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Application for Accreditation

Here we explain what happens from the time an application is made through to attendance at Family Court as a member of an accredited media organisation:

  1. The Application. Media organisations wanting their employees and representatives to be accredited need to apply to the General Manager District Courts (or his/her nominee) using a standard application form.

  2. The Criteria. The applicant will receive accreditation if the General Manager District Courts is satisfied that the organisation:

    • is subject to a code of ethics or professional standards, and
    • is subject to a relevant complaint procedure, and
    • has a mechanism for dealing with complaints about inaccurate or unbalanced reporting.

  3. Family Courts Notified. The General Manager District Courts will notify each Family Court when a news media organisation has been accredited.

  4. Reporters arriving at Court. Employees and representatives of accredited organisations must verify to the Court staff that they are accredited reporters by presenting their work identification card. Or, they may present a letter of introduction on their organisation's letterhead. We have set out a suggested template for this letter below.

  5. Courts keep master list. Staff in the Court Registry will check the name of the reporter's organisation against the list of accredited news organisations supplied by the Ministry. This list is on a database which staff can access on their Intranet. The list is regularly updated by the Ministry's National Office.

  6. Reporters identified by sticker. Verified reporters will be given a sticker to wear that says "Media" and that day's date. This sticker will authorise the reporter to attend hearings under the Care of Children Act on that day. It also identifies the person as an accredited news media reporter to the parties and others involved in the proceedings.


Letter of Introduction

A suggested template for a letter to help Court staff identify reporters from accredited organisations.


(Organisation's Letterhead)

The Registrar
XX Family Court

Date

Dear Sir/Madam,

[Name of reporter / researcher] is a bona fide representative of [name of TV channel, radio station, newspaper / magazine].

His/her duties include covering the Family Court on our behalf.

If you have any queries about this letter, please call me on [phone number].

Yours sincerely,
[name of Editor]
[Designation - e.g., Head of News and Current Affairs, Chief Reporter, News Editor]