Paraluman News Publication, Inc. (“Paraluman News,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to journalism that is accurate, independent, fair, courageous, transparent, and accountable.

 

We serve the public by reporting information that helps people understand their communities, participate in public life, hold institutions and individuals accountable, and make informed decisions. As a youth-driven news organization, we also seek to create meaningful space for younger, emerging, and frequently overlooked voices without compromising professional standards.

 

Our first responsibility is to the truth and to the public. Speed, competition, commercial interests, personal relationships, political pressure, popularity, and technology must never take priority over accuracy or editorial integrity.

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This Code explains the principles that guide our journalism and the standards expected of everyone who produces or influences editorial content under the Paraluman News name.

This Code applies to all Paraluman News:

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• Editors, reporters, correspondents, producers, researchers, photographers, videographers, designers, and social-media personnel;

• Employees, officers, interns, contractors, and freelancers;

• Columnists, commentators, and regular contributors;

• Campus Voices and Global Voices contributors whose work is accepted for publication;

• Partner-produced, commissioned, syndicated, or contributed material presented under the Paraluman News brand; and

• Editorial content published on our website, social-media accounts, newsletters, livestreams, podcasts, videos, events, and other platforms.

• Opinion writers and external contributors may express personal views, but they remain bound by our standards on factual accuracy, attribution, disclosure, fairness, human dignity, conflicts of interest, plagiarism, and lawful conduct.

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This Code should be read together with our Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines, User Policy, AI Policy, Corrections Policy, Paraluman Verify Methodology, Advertising and Sponsored-Content Standards, and other applicable newsroom policies.

3.1 Pursue truth

We gather, verify, and present information honestly. We do not knowingly publish false, misleading, fabricated, manipulated, or materially incomplete information.

 

3.2 Put accuracy before speed

Being first does not excuse being wrong. We would rather delay publication than publish a claim that has not been adequately verified.

 

3.3 Serve the public

Our primary editorial obligation is to the public—not to owners, advertisers, sponsors, political actors, sources, friends, followers, or ourselves.

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3.4 Act independently

Editorial decisions must not be bought, traded, dictated, or improperly influenced. We disclose and manage conflicts that could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, our journalism.

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3.5 Be fair and provide context

Fairness requires diligent reporting, accurate representation of relevant perspectives, and a meaningful opportunity to respond to serious allegations. Fairness does not require giving unsupported claims the same weight as well-established evidence.

 

3.6 Respect human dignity

We recognize that reporting can affect people’s safety, privacy, reputation, and well-being. We avoid unnecessary harm while continuing to report matters of legitimate public interest.

 

3.7 Be transparent

We identify our sources whenever possible, label different forms of content clearly, disclose relevant relationships, explain important editorial limitations, and distinguish what we know from what we do not know.

 

3.8 Be accountable

We take responsibility for everything we publish. We listen to criticism, investigate credible complaints, correct substantive errors, and explain significant editorial decisions when doing so serves the

public.

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3.9 Protect press freedom and ethical independence

We defend the lawful collection and publication of information in the public interest. We will not suppress verified facts because they are inconvenient or embarrassing to powerful people or institutions.

 

3.10 Act with courage, care, and decency

Journalists may face difficult ethical choices. When rules do not provide an obvious answer, we consider truth, public interest, proportionality, safety, fairness, and human dignity—and consult a senior editor before proceeding.

The Managing Editor, or a designated senior editor, has final responsibility for day-to-day editorial decisions. Editors are responsible for applying this Code consistently and for ensuring that contributors understand the standards relevant to their assignments.

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Important or unusually sensitive decisions should receive an appropriate level of editorial review. These may include:

 

• Serious allegations of misconduct or criminal behavior;

• Investigative reports;

• Reliance on anonymous sources;

• Undercover or deceptive reporting methods;

• Material involving children or vulnerable people;

• Graphic or disturbing content;

• Reports that may create significant safety or privacy risks;

• Election-period controversies;

• Significant conflicts of interest;

• Requests to withhold, anonymize, remove, or materially alter published content; and

• The use of confidential, leaked, hacked, or unlawfully obtained material.

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Legal review may be sought where appropriate, but legal review does not transfer editorial responsibility away from the newsroom.

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We will handle personal information submitted with a correction request in accordance with our privacy practices. We may contact the requester for clarification, but we will not disclose the requester’s identity unnecessarily.

All editorial content must undergo a level of verification appropriate to its subject, urgency, potential impact, and risk of harm.

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Before publication, journalists and editors should verify all material facts reasonably capable of verification, including names, titles, quotations, dates, locations, figures, documents, photographs, videos, and the sequence of events.

 

Whenever possible, we:

 

• Use original documents, official records, direct observation, firsthand reporting, and other primary evidence;

• Confirm important claims through more than one reliable and independent source;

• Examine evidence that may contradict our working hypothesis;

• Distinguish direct knowledge from assumption, hearsay, speculation, or opinion;

• Consider a source’s access to the information, expertise, reliability, interests, and possible motives;

• Seek original datasets, studies, court records, transcripts, recordings, or source material rather than relying solely on summaries;

• Verify the origin and context of social-media posts and user-generated content; and

• Tell readers when relevant facts remain uncertain, disputed, unavailable, or subject to change.

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A statement by an official, company, campaign, police agency, advocacy group, or other interested party is a claim that may require independent verification. Official status alone does not make a statement true.

 

Developing stories

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During breaking news or live coverage, we clearly distinguish confirmed information from preliminary reports. We attribute changing casualty figures, election results, emergency information, and other developing details to their sources and update them as better evidence becomes available.

 

Urgency does not justify publishing rumors as facts. When an unverified claim is itself newsworthy, we explain why it matters, identify its unverified status prominently, and avoid language or presentation that could cause readers to mistake it for established fact.

 

Headlines, captions, alerts, and social posts

 

Headlines, thumbnails, captions, push notifications, summaries, and social-media posts must accurately reflect the underlying report. They must not exaggerate, remove essential qualifications, imply guilt, manufacture conflict, or use ambiguity merely to attract attention.

 

Corrections to an article should also be reflected, where practical, in related headlines, captions, social posts, videos, and platform descriptions.

Named, on-the-record sources are preferred because readers should be able to assess who is providing information and why that person may be credible.

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Material obtained from another news organization, document, study, database, photograph, video, press release, social-media account, or other external source must be clearly attributed. Hyperlinks should be provided when they help readers inspect the original evidence and doing so does not create an unreasonable safety, privacy, or legal risk.

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We do not present another organization’s reporting as our own. When another newsroom first reports important information, we acknowledge that reporting.

 

Source ground rules

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Journalists should agree on interview ground rules before substantive information is shared. Ground rules cannot ordinarily be imposed retroactively.

 

Unless another arrangement has been clearly agreed:

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• On the record means the information and the source’s name may be published.

• On background means the information may be used with a description of the source agreed upon in advance.

• Off the record means the information may not be published or attributed unless it is independently obtained from another source.

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Journalists must not promise anonymity or confidentiality casually. When uncertainty exists, the journalist should consult an editor before accepting restrictive ground rules.

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Quotations

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Quotations must preserve the speaker’s meaning and context. We do not rearrange, combine, or selectively edit quotations in a way that changes their substance.

Minor verbal fillers or obvious grammatical slips may be removed when meaning and tone are not altered. When a quotation would unfairly expose a person to ridicule without adding material information, paraphrasing may be more appropriate.

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Translations should communicate the meaning and tone of the original faithfully. When a translation is significant to the story, we should identify the original language and, where appropriate, explain who performed or reviewed the translation.

 

Sources may be contacted to confirm factual details or the accuracy of a quotation. They are not entitled to approve, rewrite, suppress, or control an independent Paraluman News report before publication.

Anonymous sourcing may be necessary to expose wrongdoing, protect people from retaliation, report from dangerous environments, or obtain information that is genuinely unavailable on the record. It should remain the exception rather than the default.

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Information from an unnamed source may be published only when:

 

• The information serves a legitimate and substantial public interest;

• The source has direct knowledge of the information or reliable access to it;

• There is a credible reason the source cannot be identified;

• The information cannot reasonably be obtained on the record;

• The source’s identity, credibility, interests, and possible motives have been assessed;

• Important claims have been corroborated whenever reasonably possible; and

• A senior editor approves the use of anonymity.

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The reporter and at least one responsible editor should know the source’s identity, except in extraordinary circumstances approved by the Managing Editor.

 

The published report should describe the anonymous source as specifically as safety permits and explain why anonymity was granted. We do not use plural terms such as “sources” when only one source exists.

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Paraluman News will protect confidential sources and unpublished source material to the fullest extent reasonably and lawfully possible. Because no communication system is completely secure and legal demands may arise, journalists must not guarantee absolute confidentiality without consulting a senior editor.
 

Any proposed disclosure of a confidential source’s identity requires review by the Managing Editor and appropriate legal advice. Where lawful and safe, the source should be informed of a serious threat to confidentiality.

We make a genuine effort to understand and fairly present the relevant facts and perspectives in a story.
 

Anyone facing a credible and potentially damaging allegation should ordinarily receive a meaningful opportunity to respond before publication. The request for comment should describe the substance of the allegation clearly enough to permit an informed response and should provide a reasonable deadline in light of the story’s urgency.

A source is not entitled to delay publication indefinitely by refusing to respond, repeatedly requesting extensions, or providing an evasive answer. When the subject does not respond, we may state that comment was requested and summarize the reasonable attempts made.

A response received after publication should be considered promptly. When it materially advances or changes the story, the report should be updated.

Fairness does not mean mechanical equality. Evidence-based conclusions need not be balanced against claims lacking credible support. However, we should represent relevant disagreement accurately and avoid suppressing significant evidence merely because it complicates the story.

We avoid false equivalence, selective context, loaded framing, and the omission of facts necessary for readers to understand the issue.

Editorial decisions must be made independently of political, commercial, financial, personal, religious, institutional, and other improper pressure.

 

Owners, officers, advertisers, sponsors, donors, partners, and other non-editorial parties may raise factual or ethical concerns, but they may not dictate the conclusions of independent reporting or require favorable treatment.

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Everyone covered by this Code must promptly disclose to an editor any relationship or interest that could reasonably call their independence into question. Relevant conflicts may include:

• Financial interests or investments;

• Outside employment, consultancy, or business activities;

• Political positions, campaigning, fundraising, or party roles;

• Advocacy work connected to the subject being covered;

• Close personal, family, romantic, or professional relationships;

• Gifts, free travel, accommodation, meals, tickets, or other benefits;

• Employment, funding, or organizational ties involving a contributor or source; and

• Previous involvement in the event, dispute, organization, or decision being reported.

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Disclosure to an editor does not automatically resolve a conflict. Depending on the circumstances, the appropriate action may be recusal, reassignment, additional editing, a published disclosure, or declining the assignment.

 

News reporters and editors should not publicly endorse, campaign for, or work on behalf of political candidates, parties, or causes they may be assigned to cover. Opinion writers may express political or policy views, but significant affiliations and interests relevant to their commentary must be disclosed.

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Staff members must not use unpublished information acquired through their work for personal gain or to benefit another person.

Paraluman News personnel must not accept cash, bribes, commissions, valuable gifts, services, favors, or benefits offered in exchange for coverage or capable of creating an obligation or reasonable perception of influence.
 

Gifts of more than nominal value should be declined or returned. When refusal would be impractical or culturally insensitive, the item should be disclosed to a supervisor and surrendered, donated, or otherwise handled in a manner approved by management.

Reasonable refreshments at a legitimate news event may be accepted when doing so does not create an obligation. Entertainment, holidays, luxury hospitality, and events with little or no genuine reporting purpose should be declined.

Paraluman News should ordinarily pay the reasonable costs of reporting travel and accommodation. When independently funded access is impractical—such as transportation to a disaster area, remote location, military facility, or humanitarian operation—acceptance of third-party support requires prior editorial approval and should be disclosed when relevant.

We do not pay sources for testimony, confidential information, or favorable statements. Legitimate compensation for commissioned journalism, photography, video, research, translation, or other professional work is different from paying for the substance of a source’s claims and must be handled transparently.

Readers should be able to tell what kind of content they are consuming.

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We clearly distinguish among:

 

• News: Verified factual reporting in which the journalist’s personal opinion is not presented as fact.

• Analysis: Evidence-based interpretation that helps explain the meaning or implications of reported facts.

• Opinion or Commentary: A named author’s argument, judgment, or personal viewpoint.

• Explainer: Contextual material intended to clarify a topic, process, or event.

• Fact Check: A structured assessment of a verifiable claim using the Paraluman Verify methodology.

• First-Person or Eyewitness Account: An account based primarily on the contributor’s personal experience or observation.

• Press Release: Material supplied by an organization and published substantially in its original form.

• Wire, Syndicated, or Partner Report: Material originating from another identified news provider.

• Sponsored or Paid Content: Material created or distributed as part of a commercial arrangement.

• Satire, Fiction, Reconstruction, or Simulation: Non-literal material that could otherwise be mistaken for factual reporting.

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Opinion columns must be labeled prominently. The views of a columnist or contributor do not necessarily represent Paraluman News.

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Opinion and analysis are not exempt from factual standards. Claims presented as facts must be supportable, significant interests must be disclosed, and commentary must not rely on fabrication, plagiarism, unlawful defamation, dehumanization, or deliberate misinformation.

Advertising and commercial relationships must remain distinct from independent editorial decision-making.

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Payment, sponsorship, advertising, partnership, or access does not guarantee news coverage or favorable treatment. Advertisers and sponsors may not suppress, rewrite, approve, or determine the conclusions of independent journalism.

 

Paid or sponsored material must be clearly and prominently labeled using language an ordinary reader can understand, such as “Advertisement,” “Sponsored Content,” or “Paid Partnership.” Its presentation should not intentionally imitate independent news in a way that could mislead readers.

 

Where commercial content is produced with newsroom participation, the roles of the sponsor and Paraluman News should be disclosed. Any material factual claims should be reviewed for accuracy, but that review does not transform sponsored content into independent journalism.

 

Affiliate links, complimentary products, funded travel, event partnerships, and other material commercial relationships should be disclosed when they are relevant to the content.

Editorial staff should not be required to solicit advertising or promise editorial treatment as part of a commercial arrangement.

Material not originally reported by Paraluman News must be presented transparently.

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Wire and syndicated reports

The originating news organization must be identified prominently. If Paraluman News substantially edits, translates, summarizes, updates, or adds original reporting to the material, the nature of that contribution should be made clear.

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Press releases

Press releases should not be presented as independently reported news. Information drawn from a release should be attributed, independently checked where material, and supplemented with context or relevant responses when necessary.

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Partner content

Editorial partnerships must not conceal the origin, funding, or production of content. The responsible organizations and the nature of the partnership should be disclosed.

 

User-generated and eyewitness material

Photos, videos, posts, documents, and firsthand accounts submitted by the public must be verified before publication. Verification may include establishing:

• Who created the material;

• When and where it was created;

• Whether it has been edited or taken out of context;

• Whether the contributor had direct access to the event;

• Whether publication could endanger or unfairly expose anyone; and

• Whether Paraluman News has permission to use it.

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The contributor’s personal experience does not automatically establish every broader conclusion drawn from that experience.

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Campus Voices, Global Voices, and other contributor submissions are reviewed for truth, clarity, fairness, safety, public interest, and compliance with this Code. Submission does not guarantee publication.

Bylines should accurately identify the people primarily responsible for reporting and writing a story. Significant additional reporting, photography, research, translation, data analysis, or production should be credited where practical.

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An institutional byline such as “Paraluman News” may be used when a report is produced collaboratively, is based primarily on desk reporting, involves routine updates, or when identifying an individual journalist would create a credible safety risk. The newsroom should still maintain an internal record of responsibility.

 

Datelines must accurately reflect where the reported work occurred. They must not imply that a reporter was physically present when the reporting was conducted remotely.

 

Relevant disclosures—including conflicts of interest, sponsored access, funded travel, AI assistance, partner involvement, or significant editorial limitations—should appear where readers are likely to notice them.

Journalists should ordinarily identify themselves as representatives of Paraluman News when seeking interviews, documents, recordings, or access intended for publication.

 

We do not obtain information through harassment, threats, bribery, impersonation, theft, unlawful intrusion, or deliberate misrepresentation.

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Hidden recording, undercover reporting, or another deceptive method may be considered only when:

1. The information concerns a substantial public interest;

2. Conventional and honest reporting methods are unlikely to obtain the information;

3. The method is proportionate to the wrongdoing or risk being investigated;

4. The expected public benefit outweighs the potential harm;

5. The method complies with applicable law; and

6. The Managing Editor approves it in advance.

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When such methods materially affect how a report was produced, we should explain them to readers unless doing so would create a compelling safety or legal risk.

 

Embargoes and exclusivity arrangements should be accepted only when they do not compromise editorial independence. Paraluman News does not give sources or subjects a right to approve a finished report.

Private information should be published only when there is a legitimate journalistic reason that outweighs the foreseeable harm.

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Public interest may include:

• Exposing wrongdoing, corruption, abuse, deception, or serious institutional failure;

• Protecting public health or safety;

• Explaining how public authority or public money is used;

• Enabling informed participation in civic and democratic life;

• Correcting consequential misinformation;

• Revealing conduct materially inconsistent with a person’s public duties; or

• Documenting an event of substantial social or historical importance.

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Public curiosity, embarrassment, popularity, or the fact that information is circulating online does not by itself establish public interest.

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We avoid publishing home addresses, personal contact details, identification numbers, financial credentials, private correspondence, medical information, intimate images, or other sensitive data unless publication is necessary, proportionate, lawful, and approved by a senior editor.

 

Public figures receive less privacy regarding conduct relevant to their public responsibilities, but they do not lose all rights to privacy, safety, or dignity.

Grief, shock, and vulnerability may affect a person’s ability to give meaningful consent. We do not pressure people to speak, and we respect a reasonable request to pause or end an interview.

The welfare and safety of a child take priority over competitive or promotional considerations.

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When reporting on or interviewing a person under 18, we consider the child’s age, maturity, understanding, safety, family circumstances, and risk of future harm. Guardian consent may be appropriate, but it does not remove our independent duty to protect the child’s interests. Whenever practical, the child’s own informed agreement should also be sought.

 

We generally do not identify minors who are:

• Victims or alleged victims of sexual violence, abuse, exploitation, or trafficking;

• Accused or suspected of criminal conduct;

• Involved in sensitive family, medical, or welfare proceedings;

• At risk of retaliation, bullying, stigmatization, or physical harm; or

• Unable to understand the likely consequences of publication.

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Exceptions require a compelling public-interest justification, appropriate consent where applicable, and senior editorial review.

 

Students and first-time contributors must not be encouraged to endanger themselves, violate reasonable safety rules, or gather information through methods they are not trained to use. Their work should receive appropriate editing, verification, and safeguarding.

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We apply comparable care when reporting on people affected by disability, displacement, poverty, detention, trauma, illness, discrimination, or unequal power relationships.

Every person accused of wrongdoing is presumed innocent unless and until guilt is established through an appropriate legal process.

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We distinguish clearly among an allegation, complaint, investigation, arrest, charge, trial, judgment, acquittal, and conviction. We do not use language that declares a person guilty before that conclusion has been lawfully established.

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Police statements, complaints, affidavits, lawsuits, and charging documents present allegations or positions; they are not automatically proof.

 

• Crime and court reports should:

• Attribute allegations clearly;

• Seek comment from the accused or an authorized representative;

• Include relevant procedural context;

• Avoid prejudicing active legal proceedings;

• Avoid guilt by association;

• Protect minors and vulnerable victims;

• Avoid unnecessary repetition of humiliating or graphic details; and

• Be updated when charges are withdrawn, a person is acquitted, a judgment is reversed, or another major development materially changes the record.

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We do not identify victims or alleged victims of sexual violence without informed consent and a compelling ethical and legal basis. Particular care is required when the individual is a minor or may face retaliation or stigma.

Reporting on trauma requires accuracy, sensitivity, and restraint.

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We avoid language that blames victims or survivors, romanticizes abuse, treats suffering as spectacle, or reduces a person to the harm they experienced.

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Coverage of suicide and self-harm should avoid unnecessary description of methods or locations, simplistic explanations of cause, sensational headlines, romanticization, and language that presents suicide as inevitable or as a solution. Relevant reports should include help-seeking information when appropriate and available.

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Graphic images, video, audio, or detailed descriptions may be published only when they contribute substantially to public understanding. A senior editor should consider:
 

• Whether less graphic material can communicate the same truth;

• The dignity and privacy of the people shown;

• Whether relatives have been informed of a death;

• The likelihood of identification;

• The risk of retraumatization, imitation, or exploitation;

• The age and expectations of the likely audience; and

• Whether a clear content warning is needed.

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We do not stage news photographs or direct subjects to recreate events without clearly identifying the result as a reconstruction or illustration.

We describe people accurately, respectfully, and in terms relevant to the story.

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Race, ethnicity, nationality, regional origin, religion, disability, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, appearance, or similar characteristics should not be mentioned unless genuinely relevant.

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We avoid stereotypes, slurs, dehumanizing descriptions, mockery, and language that treats a group as inherently dangerous, inferior, or undeserving of rights.

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Hateful or discriminatory language may be quoted when necessary to report accurately on a newsworthy statement or event, but it should not be repeated gratuitously or used as promotional material. Context should make clear who used the language and why it is relevant.

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We seek a broad range of knowledgeable sources and avoid presenting one person as the representative of an entire community.

Political and election coverage must be independent, evidence-based, and applied consistently across parties, candidates, officials, and movements.

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We do not tailor fact-checking or scrutiny to favor or punish a political side. Equivalent claims should be assessed using equivalent standards of evidence.

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Coverage should distinguish among:

• Verified facts;

• Campaign claims;

• Political advertising;

• Endorsements;

• Opinion;

• Analysis;

• Official results;

• Projections; and

• Unverified reports.

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News personnel must not accept money, gifts, favors, transportation, or other benefits in exchange for political coverage. Any unavoidable campaign-provided access or travel should be approved and disclosed when material.

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Political advertisements and paid campaign messages must be clearly labeled and kept separate from newsroom decisions.

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Opinion writers may endorse candidates or advocate policies in properly labeled commentary, subject to disclosure of relevant affiliations. Such opinions do not determine the direction of independent news coverage.

Health and science reporting should rely on appropriately qualified sources and the best available evidence.

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We distinguish among peer-reviewed research, preprints, observational studies, clinical trials, expert opinion, preliminary findings, and established scientific consensus. We explain significant limitations and avoid presenting correlation as proof of causation.

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We do not exaggerate medical findings, promote unsupported cures, diagnose individuals without an appropriate basis, or present journalism as a substitute for professional medical advice.

 

When reporting numerical information, surveys, polls, or data analysis, we identify the source and, where relevant:

• Who commissioned or funded the work;

• When the data was collected;

• Sample size and population;

• Method of collection;

• Margin of error or uncertainty;

• Relevant missing data;

• Definitions used; and

• Limitations that could materially affect interpretation.

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Charts and graphics must not use deceptive scales, selective time periods, or visual techniques that distort the underlying data.

Visual and audio journalism must represent events truthfully.

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Routine editing such as cropping, exposure adjustment, sound leveling, or color correction may be used only when it does not alter the material meaning of the content.

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We do not add, remove, move, combine, or substantially change elements in documentary photographs, video, or audio in a way that misrepresents reality.

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Illustrations, composites, reenactments, simulations, file footage, archival material, and digitally created or materially altered media must be labeled clearly.

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Captions should identify the source, date, location, and relevant context whenever known. Archival images must not be presented in a way that suggests they depict a current event.

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Material supplied by governments, companies, campaigns, advocacy organizations, police agencies, witnesses, or other interested parties must be attributed.

The use of artificial intelligence is governed by the Paraluman News AI Policy and by this Code.

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AI may support approved tasks, but it does not replace human reporting, verification, judgment, editing, or accountability. A human editor remains responsible for every published item.

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AI-generated or AI-assisted output must be independently checked against reliable sources. No AI output should be treated as evidence merely because it appears detailed or confident.

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We do not enter confidential source information, unpublished investigations, private personal data, legally protected material, or security-sensitive information into an unapproved AI system.

 

When AI produces or materially assists content published by Paraluman News, the use should be disclosed clearly and proportionately. Synthetic or materially altered images, video, and audio must not be presented as authentic documentary material.

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AI must not be used to fabricate quotations, impersonate real people deceptively, conceal plagiarism, create false evidence, generate undisclosed fake contributors, or evade editorial responsibility.

Plagiarism and fabrication are serious violations of this Code.

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We do not:

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• Invent facts, quotations, sources, scenes, documents, or events;

• Present composite characters as real individuals;

• Copy another person’s words, structure, reporting, images, or ideas without proper attribution;

• Use another newsroom’s exclusive reporting without acknowledgment;

• Manipulate evidence to support a predetermined conclusion;

• Misrepresent work performed by another person or by an automated system as our own; or

• Submit substantially the same commissioned work to multiple publishers without authorization.

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Direct quotations must be identified as quotations. Paraphrased material must still be attributed when the information, analysis, or original reporting comes from another source.

 

Suspected plagiarism or fabrication must be reported immediately to a senior editor and investigated promptly. Confirmed serious misconduct may result in removal of content, a public editor’s note, termination of the contributor relationship, disciplinary action, or other appropriate measures.

The standards in this Code apply to journalism distributed through social media and other third-party platforms.

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Paraluman News personnel should not knowingly share false or unverified information, disclose confidential material, harass others, engage in undisclosed promotional activity, or publish content that creates a serious and avoidable conflict with their professional responsibilities.

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News staff should recognize that public political advocacy, endorsements, financial promotion, or attacks on sources and subjects may undermine confidence in their independence.

 

Journalists remain entitled to private lives, personal beliefs, and lawful expression. Restrictions should be proportionate to the person’s role, the subject they cover, and the likelihood that the conduct will materially compromise their work or the safety and credibility of the newsroom.

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Mistakes made on social media should be corrected with reasonable visibility rather than merely deleted without explanation when the original post materially misled the public.

No story is worth an unreasonable risk to life or safety.
 

Paraluman News personnel and contributors should not be pressured to enter a dangerous location, confront a threatening person, violate a safety restriction, or use an investigative method for which they lack suitable preparation.
 

Assignments involving conflict, protests, disasters, infectious disease, organized crime, surveillance, or other significant hazards should receive an appropriate risk assessment.

Sources, contributors, and journalists should be informed of foreseeable risks when possible. Sensitive records should be stored and shared only through approved systems and with people who need access.
 

Anyone covered by this Code may decline or pause an assignment they reasonably believe would require illegal, unethical, or unreasonably dangerous conduct. Such concerns should be raised promptly and reviewed without retaliation.

Paraluman News acknowledges errors openly and addresses them under its separate Corrections Policy.

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We do not silently alter a substantive factual claim in a way that conceals the original error. Minor spelling, formatting, or grammatical changes that do not affect meaning may be corrected without a formal notice.

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Developing stories may be updated as new information becomes available. Updates should not be described as corrections unless the earlier version was inaccurate.

 

Our archive forms part of the public record. We do not ordinarily remove accurate, lawfully published material simply because it has become inconvenient or embarrassing.

 

Requests for anonymization, removal, or search-engine de-indexing are considered individually. Relevant factors include:

• Whether the information remains accurate;

• Continuing public interest;

• The seriousness and age of the matter;

• Subsequent legal or factual developments;

• The person’s age at the time;

• Disproportionate safety, privacy, or rehabilitation concerns;

• The prominence of the individual;

• Harm to victims or vulnerable people; and

• Applicable legal obligations.

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Possible responses include adding an update, correction, editor’s note, follow-up report, anonymization, restricted indexing, or removal. Substantive archival changes require senior editorial approval and should ordinarily be explained.

Readers, sources, subjects, and members of the public may question our reporting or raise concerns about accuracy, fairness, privacy, conflicts of interest, attribution, plagiarism, sponsored content, or other ethical matters.

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Editorial complaints may be sent to desk@myparaluman.ph with the subject line “Editorial Complaint.”

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A useful complaint should include:

• The complainant’s name and contact information;

• The headline and link of the relevant content;

• The specific statement or conduct being challenged;

• The reason it is believed to be inaccurate, unfair, or unethical;

• Supporting evidence, where available; and

• The correction, clarification, response, or other action being requested.

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We will acknowledge and review credible complaints as promptly as practicable. The review should be handled by an editor with suitable authority and, where practical, by someone who was not primarily responsible for the disputed decision.

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A complaint does not automatically require a change. We may decline requests that are abusive, repetitive, unsupported, unrelated to our work, intended to reveal a protected source, or aimed at suppressing accurate public-interest reporting.

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Legal notices and copyright concerns may be sent to legal@myparaluman.ph.

Everyone working with Paraluman News has a responsibility to raise suspected violations of this Code.

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Concerns may be reported to an assigning editor, the Managing Editor, or another designated senior officer. Reports should be handled fairly and, where possible, confidentially.

 

No employee, freelancer, intern, or contributor should face retaliation for making a good-faith ethical objection, reporting suspected misconduct, refusing an assignment that would clearly violate this Code, or cooperating with an internal review.

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An editor must not instruct a journalist to fabricate, plagiarize, conceal a material conflict, violate a source agreement, or engage in unlawful or plainly unethical newsgathering.

Compliance with this Code is a condition of producing editorial work for Paraluman News.

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Responses to a violation will depend on its seriousness, intent, effect, and frequency. They may include:

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• Additional review or training;

• Correction, clarification, disclosure, or editor’s note;

• Removal or reassignment from coverage;

• Withdrawal or removal of content;

• Suspension of publishing privileges;

• Termination of a commission or contributor relationship;

• Employment-related disciplinary action; or

• Referral for legal or regulatory review where appropriate.

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Deliberate fabrication, plagiarism, bribery, theft, undisclosed paid influence, serious harassment, intentional deception of editors, or knowing publication of false information may warrant immediate and serious action.

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Enforcement should be fair, documented, and consistent. Seniority, popularity, commercial value, or personal relationships do not excuse misconduct.

Paraluman News will review this Code periodically and when significant changes in journalism, technology, law, newsroom practice, or public expectations require revision.

Material changes should be reflected in the “Last reviewed” date and, where appropriate, summarized for readers.
 

Questions about this Code may be sent to desk@myparaluman.ph.
 

Our standards will continue to evolve, but our central obligation remains constant: to produce journalism worthy of the public’s trust.