1. Overview
edna provides a news headlines service to the education and training community. These are published on the edna website, and are also available as RSS feeds for implementation on other websites or for use on a desktop through RSS reader software.
Headlines available include:
- edna general news
- Early Childhood Education news
- School Education news
- Higher Education news
- Vocational and Technical Education news
- Adult and Community Education news
- International Education news
edna news headlines may be published on multiple websites external to edna or any of its sibling sites and may be read by many individuals independent of the edna context.
2. Policy framework
Policy for the selection of news headlines sits within the overall principles that govern edna.
The principles include:
- Australian perspective
- balance
- quality
- collaboration
- comprehensiveness
- flexible targeting
- industry standards
- interactivity and communication
- national benefit
- networking
- public domain
- public record
- user orientation
- visibility
2.1 Principles for the selection of news headlines
Australian perspective
News headlines should focus on Australian education and training information under the general headings of educational technology, information and communications technologies, learning technologies and technical standards. The news headlines may also include events, conferences, opportunities, achievements, reports, research, pedagogy, curriculum materials, and policy decisions. This does not preclude the selection of international content, but this will be governed by its relevance to the Australian environment.
Balance
Positions on issues regarding education and training vary considerably. edna has numerous stakeholders that may have different and disparate views about many issues. It is important that it remains clear that edna takes no political position in relation to any issue. To ensure this, edna will ensure that news headlines will illustrate a balanced representation of views; this balance must always be obvious from the news headlines themselves. Opinion pieces and articles with inflammatory or biased headlines will not be included regardless of source.
Over a 12 month period, a balance of items local to the states and territories will be aimed for.
Quality
Items are selected from quality sources. These include, but are not limited to, Australian government, and state and territory government news services, education and training organisations, professional associations, and professional or academic journals. Some news may be gathered from daily newspapers but this is regarded as a supplementary source of content. Sources are predominantly electronic.
Comprehensiveness
Comprehensiveness relates to breadth of coverage, rather than amount of coverage. That is, over a 12 month period items will cover the broad range of issues relevant to those people who use the sector news headline services.
Flexible targeting
Items will be selected flexibly as they relate to to stakeholder information needs.
Focus
A major focus for item selection should relate to educational technology, information and communications technologies, online projects, flexible delivery/online learning, and technical standards.
National benefit
News items should contribute to the national benefit in the broadest sense.
National focus
Items with a national focus are preferred. Items of interest to individual states and territories are a high priority.
Currency
Items must be current and no items should be more than one month old. Content that is of ongoing national benefit or community interest may be included at any time. During staff holiday periods non-time-critical content may be included.
Non commercial
News headlines will not be used to promote commercial services unless permission has been received from the Business Manager,
or in his/her absence, the General Manager, or CEO, education.au.
3. Complaints Process
From time to time stakeholders or members of the public may complain about the publication of an item in the edna news
headlines. Complaints should be in writing [email is acceptable], outlining the details of the complaint, along with the substance
of the news headline and the date on which it was published.
Where a complaint is made the complaints process outlined below will be followed.
- The complaint will be referred to the Manager.
- The Manager will consider the selection of the item against the news headlines principles for selection and the nature of the complaint made.
- The Manager will write to the General Manager education.au limited with a recommendation for a response to the complaint.
- The General Manager education.au limited makes a determination in response to the recommendation from the Manager.
- The Manager will act on the response and communicate the outcome to the complainant.
Outcomes
Outcomes of a complaints process will result in one of the following:
- The item remains in the headlines until its normal expiry date. The complainant is provided with a response to their complaint.
- The item is immediately removed and the complainant is provided with a response.
Further Process
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaints process, a further process involving
an externally-composed committee may be implemented.
