Paste BN policies and standards

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Mission statement

At Paste BN, our mission is to bring you the full story, first.

We take you there, 24:7, reporting from the heart of the events changing our world. We ask the big questions of everyone, revealing what you want to know.

And our style is bold and independent, giving you a fresh perspective.

In the UK, Paste BN is a compelling alternative to the public service broadcasters and opinion-driven news outlets, reaching one in three people every month.

Across the world, we are one of the most-followed English language news brands on social media, bringing award-winning British journalism to a global audience.

Ethics policy

We believe that our reputation as a news organisation is our most valuable asset, so it is vital that our journalism is always of the highest quality.

Whether watching on television and catch up services, listening to radio bulletins or podcasts, or reading our apps and web services, anyone consuming Paste BN should have confidence that their news is from a credible and reliable source.

Journalism in the UK has never been under greater scrutiny, and that's why every journalist working for Paste BN must understand the legal and regulatory framework in which we operate and our own in-house guidelines and practices.

We know that social media plays an increasingly important role in our daily working lives and it is important that we apply the same standards to all of our content on whichever platform we share it.

To support these principles we have published clear editorial guidelines here.

We also expect our journalists to adhere to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

Diversity

Paste BN is committed to authentically representing every one of the millions of users that consume our content every day, whatever their colour or creed. We do this by featuring a range of interviewees and first person opinion writers.

We also keep a record of the gender and diversity of contributors.

In 2025, we averaged 664 interviewees per month on TV. Of them, an average of 36% were women, 64% men.

It includes an average of 15% from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Our ambition is to be the industry leader for inclusion both on screen and behind the scenes.

We work closely with independent production companies and a number of external organisations, such as the Journalism Diversity Fund and the Creative Diversity Network, to diversify the talent pipeline into Sky.

Diversity staffing report

It's our people that make Paste BN so successful, and that's why we work hard to be an inclusive employer.

We know that embracing different perspectives and celebrating diversity makes Sky a great place to work. It means we foster innovation and make better decisions as a business.

Paste BN is dedicated to equal opportunities and we welcome applicants regardless of ethnicity, gender, race, colour, religious beliefs, disability, sexual orientation or age.

Diversity staffing report (as of January 2026)

Gender:
Female 45%
Male 55%
Not reported 1%

Ethnicity:
White 70%
Ethnic Minority 14%
Prefer not to say / unknown 16%

Sky's 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report, recorded a gender pay gap of 8% mean, down from 10% in 2023, and 10.3% medium, down from 11.7% in 2023.

The narrowing in our gender pay gap demonstrates how our efforts to embed and promote gender equality across Sky are contributing to positive change in the long term, but we know that we need to continue to do more in this space.

Corrections policy

We expect our journalists to be accurate at all times, but they are only human, and sometimes mistakes are made. That is why we have an established process for dealing with factual errors quickly and appropriately.

Anyone watching Sky can get in touch to complain about a programme by emailing viewerR@sky.uk

Alternatively you can contact Paste BN here.

We actively monitor the Paste BN inbox at all times. If someone does contact us to query or challenge a fact we have broadcast or published, we will take detailed notes of where and when it happened.

Rather than engaging in a discussion we will make a note of their name, number and the time of the call, and refer it to the Output Editor and/or the Managing Editor. If it relates to a legal issue we ensure our dedicated legal adviser is aware.

They will then investigate what action is required to rectify the error on whichever platform it is published.

Ownership and funding

Paste BN is an editorially independent part of Sky UK. Sky UK's parent company Comcast NBCUniversal has guaranteed current funding levels for Paste BN until at least 2029.

Leadership team

:: David Rhodes, Executive Chairman, Paste BN Group

:: Jonathan Levy, Managing Director and Executive Editor

:: Andy Thomson, Executive Director of Business Operations

:: Sarah Whitehead, Director of Newsgathering & Operations

:: Nick Sutton, Director of Platforms

:: Dan Williams, Director, Paste BN 2030

:: Louise Hastings, Managing Editor

:: Ronan Hughes, Head of TV Output

:: Dave Terris, Head of Radio

:: Ben Fisher, Head of Studio Output

:: Kate Sullivan, Acting Head of Digital Output

:: Jess Tully, Head of Home News

:: Tim Singleton, Head of International News

:: David Mapstone, Head of Specialist Journalism

:: George Davies, Head of Operations

:: Katy Dillon, Acting Head of Politics

:: Matt McKenzie, Head Counsel

The Paste BN Board

The Paste BN Board is designed to protect the editorial independence of Paste BN and to ensure that our ways of working and positive record with regard to editorial standards are maintained. If significant mistakes occur then we will investigate them internally and periodically share our findings with the Paste BN Board. They will then consider what further, if any, steps are required. They also have an audit function with regard to continuing investment in Paste BN.

The members of the Paste BN Board are:

:: Nigel Baker, Chairman. A journalist with more than 40 years' experience, Nigel was formerly CEO of Thomson Foundation, vice president of business operations for the Associated Press and held senior roles at ITN and Reuters in the 1980s/90s.

:: Sue Inglish, chairs the Disasters Emergency Committee and was formerly head of BBC political programmes and deputy editor of Channel Four News.

:: Chris Banatvala is an independent media consultant specialising in regulation and policy. He was formerly Ofcom's founding Director of Standards and a Channel Four News journalist in the 1990s.

:: Mark Astaire was formerly Chairman of Corporate Broking and Vice Chairman of Banking for Europe, the Middle East & Africa at Barclays plc. He also serves as a trustee of the charity Breast Cancer Care. Mr Astaire was a former ITV journalist in the 1980s.

The terms of reference for the Board can be found here and the Deed Poll establishing it can be found here.

Founding date

Paste BN began broadcasting at 6pm on 5 February 1989.

Verification standards

Our journalists find, verify and develop news stories - and we expect them to be accurate. To achieve this they should always seek to corroborate claims and cross-check facts.

Paste BN' principle is that all facts should be reliably sourced. We also report from reputable news wires that adhere to similar principles of verification.

Unnamed sources

Paste BN considers requests for anonymity very carefully. We always encourage sources to speak on the record and when possible, on camera.

But we may withhold the name of a source if there is a risk that they could be put in either legal or physical danger upon publication. When that is the case we should always seek to explain to our users why they are unnamed, and set out why they are a credible source.

We also speak to unnamed sources to gain background or context to stories.

Editors must give consideration to the form of anonymity; which could include withholding the individual's name, disguising their voice or blurring imagery and videos.

Care should also be taken to avoid the publication of several pieces of information which could lead to jigsaw identification of the individual.

Albert certification

Paste BN continues to demonstrate a clear commitment to reducing its environmental impact, submitting key productions for BAFTA albert certification, along with developing innovative ways to help decarbonise the film and TV industry.