Getty Images logo

GETTY IMAGES EDITORIAL STANDARDS

Related links

OUR MISSION


Getty Images moves the world. Our editorial photography and footage informs people, public policy, services and markets.

Getty Images' award-winning photographers and content creators are committed to producing inspiring and innovative work, which is seen every day in the world's widest reaching and influential publications and activations. With our advanced search and distribution platform, we have established ourselves as a pioneer in our field, making us the first choice of creative and media professionals alike.

Customers in almost every country in the world source work by Getty Images' own in-house content creation staff, over 488,000 contributors and hundreds of content partners, historical press agencies and institutions together providing comprehensive coverage of more than 160,000 news, sport and entertainment events as well as the world's deepest, most comprehensive commercial archive of historic photography.

OUR PRINCIPLES


Our in-house editorial content teams adhere to a common set of professional journalistic principles that guide our staff, processes and operations. We maintain an individual and collective responsibility to uphold these principles throughout our editorial organization.

Responsibility – We believe that photographs and video should be held to the same level of accountability, responsibility and integrity as the written word in journalism. As visual journalists, we have a responsibility to provide faithful and comprehensive documentation of the events we cover. We maintain the balance of an individual's right to privacy with our obligation to cover the story in the public interest, and acknowledge that special consideration must be given to child victims.

Independence – Only our editorial staff have control over our photojournalism process. We do not permit external groups to have influence over our own editorial coverage or workflow. Our editorial coverage is free of obligation and has no conflict of interest in its creation or production. Our coverage does not represent the political views of any party.

Integrity – Is the driving force behind all we do and it is a founding principle of Getty Images' organization. Our integrity is reflected in our editorial decisions and fair and objective coverage of stories. Images need to be delivered to the customer with accuracy, transparency and free of manipulation and bias.

OUR PLATFORM


To ensure our customers are always able to understand the source of the content they are viewing and whether there are any underlying commercial relationships, we always seek to ensure that the content on our platform is credited appropriately at the end of the caption field, as follows:

  • Our own editorial coverage will always be credited Photo by [xxx]/Getty Images.
  • Where we distribute content provided to us by a partner, we expect and rely upon them to accurately represent the creator of content. We credit the provider and, if different and where known, the creator, for example [Photographer]/[Provider] via Getty Images.
  • Content commissioned on assignment where Getty Images does not retain complete editorial control but where Getty Images retains ownership of the copyright will be credited, for example Getty Images for [Customer] or Getty Images for [The Brand].
  • When Getty Images is aware that a commercial relationship exists with the subject of content and/or the organizer of the event where the content is created that could result with some editorial control residing with the subject or event, or where content is taken on assignment by Getty Images and copyright is assigned entirely to the commissioning party, the content will be credited, for example Photo by [Photographer]/[xxx] via Getty Images.
  • Where government entities, entertainment companies, sports governing bodies or other trusted sources distribute content of public interest, content will be properly credited, for example Photo by NASA/Handout via Getty Images. Handout content may be freely available elsewhere and the provider of handout content may retain all rights to non-editorial uses of the content.


Our own editorial coverage can always be found in our Getty Images News, Sport, Entertainment or Archive collections, or in one of our various subject specific house collections. We also represent content from several hundred content partners ranging from national news agencies to network broadcasters to sports governing bodies and clubs, and commercial entertainment agencies. While these partners are independent organizations with their own editorial standards, and subject to the jurisdictions where they operate, Getty Images always reserves the right to remove partner content that does not embody our editorial principles or follow our submission guidelines. For a full list of all editorial collections available on gettyimages.com and information about what is contained in each collection please click here.

RESPECT FOR COPYRIGHT


Copyright is the bedrock of our industry, it is the basis on which creators are recognized for their work and rewarded for that work. We respect copyright belonging to others and expect the same of the content that we distribute. We believe passionately in the importance of a strong and well-functioning copyright framework. This is critical to maintaining investment in the type of imagery needed to Move the World with Images.

OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVITY


We are inclusive of different voices, perspectives and experience. We believe diversity is critical to our mission to objectively reflect the world we live in and allow our customers to illustrate that world. This means including a diverse range of voices in our photojournalism, actively pursuing diversity in our team and sources of content, and listening to our customers to make sure we are as open and responsive as possible.

CORRECTIONS & DISCLOSURES


Getty Images endeavors to be accurate in its reporting, transparent and thorough in its sourcing, and fair and independent in its representation. Getty Images also works to correct any inaccuracies in a timely manner.