The TalkX Box follows these guidelines to better serve its readers in an ever-evolving media landscape. These guidelines are intended to be a “living document” that will evolve and change as the requirements of our journalists, readers, and organisation evolve. These recommendations are meant as a starting point, not a set of rules to be followed in every circumstance, due to the wide variation in how information is gathered and disseminated.
Confusion of loyalties
Reporters and editors at this news organisation have committed to avoiding any actual or apparent conflicts of interest. We recognise that our policies may be more stringent than those of the private business sector at large. More specifically:
As for us, we cover our own expenses.
When it comes to our news coverage, we never take freebies from the media. There are no free vacations for us. We don’t expect or request any sort of preferential treatment due of our status. There are only a few, obvious, and rare exceptions to the no-gift rule. If someone invites you out to dinner once for a good cause, you should go, but if they keep doing it for the wrong reasons, you shouldn’t.
There can be no free admission to events that don’t offer it. Press box seats and tickets offered to critics who will be writing about the event are the sole exceptions to this rule. The seats will be paid for as often as possible.
Money from governments, government-funded organisations, groups of government officials, political parties, or groups that take views on sensitive issues is not accepted. Everything is covered, from honorarium to travel costs. Furthermore, a journalist or editor must never accept payment from a subject of their reporting.
We also should not accept funding from any individuals, businesses, trade associations, or other organisations that engage in lobbying or seek to influence the content of the newspaper in any way. Unless the reporter or editor is covering the organisation, broadcasting organisations, schools, social groups, and many professional groups are exempt from this policy.
Do not take on any independent contracts or receive honoraria that could be construed as a kind of payment. We take every measure possible to avoid bias from either the news or any other interests. We shouldn’t get too cosy with powerful people who are bound to be investigated by the press. Nothing we do, whether at work or in our personal life, should bring discredit to our positions or the newspaper we work for.
Because of the importance of maintaining our impartiality in reporting and editing, we do not participate in political activities, community service, social action, or protests. No one has the power to compel a relative quit their work or abandon their cause, but we should be aware that their actions may reflect poorly on us if they don’t go by Post regulations. Managers in other divisions should be aware of any familial or household members who have professional ties to your family or other businesses.
Fairness
Fairness is a priority for the Post’s reporters and editors. It’s not hard for editors and reporters to grasp the concept of objectivity and do their best to practise it, despite the fact that there are many debates about it. Doing the following will help ensure a level playing field: Inaccurate stories always omit out crucial details. Integral to equity is comprehensiveness.
No narrative can be trusted if it omits crucial information in favour of minor details. The concept of fairness includes the consideration of practicality.
If the story intentionally or unintentionally misleads or tricks the reader, it is not fair. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, you need to be honest with your audience.
No account can be considered balanced if it contains information on individuals or communities that have not been afforded the opportunity to refute claims made against them. To be fair, you need to find out what other people think and give their opinions serious consideration.
Taste
The TalkX Box is concerned with taste and decency, and it is well aware that standards of what is and is not acceptable vary from person to person. It’s possible that a generation may employ an insulting word that was never heard of before.
But let’s not get our hopes up just yet. If curse words or other foul language are essential to the tale, we will use them. We ask that you refrain from using profanity without first clearing it with our executive or managing editors.
If editors determine that some material is potentially objectionable but necessary, they should alert readers using appropriate graphics and/or language. For instance, we may provide a link to an external website that features content that doesn’t quite make the cut for Post-created pieces. With a warning like “Warning: Some photographs on this site reveal violent scenes from conflict,” we inform users of the content they may see before they click the link.
Finally, we will not provide links to any sites that aid or encourage unlawful activity. Consult the Legal Team if you need clarification on whether or not a given domain is subject to this regulation.
Opinion
The news sections are clearly separated from the opinion sections. The reader benefits from this because he or she has a right to know that the news columns and the editorial and “op-ed” pages contain different viewpoints.
However, this delineation of responsibilities does not mean that news columns will no longer contain insightful analysis or commentary on current events so long as they are labelled as such. These are the guidelines for creating the labels:
Evidence-based news analysis includes looking at things like data to see what might happen and then making predictions based on those data.
A person’s own life story, for example, might provide a unique and insightful perspective on news events.
A piece written by an author expressing his or her personal viewpoint, typically seen in a blog or column titled “Opinions.”
A review is the critical assessment of a good, service, performance, piece of art, or piece of literature written by an expert in the field.
Internet-based social networking services
There has been a change to this section of the regulations as of the 30th of June, 2022. It’s for the greater interest of the nation and the neighbourhood.
When it comes to national and local issues, the TalkX Box has a lot of faith in the best interests of its readers. Information dissemination to the widest possible audience is crucial to achieving these aims, in our opinion. It is not necessarily in the national interest just because a government representative says so. Something not necessarily being in the public interest just because a local official says so.
The Duties of a Journalist
Reporters, in the Internet age more than ever, need to remember that their place is in the audience, not on the stage, and that their job is to bring us the news rather than create it.
Journalists will always be honest about their identities and professions when reporting the news. They won’t act as anything other than journalists, and that includes not police officers, physicians, etc.