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VeriTaus

Standards

Standards and guidelines

The rules that apply to everything published here, and to the letters beneath it.

Last updated:

A journal of record is only as good as the standards it keeps. These guidelines apply to everything published on VeriTaus: columns, stories, images and the comments readers leave beneath them. They are deliberately brief. Read them as a description of the publication we intend to be, and of what we will do when something falls short of it.

What we ask of columnists

  • Write as yourself. Your name is on every story. Do not present yourself as another person or organisation, or suggest an affiliation you do not have.
  • Publish only what is yours to publish. Copying the work of others, in words or images, without permission is not allowed, however it is credited.
  • Show your sources. When you rely on someone else’s reporting, data or argument, say so and link to it. Links should lead where they say they lead.
  • Respect privacy. Do not publish another person’s private information, such as a home address, a private phone number or personal documents.

What we do not publish

The following are not permitted anywhere on VeriTaus, in stories or in comments:

  • anything illegal, or that encourages others to break the law;
  • malware, phishing, or links designed to deceive or to harm the people who follow them;
  • harassment, hate directed at people for who they are, and threats of any kind;
  • other people’s private information shared without their consent;
  • impersonation of a person or organisation;
  • plagiarism and other infringements of copyright;
  • any sexual content involving minors.

Letters and comments

Comments are the letters page of each story. Keep them on the subject of the story and civil in tone; disagreement is welcome, abuse is not. Every reader comment is reviewed before it appears, and moderators may decline any comment that does not meet these guidelines without giving a reason. The name you enter is shown with your comment, so choose one you are content to see in print.

How moderation works

The VeriTaus team reviews comments before publication and reviews stories when they are reported. Where content breaks these guidelines we may remove it, and where a column breaks them seriously or repeatedly we may close it. We weigh context: quoting a threat in order to report on it is not the same as making one.

Reporting a problem

If you find something on VeriTaus that breaks these guidelines, use the contact page and choose Report a post or comment. Include the link and a short explanation. Copyright complaints should be sent under Copyright, with enough detail to identify the work concerned.