The IPTC NewsCodes Working Group is pleased to present the Q1 2025 release of IPTC NewsCodes.

As usual, most of the updates are in our flagship subject vocabulary, Media Topics.

Media Topic updates

This release adds 8 new concepts, retires 17 concepts, modifies 43 label names and 64 definitions, adds 10 notes (mostly to retired concepts), makes 28 hierarchy moves and modifies 7 wikidata mappings.

The new and modified terms have already been translated into Swedish (lang=se) and Norwegian (lang=no-NB and lang=no-NN)

New concepts (8 terms)

zoning policy, political party, political movement and association, communism, democratic socialism, theocracy, absolute monarchy, ski mountaineering

Note that ski mountaineering (medtop:20001390) has been added to the Media Topics vocabulary because it was added as a new sport for the 2026 Olympics.

Retired concepts (17 terms)

• civil and public service – use government employee (medtop:20000595) instead.
• military equipment – use military weaponry and equipment (medtop:20000602) instead.
• security measures (defence) – use national security (medtop:20000598) instead.
• national security (old) – Use national security (medtop:20000598) instead.
• public finance – Use government budget (medtop:20000607) or government debt (medtop:20000368) instead.
• government department – Use more specific terms or government (medtop:20000593) instead.
• safety of citizens – Use other terms such as public health (medtop:20001358) or emergency response (medtop:20000168) instead.
• interior policy – Use more specific terms instead.
• personal data collection policy – Use data protection policy (medtop:20000627) instead.
• planning inquiries – Use zoning policy (medtop:20001383), environmental policy (medtop:20000423) or other more specific terms instead.
• political crisis – Use more specific terms instead.
• political process – Use government (medtop:20000593) or other more specific terms instead.
• political parties and movements – Use political party (medtop:20001384) or political movement and association (medtop:20001385) instead.
• political development – Use politics (medtop:11000000) instead.
• civilian service – Use medtop:20001277 volunteering instead.
• integration policy – Use immigration policy (medtop:20000634) instead.
• regulatory authority – Use regulation of industry (medtop:20000636) instead.

Modified labels (43 terms)

politics and government, demonstration, government employee, public officials, constitution (law).
national security.military weaponry and equipment, head of state,local authority, minister or secretary (government), regional authority, taxation policy, data protection policy, immigration policy, summit meeting, treaty, foreign aid, international organisation, refugees and internally displaced people, non-governmental organisation (NGO), political prisoners and dissenters, cultural policy, sports policies, political party convention, political committee, head of government, border dispute, financial service, corporate bond, war victims, missing in action, breaking (breakdance), by-election, recall election, coalition building, zoning policy, political party, political movement and association, communism, democratic socialism, theocracy, absolute monarchy, ski mountaineering.

Modified definitions (64 terms)

politics and government, demonstration, computer networking, economic policy, environmental policy, healthcare policy, government, government employee, public officials, constitution (law), national security, armed forces, military weaponry and equipment, executive (government), government budget, head of state, local authority, minister or secretary (government), regional authority, taxation policy, government policy, nationalisation, privatisation, state-owned enterprise, data protection policy, policy towards indigenous people, pension and welfare policy, personal weapon control policy, immigration policy, nuclear policy, regulation of industry, food and drink regulations, international relations, diplomacy, summit meeting, treaty, economic sanction, foreign aid, international organisation, refugees and internally displaced people, non-governmental organisation (NGO), political prisoners and dissenters, lobbying, political system, democracy, dictatorship, cultural policy, sports policies, regional development policy, political party convention, head of government, infrastructure policy, economic development incentive, political leadership, border dispute, education policy, zoning policy, political party, political movement and association, communism, democratic socialism, theocracy, absolute monarchy, ski mountaineering.

Modified notes (10 terms)

safety of citizens, interior policy, personal data collection policy, planning inquiries, political crisis, political process, political parties and movements, political development, civilian service, integration policy.

Modified broader terms (hierarchy moves) (28 terms)

campaign finance, government employee, public officials, military weaponry and equipment, espionage and intelligence, data protection policy, housing and urban planning policy, policy towards indigenous people, pension and welfare policy, personal data collection policy, personal weapon control policy, planning inquiries, lobbying, political parties and movements, political development, political system, integration policy, regional development policy, infrastructure policy, political leadership, zoning policy, political party, political movement and association, communism, democratic socialism, theocracy, absolute monarchy, ski mountaineering.

Modified wikidata mappings: 7

political party, political movement and association, communism, democratic socialism, theocracy, absolute monarchy, ski mountaineering.

See the official Media Topic vocabulary on the IPTC Controlled Vocabulary server, and an easier-to-navigate tree view. An Excel version of IPTC Media Topics is also available.

Non-Media Topic changes

Nature of a Concept:

• New term: Software

Image Region Role

• New terms: anonymised, recommended anonymisation