Mobilized News editorial and participation guidelines
Our purpose and autonomy
Our public purpose
Mobilized News connects news, knowledge, people and practical solutions to help communities understand change and take informed action. These guidelines apply to our editorial work and to contributions through interviews, events, the Exchange, comments and collaborative projects.
Our commitment is to the public interest, human dignity and the health of our living planet. We examine how systems affect people and how better approaches can work in practice. Our mission guides the questions we ask; evidence determines what we report.
Editorial autonomy
Mobilized retains final responsibility for what it commissions, publishes, edits, corrects or declines. Advertisers, donors, sponsors, partners, featured organizations and contributors receive no right to dictate conclusions, suppress findings or purchase favorable coverage.
These standards also apply to founders and leadership. Our own activities and relationships remain open to scrutiny. Editorial decisions must be explainable by public value, evidence, fairness and available capacity. Participation does not guarantee publication or endorsement.
Funding and conflicts of interest
Financial support must carry no editorial veto. Identify sponsorship and paid placements clearly. Disclose material funding relationships on relevant coverage and maintain an accessible account of organizational funding and partnerships, while respecting individual donor privacy.
Contributors and editors must disclose relevant financial, professional, political and personal interests. An editor decides whether disclosure, reassignment or exclusion is needed. No gifts, referral payments or personal favors may influence coverage. Payment for commissioned work must be agreed in advance; payment never buys a favorable conclusion.
Independent judgment and open inquiry
Mobilized is independent of political parties and candidates. We may examine policies, institutions and power through their evidence and consequences. We welcome good-faith disagreement, including criticism of Mobilized. Agreement with a preferred technology, economic model or worldview is not a condition of participation.
We apply the same standards to ideas we favor and ideas we question. A human-rights perspective requires respect for people alongside rigorous scrutiny of claims.
Editorial standards
Accuracy and evidence
Verify material claims before publication. Prefer original records, direct observation, credible research and attributable firsthand accounts. Check dates, locations, quotations, data and context. Seek independent corroboration for consequential or disputed claims; repeated versions of one source do not count as independent evidence.
Keep source records and give readers enough attribution to assess the evidence. A brief that omits visible URLs still needs identifiable sources and an internal verification record. Distinguish verified facts, analysis, opinion and proposals. State what remains uncertain and correct misleading headlines or images as well as body text.
Fairness and the people affected
Represent people and evidence in context. Give those facing significant criticism a meaningful opportunity to respond, with a reasonable deadline, and accurately reflect their response or say that none was received. Do not treat unsupported claims as equally credible merely to create apparent balance.
Include people affected by a system alongside experts and decision-makers. Lived experience informs reporting; claims of general effectiveness still need appropriate evidence. Avoid stereotypes, dehumanizing language, sensationalism and unsupported allegations.
Solutions with scrutiny
A solution is a subject for investigation. Ask what problem it addresses, how it works, what results are documented, who benefits, who bears the costs, and what limits or unintended effects exist. Distinguish an early experiment from an approach demonstrated at scale.
Explain relevant connections across sectors. A promising energy development may also affect land, work, health, finance or community control. Practical next steps must reflect the evidence and the resources people actually need. Avoid guaranteed outcomes, hype and predictions presented as facts.
Sources and sensitive material
Explain how interviews and recordings will be used. Agree any confidentiality or off-the-record terms before accepting information under those terms. An editor must know the identity of a confidential source and assess the reason for anonymity, corroboration and risk.
Explain anonymity to readers without revealing identifying details. Minimize unnecessary personal information, take particular care with children and vulnerable people, and explain limits to any confidentiality commitment. Never promise security that Mobilized cannot provide.
Artificial intelligence and media integrity
A human remains accountable for every publication. AI output is not evidence: verify claims, quotations, references and translations against reliable sources.
Never fabricate interviews, sources, events or documentary images. Label illustrations and reconstructions clearly. Do not upload confidential submissions or personal information to external AI services without appropriate authorization and safeguards.
Who can contribute
Welcome journalists, researchers, creators, practitioners, community groups and people with firsthand experience. Credentials, audience size and organizational status do not establish credibility by themselves. Apply the same relevance and evidence standards to individual contributors and established institutions.
Participants speak for themselves unless authorized to represent an organization. A byline, guest appearance, listing or partnership does not authorize anyone to speak on behalf of Mobilized.
What to submit
Use the designated submission form or Contact Mobilized. Explain what you are offering, who it helps, why it matters and what readers can do with it. Include your name, role, relevant affiliations, supporting evidence, permissions and any financial interest.
Stories should identify their sources and limitations. Events should identify the organizer, topic, date, time zone, access arrangements and any fee. Exchange listings should state the offer or need, terms, costs and who is responsible. Keep listings accurate and notify Mobilized when they expire or materially change.
Publication and commercial boundaries
Editors may accept, request changes, postpone or decline a submission according to these guidelines and available capacity. Editorial coverage, opinion, participant submissions, event listings and advertising must be distinguishable. A listing or guest appearance is not verification of every claim or a guarantee of results.
Organizations may explain their work, including commercial services, in the appropriate setting. Disclose commercial interests and support claims with evidence. Do not disguise advertising as independent reporting, post misleading offers or use participation to harvest contacts for unsolicited marketing.
Ownership and permission
Contributors retain ownership unless a separate written agreement says otherwise. Before publication, agree the permission Mobilized needs to publish, edit, archive and promote the work, including any syndication, reuse, compensation or exclusivity. Submission alone does not grant unlimited rights.
Contributors must have permission to supply text, images, music and other material, including appropriate consent for identifiable participants. Credit creators accurately. Attribute shared knowledge and community contributions. Further use by others requires an applicable license or separate permission.
Editing and accessibility
Mobilized may edit accepted work for accuracy, clarity, length and accessibility within the agreed permission, while preserving its meaning. Discuss substantial changes with the contributor where practicable. Sources may verify specific facts or quotations; they do not receive general editorial approval.
Use plain language, descriptive headings and sentence case. Explain technical terms and provide useful captions, alternative text and transcripts where practicable. Tell contributors about available language or format support without promising services that are not in place.
Conduct and accountability
How we work together
Challenge ideas and evidence while respecting people. Good-faith criticism, difficult questions and disagreement are welcome. Threats, harassment, discriminatory abuse, impersonation, deliberate deception, exposure of private personal information, spam and coordinated disruption are prohibited.
Do not pressure others to disclose private information or make participation conditional on buying, donating or joining an unrelated organization. Participation in a conversation does not constitute consent to reuse someone’s words, image or contact details elsewhere.
Moderation and review
Moderators may request an edit, limit visibility, remove material or restrict participation. Match the response to the severity, context and pattern of conduct. Immediate action may be necessary to contain threats, exposure of personal information or other serious harm.
When practicable, explain the rule and reason for a decision and provide a way to request review through Contact Mobilized. A reviewer not involved in the original decision should handle the request where staffing permits. Criticism of Mobilized or a partner is not, by itself, grounds for removal. Keep an internal record of significant decisions.
Corrections and complaints
Send a correction or complaint through Contact Mobilized with the article or listing title, the specific concern and supporting evidence. Acknowledge receipt and assess the substance. Corrections must be prompt and visible, explaining material changes and their dates. Quietly changing a consequential error is insufficient.
Distinguish a correction from an update or a clarification. Retract work when its central basis cannot be supported and explain why, while protecting people from unnecessary harm. Where practicable, notify distribution partners of material corrections. Complainants must not face retaliation for raising a good-faith concern.
Responsibility for applying these guidelines
Mobilized must designate an editor responsible for editorial standards and a person responsible for participation and complaints. One person may hold more than one role, but anyone with a conflict must step back from the relevant decision. Complaints involving leadership require a reviewer without the same conflict; seek an independent reviewer when needed.
Review these guidelines at least annually and after significant failures. Publish substantive revisions with an effective date. Apply editorial scrutiny to Mobilized’s own claims about its work and impact.
Contributor acknowledgment
Before contributing, confirm: I have represented myself and my work accurately. I have identified relevant sources and disclosed relevant interests. I have the necessary permissions. I understand the conduct standards and editorial review process. Publication and reuse permissions, and any payment, will be agreed separately.
Our shared commitment is clear: contribute honestly, examine evidence openly, respect one another and help people understand the choices that affect their lives.