Standards
Standards
The rules that apply to everything published here, and to the letters beneath it.
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A record is trusted only when the people who keep it hold themselves to stated rules. The standards below govern every story, image and reader comment that appears on VeriTaus. They describe the publication we mean to be and the steps the desk will take when material falls short.
Standard 1: Bylines are true
Every story is printed under its author’s name, so the name must be yours. A columnist may not pose as another person or organisation, nor imply an affiliation that does not exist.
Standard 2: The work is yours to publish
Reproducing another person’s writing or images without permission is not allowed, whatever credit is given. Plagiarism and other breaches of copyright are removed.
Standard 3: Sources are shown
Where a story depends on another person’s reporting, figures or reasoning, the story says so and links to it. A link must lead to what its wording promises.
Standard 4: Private lives stay private
Do not publish another person’s private information, such as a home address, an unlisted phone number or personal papers, without that person’s consent.
Material refused in any form
Whether in a story or in a comment, VeriTaus will not carry:
- content that is unlawful, or that urges others to break the law;
- malware, phishing, or links built to mislead or injure whoever follows them;
- harassment, threats, or hatred aimed at people for who they are;
- another person’s private information, shared without their consent;
- impersonation of any person or organisation;
- plagiarism and other infringements of copyright;
- sexual content of any kind involving minors.
The letters beneath a story
Reader comments serve as the letters column for each story. Stay on the story’s subject and keep a civil register: a reader may disagree sharply, but may not abuse. Moderators read every reader comment before it is shown and can decline any that falls below these standards, without stating why. Your comment is printed with the name you supply, so choose one you are content to see published.
How the desk enforces these standards
Reader comments are checked before publication; stories are examined when someone reports them. Material that breaches these standards may be taken down, and a column that breaches them gravely or more than once may be closed. Context is weighed in every case: reporting on a threat, and quoting it, differs from issuing one.
Filing a complaint
To draw the desk’s attention to a breach, write from the contact page under Report a story or comment, quoting the page address and describing the breach briefly. For a claim that your copyright has been infringed, choose Copyright notice and identify the work in enough detail for us to locate it.