TALLY POLITICS

Editorial Guidelines

These guidelines exist to support you, not to restrict you. If you are ever unsure about anything in this document, please speak to your editorial lead.

General

Tally Politics is a platform where writers have freedom over the pieces they publish. It is an independent, non-partisan publication where both opinionated pieces and policy proposals are able to be presented side by side. Every writer is able to freely publish without boundaries as part of their right to freedom of expression under human rights legislation, which is reflected in the Charter. Tally Politics is impartial of the political spectrum as long as the piece is a well-argued position, an honest perspective, and the writer demonstrates a willingness to engage seriously with the issues that matter. However, there are some guidelines in place to ensure that all published pieces maintain and uphold required ethical and quality standards, as well as maintaining professionalism when representing the platform's reputation.

In exceptional circumstances, there may be a proposal or action that would seem inconsistent with the Editorial Guidelines. This must have very strong justification and must be discussed and agreed with the Management Team. Editorial Policy and Standards must also be consulted. Should you see any errors, factual flaws or inaccurate statements made in another writer's submission, please flag this immediately with the editorial lead.

Writing Guidelines

Articles should typically be between 600 and 900 words, though longer pieces may be permitted with prior agreement from the relevant editorial lead. Writers should submit a proposed headline alongside their piece, though the editorial team reserves the right to amend this before publication. All submissions should be in a standard document format such as Word or Google Docs.

Any reliance on unnamed sources or deliberate use of poor or unconfirmed sources risks the publication of the writer's piece; therefore, should it be deliberate or repeated, writers risk removal from the platform. Should you use sources that are only privately available, you must confirm that consent is given by the author or contributor before publishing.

Writers are not an extension or representation of the platform and therefore do not speak on behalf of Tally Politics, so please ensure that all pieces are from a journalistic or personal point of view. Following this, writers are not the sole or complete voice of public expression; therefore, please consider the perspective from which you are writing.

Sensitive Content

Should any sensitive issues be spoken about within the content, it is advised that it is displayed at the beginning of the article. This includes content on:

Language

•       Flags for strong, offensive, or frequently used bad language

Violence and Threat

•       Warnings for severe violence, gore, or psychological distress, including suicide or attempted suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, including but not limited to:

◦       Violence that is true to life and may also reflect personal experience, for example domestic violence, pub brawls, football hooliganism, road rage, and mugging

◦       Violence in places normally regarded as safe, such as the family home and hospitals

◦       Unusual or sadistic methods of inflicting pain, injury or death

◦       Incidents where women, children and the vulnerable are the victims

◦       Violence without showing the effect on the victim or the consequences for the perpetrator

◦       Sexual violence

◦       Verbal aggression and tone, particularly when it includes the use of the strongest language and racist, discriminatory or sexually offensive terms

◦       How sustained the violence is and its cumulative effect

◦       Suicide, attempted suicide or self-harm

Sexual Content

•       Signposts for adult content or explicit language

◦       Any sexual content involving under-16-year-olds

Addiction

•       Content including excessive use of alcohol, smoking, vaping, solvent abuse, drugs and gambling

Illegal activities, such as drug use, should not be portrayed as problem-free or glamorous, nor should criminal acts. Any pieces that directly call to readers should be challenged, although the consequences of such activities are encouraged to be explored.

Any language of the above used should not condone or glamourise violence, dangerous or seriously antisocial behaviour, nor should it encourage others to copy such behaviour.

Writers are free to write on religious topics, however, are encouraged to be mindful of causing offence to those with religious views and beliefs. They are able to critically write on matters involving religion but should be aware of the potential for offence. Although blasphemy is no longer an offence in England, Scotland and Wales, blasphemy laws around the world differ and so extra research should be done when curating pieces on such topics. Should writing on a religious topic be considered, please ensure all research has been undertaken and there is extra care on how religious views, articles and beliefs are articulated.

Writing Principles

When writing, please ensure that writers are as accurate as possible in their writing and are appropriate to its subject and nature. Pieces should be well sourced, based on sound evidence, and where possible corroborated. Writers should be honest and open about what they don't know and avoid unfounded speculation. Any claims, allegations or facts stated must be sourced and cited appropriately before submission to editorial leads. Should any factual errors be made, they should be acknowledged and corrected quickly, clearly and appropriately.

Where appropriate, writers should:

•       Gather material using first-hand sources

•       Check facts and statistics, identifying important caveats and limitations

•       Validate the authenticity of documentary evidence and digital material

•       Corroborate claims and allegations made by contributors

•       Weigh, interpret and contextualise claims, including statistical claims

Authors should also include a varying number of credible sources, are not limited to the amount, but must be clearly named and researched. If material has not been able to be verified, it should clearly be stated.

When writing on live content, complete factual information may be delayed in release; therefore, where possible, and particularly if an issue is controversial, risks should be identified in advance and measures taken to mitigate any chance of inaccurate and unprofessional publishing. Significant inaccuracies should be rectified immediately.

Senior team members such as editorial leads are responsible and accountable for overseeing the writers' submissions, factual accuracy and content itself. Tally Politics will not knowingly publish content that materially misleads readers.

When creating content, it is important to note that content for the public interest is to inform, educate or entertain. It can include but is not limited to:

•       Freedom of expression

•       Providing information that aids the public to understand, make decisions on or be aware of public matters

•       Preventing the misrepresentation of statements or actions of individuals or organisations

•       Exposing or investigating crime and antisocial behaviour within society

•       Exposing corruption, injustice, significant incompetence or negligence

Safeguarding

It is extremely important to emphasise the importance of how the content of individuals' writing can affect those who are reading it, which is why it is the collective responsibility of writers, editorial leads and senior management to ensure safeguarding. It is vital that individuals understand how their stories may alter readers' behaviour in ways that could be harmful and work to avoid this. When using photographs or personal testimonials, there should be consideration on what perceptions are being placed on readers.

Should defamatory, racial, or degrading statements to any community or group be made, this results in permanent removal from the platform and the removal of all previous pieces. It is the writer's responsibility to ensure that their work avoids unjustifiable offence and does not risk harm or offence in their journalism. Writers have freedom of expression under human rights legislation, which is reflected in the Charter; however, they are restricted by prescribed law in curating content that may be contentious or offensive. Any unjustifiable infringement of privacy rights is unacceptable and may result in the removal of the piece and, in serious cases, the writer from the platform.

The effect of language based on words and phrases can completely change the meaning and context of a journalistic piece to different communities, groups or regions. Inevitably, the use of those words by writers is their sole responsibility. It is vital that writers use appropriate language, and where inflammatory statements are used, ask editorial leads on guidance of how this can be presented. Language that encourages intimidation and humiliation will also not be tolerated. However, this does not prevent writers from being challenging, open or tenacious in their content.

Any content likely to encourage or incite crime, violence, terrorism, or lead to disorder is not permitted. This content can include but is not limited to:

•       Directly or indirectly amounts to a call to criminal action or disorder

•       That which promotes or encourages engagement in acts of terror or other forms of criminal activity or disorder

•       Hate speech which is likely to encourage criminal activity or lead to disorder

However, there may be times when it is in the public interest to include views which may be perceived to be provocative or extreme, particularly in news and current affairs, which is why the following should be considered:

•       Whether the output includes direct or indirect calls to action

•       Whether there is sufficient context and/or challenge to those views

•       The editorial purpose of the output

•       The nature and seriousness of the behaviour being incited

•       The status or position of anyone featured in the output

•       Whether there are significant freedom of speech considerations that justify the content

Please refrain from using the following phrases without editorial purpose:

•       Sexual swear words

•       Abusive references to race, religion, nationality and ethnicity

•       Terms of sexual and sexist or misogynistic abuse or abuse referring to sexuality or gender identity

•       Pejorative terms relating to mental health, illness or disabilities

•       Casual or derogatory use of holy names or religious words

Should these phrases be used for journalistic purposes, it is required that context and tone are noted and understood. These include:

•       What language was used, who used it, why it was said, to whom it was directed and how they reacted

•       How it was said, as the same terms can be considered more or less offensive depending on the tone of the delivery and the character or personality who uses them

•       If the use feels authentic or has another clear editorial purpose

•       Where the content is to be found on the website, online or on social media

Any forms of profanity used in pieces should be requested through editorial leads who should consider editorial justification. Should editorial leads be unsure, they should consult the senior team.

When curating content or investigating criminal activity, where writers are journaling the intimacies of the case, senior team members may raise concerns or questions regarding the source of information and the relationship between writers and the case itself.

Interviews

If a writer chooses to interview an individual but the interviewee chooses to conceal their identity, the writer is required to include senior management in the decision-making process. If identities are to be concealed, a background check on said individuals' identity will take place before consideration.

Artificial Intelligence

The use of AI tools is permitted strictly for spelling, punctuation, and grammar purposes only. AI must not be used to generate arguments, research, analysis, or substantive content. All ideas, arguments, and written content must be the writer's own original work. Submitting AI-generated content as original work constitutes plagiarism and will result in immediate removal from the platform, as set out in the Writer Code of Conduct.

Conflicts of Interest

Writers are encouraged to inform their editorial lead if they have a direct personal connection to the subject of their piece. This is not a restriction on what writers can cover, but helps the editorial team make informed decisions.

Political Activities

Tally Politics is a non-partisan platform and does not endorse any political party, candidate, or campaign. Writers are free to hold their own political views, be members of political parties, and engage in political activity outside of the platform. Writers are simply asked to ensure that their pieces for Tally Politics are grounded in argument and evidence rather than party messaging.

Editorial Justification

Editorial justification is the responsibility of the platform as a whole. It is the judgement made by individuals from the platform to mitigate negative impact. It is investigated on a case-by-case basis and considers the impact on the readers, as well as the public. When writers propose a concept to editorial leads, and when editorial leads or senior management look into the justification of the concept, the following should be considered:

•       What is the editorial justification

•       Does the identity of the individual using the language make a difference to whether it causes offence

•       Is it being used by a contributor to reflect their own experience

•       Is the language used frequently or repetitively

•       Is use of the word seen as necessary for the audience to have sufficient understanding of the content

•       Is there another way of conveying what has happened; is there sufficient context, especially in the case of cut down versions for social media

•       Whether the word has to be used in its entirety

Any derogatory or defamatory language used should only be used with contextual justification, which should also be raised with senior editorial staff and determined via editorial justification.

Any adjustments or feedback given by editorial staff should be fair and reasonable without undermining the writer. Should the writer feel as though their work is being undermined or misrepresented in feedback or adjustments, they are encouraged to reach out to senior members of staff.

Any proposals of serious allegations or controversial topics must be referred to editorial leads or senior management who will consider:

•       Whether the allegation can be justified for the public's interest

•       There are strong reasons in believing there is truth to the allegations

Should a piece of evidence or statement intrude onto the boundaries of people's privacy, writers are to seek editorial approval and legal advice. Writers are encouraged to consider:

•       Is the use of this invasion of privacy being used for deception or to gather further evidence?

•       Is this necessary for journalistic purposes?

•       What prima facie evidence already exists?

•       What is the background and motivation of any sources?

•       Are the sources confidential and can that confidentiality be maintained?

Image Sourcing

Where images are used, writers should source them from royalty-free platforms such as Unsplash, Pexels, or Pixabay. All images must be verified for commercial use. Writers must not use copyrighted images without permission.