Describing facts

1. Regulatory Concept & Core Standards

Today we will learn to prepare a verifiable account. Throughout the video, consider the difference between knowing a rule and applying it to a decision. We will work through an example, identify a possible failure and develop a response that can be used at work. A useful report enables verification. Reporters need not investigate or legally classify an offence. Describe knowledge, its source and uncertainty honestly.

Chronology explains connections. Direct observations differ from a colleague’s account. Identify both sources accurately.

Apply the following rule: Protection concerns information obtained in a work context about breaches threatening or harming the public interest. Defending purely personal interests does not constitute a report under this Act. Article 3 covers various fields, including international sanctions and restrictive measures since May 2025. Limits on disclosing particular information also apply.

2. Practical Implementation & Procedure

Describe who did what, when and where, and how you know. Avoid general accusations and identify approximate dates. Before moving on, turn this procedure into a sequence you could explain to a colleague. Identify the first check, the action that depends on its outcome and the record that allows the decision to be reconstructed. Follow the sequence on screen and identify the point where an error would change the result.

At each step, compare the information available with what is still needed for the decision. Arrange continuity when the designated worker is absent. A substitute receives only the information needed for the task, and their actions must remain verifiable.

Mark an unanswered question as a fact to verify. Identify who could confirm it and what access they actually need. A correct exercise choice alone does not show that the reasoning is understood. If the answer depends on an additional fact, state that condition explicitly.

For the workplace task, name the person who can approve the change and the person who will check that it works. Produce a concrete verifiable action, rather than only a promise to follow rules. Check effects on access rights and user information. Record questions that your organisation still needs to resolve.

3. Case Study & Compliance Action

A reporter says everyone steals, then specifies a payment, document number and observed approval. The account becomes verifiable. Now read the case carefully. Separate established facts from information you would still need to confirm. Do not add motives or events that have not been described. This distinction matters when choosing a response proportionate to the information available.

The exercise is as follows: Which description helps examination? Choose an answer and write one sentence explaining it. During the pause, compare your choice with the criteria we have just considered. Also think about the material you would retain to explain the decision later.

Specific facts with sources. Mark uncertain dates as approximate rather than inventing them. The handler will verify information.

One mistake to avoid is: using categorical accusations instead of facts.

Now apply the national rule to a second decision. A report is considered protected solely because it mentions corruption. Which assessment is needed?

Assess the work connection, public interest, reasonable belief in the information’s truth and conditions of the chosen route. A category alone is insufficient. A purely personal dispute differs from a breach threatening the public interest, although one report may contain both. Record the assessment grounds and specific missing fact. Referring an ordinary complaint does not remove confidentiality duties.