Editorial Policy

We don’t exclusively cover gay stories, but those with a wider appeal.

THEGAYUK doesn’t endorse political ideals except those of equality. We do not sponsor or endorse any particular politics or ideology. However, our writers might – and as part of our mission statement, we will publish articles that may have particular political alignments.

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We aim to cover some LGBT+ news stories, but not all, taking a measured view on what will interest our core readership.

The overall balance of THEGAYUK should consist of culture/entertainment reviews and news, politics, opinion, interviews and UK and World News.

We also have a remit to cover local gay news to cities and counties in the UK.

General Editorial Policy

1. NEWS.
   1. A non-bias article based on as many facts as a writer can find. News articles can focus on one company, product or service, but the essence of the piece should not be to SELL or be an overly favourably review the company, product or service, but to provide content that our readership will find interesting.
   2. If you’re unsure what constitutes News then please contact the Editorial Team or review our GO documentation.
   3. We will not seek to promote events, business, venues or people that actively discriminate against people due to gender, sex, sexuality, colour, race or ability.
   4. Only in exceptional circumstance will a preview or forthcoming announcement of an event, businesses etc. be classified as news. These should be dealt with as advertising. Unless,
      1.  Only in exceptional circumstance will a preview or forthcoming announcement of an event, businesses etc. be classified as news. These should be dealt with as advertising. Unless,
         1. The event is a non-paid for charity event that directly impacts the gay community.
   5. Source quotes. Where possible named sources should be used, these can come from official spokespeople or from statements issued to the press. Please make sure the reader understands where the source came from.
   6. Anonymous quotes. Must be used with caution and we should strive, to be honest with our and about our sources. Where an anonymous quote is pejorative we should look to paraphrase the quote, quote just the meat of the quote.
   7. A source should never be given up. You may need to obtain legal representation if questioned about sources.
   8. Credit where credit is due. Please name the source of the quote and it should be accompanied with a hyperlink to the source.
   9. Agency credit. If an agency’s work is used significantly the agency should be credited. Agency is defined by the government office or another official source.
   10. If another website led you to a story please H/T at the end of the article.
   11. THEGAYUK never pays for stories.
2. SOURCES
   1. At least two sources should be able to confirm any news before we publish any story. If a second is not available please consult with the editor.
   2. There maybe some sources that are acceptable as sources. Please consult with the editorial team, if unsure.
3. INTERVIEWS
   1. Only in exceptional circumstance will THEGAYUK accept email interviews. They must be done in person or by phone.
   2. All interviews must be recorded on a digital device such as a handheld recorder or smartphone recorder.
   3. The recorder should be in plain site of the interviewee.
   4. Permission should be sought from the interviewee before the interview starts.
   5. Questions should not be sent ahead of time, but you may give an outline of what the interview will be about.
   6. Before embarking on an interview please consult editorial about your plans.
4. COPY APPROVAL
   1. TheGayUK does not grant copy approval for interview or review purposes. Only in exceptional circumstances. Copy approval should not be used a bargaining tool to secure an interview or exclusive.
   2. Reviews never get copy approval.
   3. Interviews must be written as said and not be altered to change their context or meaning.
5. CONTENT REMOVAL
   1. Content cannot be removed unless we’re legally obliged to do so. Content can be updated if necessary but a note must be made in the article if this done as to not mislead the reader.
   2. In the event that editorial does make a decision to remove content, it will be unpublished and unavailable to readers outside THEGAYUK.com. It will be trashed permanently after 30 days.
6. CALLS TO ACTION
   1. Calls to actions cannot be placed in reviews. To do so may place even more emphasis or be seen as bias on our part and unduly influence a reader’s decision to buy into a product. CTAs may be used in other article types but must be discussed with editors before any agreements are made.
7. REVIEWS
   1. Review content should be marked as such in their titles so that readers are aware that you are reviewing or previewing a product.
   2. Articles that only talk about one product or service are either a Review or Preview and their title should reflect that.
   3. With exception to culture and scene businesses, venues, products or services, we don’t publish reviews on singular entities i.e. a pair of underwear, a food blender etc. Unless:
      1. They are a startup or brand new organisation where promotion of new service or venture is of interest to our readership, or
      2. The owners are part of the LGBT+ community,
   4. Instead, singular products should be reviewed within a top list that details other products and competitors.
   5. Reviews should not be paid for.
   6. To upload a paid for review goes against everything that journalistic freedoms strive for. Reviews should reflect your true feelings about the product and or service in question.
   7. Reviews are at the discretion of the writer involved and publishing is at the sole discretion of the Editorial Team.
   8. Links to services and products are at the sole discretion of the Editorial Team.
   9. Links to our approved affiliates will be favoured over those that do not.
      1. For films and music, we allow links to iTunes and Amazon. We may allow other links please refer to Editorial.
   10. All Reviews should be rated by our star rating system, which is out of 5 stars.
   11. Reviews should be submitted as quickly as possible. The Editorial Team will strive to publish the review within 24 hours of upload.
8. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
   1. Conflict of Interests, it is important that any writer declares an interest or significant connection to anything that is being reviewed.
   2. If a writer is connected with or to a story, assignment or review item the connection must be made clear to editorial before undertaking the assignment.
      1. If the decision to go ahead with the assignment the connection must be made clear to the reader somewhere in the copy.
   3. Writers for THEGAYUK should not endorse products and services.
   4. They should not be involved in any discussions surrounding commercial considerations such as advertising. These should be passed to Brand Partnerships.
   5. They should not be involved in the making of any adverts or promotional copy unless green-lit by editorial.
   6. If a writer a financial interest attached to a lead or story it should be made known to the editorial team.
9. PR CONTACT AND FREEBIES
   1. Writers who are threatened, overly chased or pressured by a PR or supplier should report this to Editorial. Please refer all questions from PRs or Supplier to the editorial team
   2. A freebie does not warrant a favourable review and you should not be pressured into reviewing a product.
   3. Writers for THEGAYUK should not use their position to gain or garner freebies or Stuff We Always Get, hereby now referred to as SWAG.
   4. SWAG should never undermine the fairness accuracy or independence of a review, story or copy.
   5. If SWAG was given for free this should be reflected in a writer’s copy.
   6. It should be made clear if a company bore the cost of hospitality or travel. The condition of which means that THEGAYUK is not beholden to mention the company.
10. PAID FOR CONTENT
    1. Advertorials and other types of paid for content.
       1. Advertorials are similar but should be referred to the Editorial Team before uploading to the Submittable. Writers are not allowed to accept advertorial assignments from outside suppliers or Press Relations without the express permission of TheGayUK editorial.
       2. Articles that are written in an advertorial style may be edited or not published to reflect the in-house style of TheGayUK. Hyperlinks are at the complete discretion of the Editorial Team.
       3. Sometimes we may allow a PREVIEW article, which draws attention to a particular company, service or product. Usually, we’d like to work these articles with the advertising department unless the company, service or product in question is deemed as a subject with particular interest to our readership. To check on whether a subject is newsworthy for our reader please check our GO list.
       4. Previews articles should be labelled as such and should be uploaded no further than a week ahead of scheduled release.
       5. Advice articles should not focus on one particular company, product or service unless there is no other company that works in that field.
       6. Always try and include one or more company, product or service in order to give our readers a wide field of choice.
11. COMMENT, COLUMNS, BLOGS and OPINION
    1. These articles should be a truly personal reflection on a subject. These can be positive or negative towards the subject.
    2. No payment must be exchanged for a comment, column or opinion piece.
    3. Articles may focus on one company, service or product, but usually from a political, emotional or ideological standpoint.
    4. Comment, Columns or Opinions should not be written as to persuade people to buy into a company, product or service.
       
       1. Nor should they be there to persuade people not to buy into a company, product or service.
    5. Be careful with libel and slanderous statements; make sure you have credible facts to back up any statements you make about an individual or organisation.
       1. At least two sources should be able to confirm any facts before we publish any story. These should be fully citable and linked within the text. If a second is not available please consult with the editor. There may be some sources that are acceptable as sources. Please consult with the editorial team, if unsure.
    6. You should not use your blog/column or opinion for your own monetary gains. Blog posts which look or sound too selly, or push people to a platform, service or website which is commercial will be rejected.
       1. If you wish to buy ad space or paid distribution please contact us to discuss options.
12. ERRORS
    1. Reported errors will be fixed by THEGAYUK editorial within 24 hours of being notified.
    2. Writers have a duty to notify to report errors as soon as possible.
    3. Errors will be noted and rectified on the original article and if warranted a new article will be issued with a full correction.
13. LANGUAGE
    1.  Use only swear words when directly quoting.
       1. We have relaxed this now. 
    2. Swear words uploaded will be censored out during the publishing process. We do this to ensure advertisers have no reason to complain about “adult” content on our site.
       1. We have relaxed this now. 
    3. Words deemed offensive please see our style guide for updated list should be used only when quoting a source.
14. PLAGIARISM
    1. Writers and journalists will not plagiarise or copy without proper attribution to the original source.
    2. If you discover plagiarised content please report it immediately to editorial.
    3. Plagiarism is a contract ending infringement.
15. COPYRIGHT 
    1. Unless stated all works delivered to THEGAYUK remains the copyright of the author and upon delivery of that content to THEGAYUK:
       1. Agrees that THEGAYUK may reproduce, store, change, alter, edit, redact, reformat that content in ways that will publicise the content and THEGAYUK.
       2. Agrees that no financial gain from that content will be sought unless agreed in writing before that content is uploaded to THEGAYUK systems.
       3. Agrees that the content delivered may be published again via a different published but not before two weeks of being published on THEGAYUK and must include an H/T to THEGAYUK. The exception to this is:
          1. The writer may reproduce the content on his or her own personal blogs or web pages.
          2. Agrees that content may be published on platforms that are not limited to THEGAYUK – these platforms may include:
             1. Facebook
             2. Twitter
             3. Our own app
             4. An RSS tool
             5. Other social media
16. SUICIDE
    1. Stories surrounding suicide must tread carefully and not reveal too much detail about the cause of death. Details should be talked about in the broadest terms possible. Always aim to include helplines and signpost to services like Switchboard or the Samaritans.