A digital version of the Editors' Code of Practice, which sets the benchmark for ethical standards in journalism, has been posted online with the launch of a new website, www.editorscode.org.uk.

The Editors' Codebook, the official handbook to the Code, was first published in 2004 jointly by the Newspaper Publishers Association, the Newspaper Society, the Periodical Publishers Association, the Scottish Daily Newspaper Society and the Scottish Newspaper Publishers Association.

The book has been redesigned for easy download and readability, both on screen and as a print-out format. It is reduced to 65 pages, with increased content, and has active links to section headings and colour-coded briefing panels.

Code committee secretary Ian Beales said: "Our hope is that by making the book more user-friendly it will become an even more essential tool in making self regulation work."

Besides the online Codebook, the site also includes answers to frequently asked questions, guidance notes, press releases and a history of how the Code has evolved since 1991.

The content has been updated to take account of changes to the Code since 2004, although later case histories have not yet been included. These will be introduced as part of a second stage revision of the website next year.

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