1. Who we are, and why we publish
The Newsly Times is published by IdeaWeb Technologies Limited, a charitable organisation registered in New Zealand under registration number CC61994.
We are not a commercial media company. We exist to serve a public benefit: to provide reliable, accessible news and information to people in New Zealand, free of charge, in English and in Malayalam. Any surplus we make is applied to that purpose. No part of our income is distributed for private gain.
This policy sets out the standards our journalists work to. It is public because standards that are not published cannot be held to.
2. Editorial independence
Our journalism is independent of our funders, donors, advertisers, board and management.
- The Chief Editor has final responsibility for what is published, and is accountable to the Board for adherence to this policy — not for individual editorial decisions.
- No donor, advertiser, sponsor or board member sees an article before publication, or has any right to approve, amend or suppress it.
- Funding is not accepted on terms that would give the funder influence over coverage. Where a project is funded by a grant, the funder is named alongside the coverage.
- We report on our own organisation, and on organisations connected to it, by the same standards we apply to anyone else.
3. Independence from party politics
As a registered charity we do not endorse, support or oppose any political party or candidate, and we do not make donations to any. We report on politics, policy and elections because our communities need to understand decisions that affect them.
- We cover policy on its merits and give parties and candidates a fair opportunity to respond to matters that concern them.
- During an election period we take particular care over balance across our coverage as a whole, and we comply with the law on election advertising and election programmes.
- We may advocate on issues connected to our charitable purposes — for example access to information, language and cultural participation — and where we do, it is published as clearly labelled opinion or as an editorial.
4. Accuracy
- We check facts before publication, and we do not publish something we believe may be untrue.
- Significant factual claims are verified against a document, a record, or a source in a position to know. Where practicable we confirm a contested claim with a second independent source.
- We do not report rumour or unverified social media content as fact. Where we report that a claim is circulating, we say plainly that it is unverified and what we have been able to confirm.
- Headlines, captions, standfirsts and social posts must be supported by the article. A headline that overstates the story is an accuracy failure, not a presentation choice.
- Statistics, survey results and financial figures are reported with their source, date and basis.
- We correct errors under our Corrections Policy.
5. Fairness and right of reply
- Where we report allegations or criticism of a person or organisation, we put the substance to them before publication and give them a fair and reasonable time to respond.
- Their response is reported fairly, in the same article, and not buried at the foot of it.
- If they decline or do not respond, we say so.
- We do not misrepresent ourselves to obtain information. Journalists identify themselves and the publication, except in the rare case where a matter of significant public interest cannot be investigated any other way, and then only with the Chief Editor’s prior approval.
6. Sources
- We prefer named sources, so that readers can weigh what they say.
- Anonymity is granted only where the information is of real public interest, cannot reasonably be obtained on the record, and the source faces a genuine risk. The Chief Editor must approve it, and must know who the source is.
- Where we grant confidentiality, we honour it. New Zealand law protects a journalist’s confidential sources in most circumstances, and we do not give up a source’s identity.
- We do not pay for interviews or information, except for standard contributor fees and reasonable expenses.
- We tell readers what kind of source information came from — for example a document we have seen, or a person present at a meeting.
7. Attribution, agency content and images
- We do not publish other people’s work as our own. Material from a news agency or another publication is credited, and where we are reporting a story another outlet broke, we say so and link to it.
- Content supplied under licence from a news agency carries the agency credit line required by that licence, and is used only within the terms of the licence.
- Every photograph and video carries a credit. We use only images we have taken, licensed, or are entitled to use, and we keep a record of the permission.
- Images are not altered in a way that changes what they show. Cropping and normal adjustment of exposure and colour are acceptable; adding or removing elements is not. A photo illustration or reconstruction is labelled as one.
- Archive images are labelled with the date they were taken.
- Video and audio we publish is our own work or is used under licence, and carries the same credits as written content.
- Embedding someone else’s video in our pages is a publishing decision and we are responsible for it. Before embedding we establish who filmed the material and when, whether the person who posted it had the right to publish it, and whether it shows what it is said to show.
- We do not embed material whose authenticity we cannot establish, material that would breach a suppression order or identify a person whose identity is protected, or material that is objectionable under New Zealand classification law.
- Where a clip has been edited by whoever posted it, or shows only part of an event, we say so rather than letting the clip speak for itself.
8. Artificial intelligence
- Responsibility for everything we publish rests with a named human editor. AI tools may assist with tasks such as transcription, translation drafting, subediting and research.
- No AI-generated text is published without a journalist verifying its factual content against original sources.
- Where an article is substantially generated by an AI tool, we disclose that to readers.
- We do not publish AI-generated images or audio as if they were records of real events. Where such material is used for illustration, it is labelled.
- Confidential material, unpublished work and source information are not entered into third-party AI tools.
9. Publishing in two languages
Publishing in English and Malayalam is central to our charitable purpose. It also carries an obligation: a reader of either edition must be able to rely on it equally.
- A translation must convey the same meaning, emphasis and qualification as the original. It is not a summary.
- Translated articles are checked by a second person with competence in both languages before publication.
- Names, place names and quotations are rendered accurately. A quotation translated from one language into another is marked as translated.
- Where the two editions differ materially, that is treated as an error and corrected in both.
- Machine translation may be used as a first draft, never as the published text.
10. News, analysis, opinion and advertising
- News reporting, analysis and opinion are clearly distinguished and labelled so that a reader can tell at a glance which they are reading.
- Opinion writers may argue a case, but must not misstate facts. Opinion is not exempt from our accuracy standard.
- Where an opinion writer has an interest in the subject — a role, a membership, a financial interest — it is disclosed with the piece.
- Advertising is visually distinct from editorial content. Sponsored or paid content is labelled “Sponsored” or “Advertorial” at the top, names the sponsor, and is not written by our news staff.
- We decline advertising that conflicts with our charitable purpose or that we consider misleading, discriminatory or harmful.
11. Privacy and public interest
- People have a reasonable expectation of privacy, particularly in their homes, in hospitals, in places of worship and at funerals. We intrude on it only where there is a genuine public interest, and only to the extent necessary.
- Public interest means something the public has a legitimate stake in knowing — wrongdoing, risk to health or safety, misuse of public money, incompetence in public office — not simply something the public is curious about.
- We approach people in grief or shock with restraint, we identify ourselves, and we accept a refusal.
- We do not report a death before the immediate family has been informed.
- Children under 16 are not interviewed or photographed on matters affecting their welfare without the consent of a parent, guardian or school.
- We take care in reporting on people who are vulnerable, including by reason of illness, disability or immigration circumstances, and we do not identify them without good reason.
12. Reporting deaths and tragedy
- Reporting of a death that may be self-inflicted is restricted by the Coroners Act 2006. We follow those restrictions and do not publish particulars beyond what the Act permits without the Coroner’s authority.
- More broadly, we follow established media guidance on this subject: we avoid detail of method or location, avoid presenting a death as a solution or as inexplicable, use careful language, and include contact details for support services where the subject is covered.
- In disasters and fatal accidents we avoid gratuitous detail and distressing images, and we consider the family before we consider the story.
13. Courts, legal restrictions and defamation
- Court reporting must be fair, accurate and contemporaneous. We report the outcome of a case we reported at the charging stage.
- We comply strictly with name suppression and other suppression orders, and with the law of contempt. Suppressed details are not published anywhere, including in captions, in our archive, or on social media.
- Before publishing allegations against an identifiable person, we satisfy ourselves that we can stand them up, and we take legal advice where there is doubt.
- We do not publish material that is objectionable under New Zealand classification law, and we do not reproduce material produced by those who carry out terrorist attacks.
14. Discrimination, communities and te reo Māori
- We do not publish material that encourages discrimination or denigrates a group on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability.
- We refer to a person’s ethnicity, religion, immigration circumstances, gender identity or disability only where it is relevant to the story, and we use the terms people use for themselves.
- We report on the communities we serve as they are, including where that is uncomfortable. Serving a community does not mean publishing only what flatters it.
- We report on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and on Māori affairs accurately and with care, and we use te reo Māori correctly, including macrons.
15. Conflicts of interest
- Staff and contributors declare to the Chief Editor any interest that could reasonably be seen to affect their reporting — employment, directorships, shareholdings, community or religious office, family connections, political membership.
- A journalist does not report on a matter in which they have such an interest. Where coverage is unavoidable, the interest is disclosed in the article.
- Gifts beyond token hospitality are declined. Travel or accommodation provided by a subject of coverage is disclosed in the resulting article.
- Staff do not use information obtained in the course of their work for personal advantage.
16. Material from the public
- Obituary and funeral notices are verified with the family or funeral director before publication.
- Matrimonial and classified listings are checked for obvious fraud and for material that breaches this policy, and personal contact details are handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
- Letters and comments may be edited for length, accuracy and legal reasons. We do not publish anonymous letters except where there is good reason and the Chief Editor knows the writer’s identity.
- Photographs and video sent in by readers are verified before use and credited to the sender unless they ask otherwise.
17. Safety
No story is worth a serious risk to a journalist, a contributor or a source. Staff may decline an assignment they reasonably believe to be unsafe, and should report threats or harassment to the Chief Editor immediately.
18. Accountability
- We correct errors under our Corrections Policy and publish a record of significant corrections.
- Complaints about editorial content go to the Chief Editor, George Cheeran, at cheeran@gmail.com. We are not currently a member of an external press complaints body, and we say so openly rather than implying an appeal route that does not exist.
- A breach of this policy by a member of staff is dealt with under our employment and volunteer procedures.
- This policy is reviewed by the Board at least annually, and after any serious complaint.
19. Our newsroom
Chief Editor: George Cheeran — cheeran@gmail.com
Newsroom: [email] · Phone: […] · Postal address: […]
