Editorial Policy

Articles in the centre column of the web site are called features. Features are to show the best of the newswire. On the right is our promoted newswire and here is the raw newswire where all submissions are initially placed.

For information about how decisions are made by the collective please see the editorial collective page, and if you want your articles to go straight to the promoted newswire learn about becoming a trusted user here.

In general, posts meeting the following guidelines will become features:

  • original, first hand reports on actions and other events
  • good, original analysis

In general, the following types of posts will not become features:

  • re-posts from other sources (blogs etc)
  • announcements of events (unless with significant background/news content)

Newswire articles and/or comments will not be placed on our promoted newswire if they are:

  • reposts and repeated content: Articles that are duplicated either within this site (e.g. a comment posted as a report) or content simply pasted from corporate news sites or that have been spammed across other IMCs. Please write something original, by all means link to articles elsewhere and quote from them but don't just copy them.
  • not news: posts which are clearly purely comment, opinion or rants unrelated to a recent event or action that do not contain an element of news or journalistic commentary.
  • pornography.
  • discriminatory: posts using language, imagery, or other forms of communication promoting racism, fascism, anti-semitism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia or any other form of discrimination. However, perceived offensive material, if it is in the context of a news article, will not be removed.
  • inaccurate: posts that are inaccurate or misleading.
  • advertising: posts with personal or product promotions.
  • from political parties: the newswire is designed to generate a news resource, not a notice-board for political parties.
  • a personal attack: articles and/or comments that contain abusive language against other activists or site users. Please make your point without resorting to personal abuse. Debate the issue, not the person.
  • posts in languages other than English, unless there is a member in the editorial collective maintaining posts in the language. However, please feel free to publish reports in the language of your choice providing that they include a full translation into English language, or, at least, a comprehensive summary in English about what the posting is about.
  • incorrectly formated: posts that are all or largely in CAPITALS, bold or italics; titles that are IN CAPITALS unless appropriate; incorrect or visible HTML; posts that include irrelevant keywords and/or geographies.
  • threatening the diversity of opinion on the site by posting overwhelming amounts of content about one topic from one perspective.
  • aiming to maliciously disrupt the collective's activities or waste their time.
  • disruptive: Contributions by individuals who habitually publish above-mentioned discouraged content.

On very rare occasions, some content may be fully deleted. Past instances have included pornography and personal details.

Disclaimer: The guidelines above cover common practice, but are neither mandatory nor comprehensive.