must always be fair to your colleagues at all times. Your coworkers and your employer have the right to expect your loyalty, even on social media. Remember to discuss any corporate and workplace community issues internally. This is also common practice in other companies.
- Remember that you cannot use your public image resulting from Yle's programming activities to promote any commercial trademarks, for example by adding product logos to your social media page.
Addition to the guidelines approved by Yle’s editors-in-chief on 29 May 2019:
The detailed instructions concerning the establishment of social media accounts was removed from the guidelines and made into its own separate guidelines. In addition, the previously separate section concerning the promotion of commercial trademarks in one’s personal social media pages was incorporated into the guidelines as section 4.
Addition to the guidelines approved by Yle’s editors-in-chief on 13 October 2016:
The editors-in-chief have supplemented Yle's social media guidelines regarding the visibility of commercial trademarks. The guidelines specify that Yle employees may not use their public image resulting from programming activities to promote commercial products. Furthermore, the guidelines emphasise the need for discretion and the commitment of Yle employees to maintaining their independence and reliability.
