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OpenTruth Guidelines

OpenTruth is an independent journalism platform focused on transparency, documentation, and accountability. These editorial rules define the standards required to publish responsibly while protecting contributors, sources, and readers.

1. Purpose & Editorial Focus

OpenTruth exists to document verifiable facts and make investigative work accessible to a global audience. All published content must:

  • Be grounded in verifiable evidence
  • Serve the public interest
  • Clearly distinguish fact, analysis, and opinion
  • Avoid undisclosed influence or manipulation

Truth requires documentation, not assertion.

2. Contributor Obligations

All contributors to OpenTruth are required to:

  • Verify all factual statements before publication
  • Use reliable and clearly identified sources
  • Protect confidential and vulnerable sources
  • Label opinion and interpretation transparently
  • Disclose relevant conflicts of interest

Credibility depends on contributor discipline.

3. Ethical Standards

Contributors must adhere to established journalistic ethics, including:

  • Independence from political, financial, or organizational pressure
  • Accountability for published content
  • Transparency in sourcing and methodology
  • Minimization of harm to individuals and communities
  • Willingness to correct errors promptly

The SPJ Code of Ethics is recommended as a guiding framework.

4. Permitted Content

OpenTruth accepts the following content types:

✅ Investigative journalism
✅ Document-based reporting
✅ Research-driven analysis
✅ Clearly labeled opinion pieces
✅ Expert and specialist contributions
✅ Long-form investigations and archives

All submissions must be original work by the contributor.

5. Linking & Citation Policy

To preserve editorial integrity and prevent spam:

  • Maximum 3 outbound editorial links per article (excluding citations)
  • Links must support understanding or verification
  • ❌ No affiliate links, referral schemes, or monetized redirects
  • ❌ No artificial link-building or SEO manipulation
Links must support documentation, not promotion.

6. Media Standards

Video Content

  • ❌ Direct video uploads are not permitted
  • ✅ Videos must be embedded from established platforms (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo)
  • Embedded videos must be directly relevant and informational

Images

  • ✅ Only images with legal usage rights may be uploaded
  • Attribution is required where applicable
  • Recommended file size: under 5MB
  • Manipulated or misleading imagery is prohibited

7. Prohibited Content 🚫

The following content is strictly forbidden:

❌ Plagiarism or copyright violations
❌ Fabricated, knowingly false, or misleading information
❌ Hate speech, harassment, threats, or incitement
❌ Promotional content presented as journalism
❌ Malware, exploits, or malicious code
❌ Exposure of confidential sources
❌ Publication of private or sensitive data without consent

8. Enforcement & Moderation

OpenTruth reserves the right to:

  • Remove content that violates these rules
  • Restrict or suspend contributor accounts
  • Act immediately in cases of severe or repeated violations

Moderation decisions are based on standards and conduct, not political or ideological alignment.

Appeals

If you believe a moderation action was taken in error, you may submit an appeal through the official contact page.

9. Corrections & Record Integrity

  • Verified errors must be corrected promptly
  • Corrections must be clearly disclosed
  • Updates to evolving stories must be transparent
  • Silent edits that alter meaning are not permitted

OpenTruth values accurate historical records.

10. Contributor Rights

Contributors publishing on OpenTruth retain:

  • Full copyright ownership
  • Republication and archival rights
  • Control over personal profiles and content

OpenTruth provides:

  • A professional publishing platform
  • Technical infrastructure
  • Privacy and pseudonym options
  • Access to an independent journalism community

11. Platform Resource Use

As a resource-conscious operation, contributors are asked to:

  • Embed media instead of uploading large files
  • Optimize images before submission
  • Avoid unnecessary server load

Responsible use ensures long-term accessibility.

12. Rule Updates

These editorial rules may be updated as OpenTruth evolves.
The current and authoritative version is always published on this page.

Last Updated: December 2025