Editorial Guidelines
We, at EssentiallySports (accessible from essentiallysports.com) strictly adhere to the Editorial Standards accepted universally through what is stipulated in our ‘ES Editorial Guidelines’ document. The Guidelines set the standards for EssentiallySports, and more importantly, aid our vision and the values we intend to uphold in the industry.
As seen through our content, we at EssentiallySports always pursue values based on ‘Freedom of Expression’ and ‘Public Interest’. Having a great level of privilege in catering content on the Internet, we at EssentiallySports strongly concur on the fact that we have certain responsibilities in common interest and shall always be accountable for the privilege we possess.
(i) UNIVERSAL STANDARDS OF ‘FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION’ & ‘PUBLIC INTEREST’
Rights and Duties shall always go hand-in-hand. We, at EssentiallySports, strongly reiterate the same through our perception of ‘Freedom of Expression’ and ‘Public Interest’, with high consideration to the ‘Right to Privacy’ and other legal rights rendered to individuals.
Freedom of Expression:
Enumerated through Article 19 of ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)’ and Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution, we at EssentiallySports have the highest regard for the ‘Freedom of Expression’ being the foundational principle of Journalism.
It also establishes our independence from government, institutions, entities etc. and guarantees our editorial freedom which enables EssentiallySports to pursue a unique mission. However, our readers also expect us to balance our right to freedom of expression with our responsibilities to our readers and the general public, subject to restrictions in law.
Public Interest:
We, at EssentiallySports, shall always strive to operate in the public interest – creating content/covering news of significance to our audiences and being accountable to the public, at large. In our journalism standards set forth, we seek to establish the truth and shall use the highest reporting standards to provide coverage that is fair and accurate. We are impartial, pursuing to reflect the views and experiences of our content consumers, so that our content includes an extensive and diversity of opinion, more importantly, make sure that no substantial element of thought is under-represented. We are independent of outside interests that could compromise our editorial integrity.
In exercising freedom of expression, we are to offer appropriate protection to vulnerable groups and avoid causing harm to such groups. We have the highest regard for people’s privacy: only portraying information in the public domain where the public interest outweighs an individual’s “legitimate expectation of privacy”.
We have a particular obligation towards children and young individuals where they contribute to our output, we shall always strive to take due care to ensure that their dignity and welfare are protected by ensuring content that is not appropriate to such individuals, shall be rendered responsibly.
Note:
Irrespective of being subject to a particular jurisdiction based on our origin, our legal accountability and standards set shall be in sync with what is expected universally while respecting rights and obligations in the world of diverse legal and societal dynamics.
(ii) CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND TRANSPARENCY POLICY
We, at EssentiallySports, strongly strive to secure the public’s trust by making a primary allegiance to the public through our transparent practices. Any personal or professional interests that conflict with that allegiance, whether in appearance or reality, risk compromising our credibility. We are vigilant in disclosing to both our organization and the public, in any circumstances where our loyalties may be divided: shall recuse ourselves from related coverage. Under no situations do we twist our reporting for personal gain, to achieve our goals unethically.
It is important to regularly review how our affiliations, personal or at the organization level, are entangled with the themes of our reporting, and when necessary, to take action. An apparent conflict shall always be disclosed, and, when presented with more pressing/blatant conflicts, we shall avoid them. We do not pursue journalism competitions or serve on award committees when groups that have an interest in influencing our coverage are sponsoring the honors.
To the extent that editorial content is made conceivable through the support of sponsors, that content shall be clearly marked as content “Affiliated” to the appropriate sponsor or shall have a distinct section on our website.
(iii) SOURCES
EssentiallySports obtains news and content from a diverse range of sources. We undertake stringent efforts to confirm the veracity of the information that is available in the world of the internet and social media, only then do we proceed to create content for the general public.
Our internal policies set the standards for creating content through sources. EssentiallySports shall always strive to provide content that is authentic, need of the hour, resourceful etc, – sources play an important role in pursuing our goal of creating a reliable and thought-provoking experience for the consumers.
As much as selecting the right source providers is important, citing such sources is the hallmark of high-quality journalism. We have a thorough process for citing and crediting such sources, when we do not deal with primary sources. Throughout this process, our ‘Editorial Leadership’ works closely with our content creators to produce quality content.
(iv) ANTI-PLAGIARISM POLICY
Plagiarism is the immoral act of replicating someone else’s prior ideas, processes, results or words without explicit acknowledgment/prior authorization of the original author and source. Plagiarism, being a cardinal sin of journalism, we at EssentiallySports strive to eliminate such a practice through our thorough internal policies and our bespoke ‘Quality Control’ mechanism.
Our Editorial team sets the standards for high-quality journalism through stringent processes to detect Plagiarism with the use of industry-leading tools and editorial evaluations.
(v) SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media is undeniably a ground-breaking aspect of today’s journalistic hemisphere, but it is our responsibility to extract the positive aspects of such an interpersonal facet in today’s world. Be it sourcing, or engagement, we shall strive to inculcate best practices. As mentioned above, we have strict guidelines on creating content from social media.
As EssentiallySports grows in relevance in the Sports Media industry, our journalists/content creators logically become relevant or influential in the social media hemisphere. Being the representatives of EssentiallySports, our content creators shall be obligated to follow the best practices on social media, by being respectful, free of bias, responsible etc. Our editorial guidelines moreover explicitly leave no room for indulging in harassment on social media platforms.
(vi) POLITICAL, SOCIAL & CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES UNIFORMITY
At EssentiallySports, we strive to balance the interests that arise from Political/Social issues’ relevance to Sports to pursue harmonious societal dynamics. Irrespective of each individual in the organization having their own Political/Social thought process, we at EssentiallySports strive to reach common ground for the sake of society.
The subject matter on such issues shall always merit our audience’s interest. More importantly, we strive to reach a common ground when expressing such thoughts by upholding universal standards of law and customary practices.
Strict standards in covering controversial aspects in the World, by not ‘Jumping on the Bandwagon’ when there is an incentive for content providers to be at the forefront of such content creation. Most issues that polarize the public involve nuanced aspects that need careful deliberation and research. In a bid to ‘break the news’ in a timely manner, media houses tend to be deficient in research and the portrayal of reality. We, at EssentiallySports recognize this as a challenge in today’s media hemisphere, and thus strive to not fall prey to the ‘Bandwagon Fallacy’.
(vii) INTERNAL QUALITY CONTROL MECHANISM
After in-depth research and multi-stakeholder deliberation, we have created a bespoke Internal Quality Control Mechanism that is befitting to the new-age digital media hemisphere. By relying on the timeless standards set-out around journalism, we have curated our editorial framework that is also relevant to the needs of today’s sports journalism industry. By recognizing the important aspects ranging from advertisement tech to SEO, we have implemented stringent compliance frameworks that safeguard our key stakeholders i.e. the readers and also to provide a thoughtful reading experience.
(vii) GOOD PRACTICES AND VALUES WE UPHOLD
Remaining true to our vision by adhering to universally accepted journalistic ethics is essential for EssentiallySports. These are the common principles we strive to inculcate in our organization:
- Truthful and Genuine Reporting
- Acting independently and free of bias
- Encouraging Diverse perspectives
- Freedom of Thought and Expression to ourselves and others
- Enhancing harmony through our work
(viii) WHAT SETS US APART
We at EssentiallySports have stringent and unique internal content creation policies, reflected through our content. As the media industry and the societal dynamics continue to evolve, it is our responsibility to stay abreast with the developments on these fronts and yet maintain the timeless standards expected in the media sphere:
- EssentiallySports prioritizes the safety and the legitimate privacy of individuals/entities. We strive to strictly avoid content based on individuals’/entities’ private information which is beyond the scope of legitimate interest as per law.
- Due to the evolution in technology platforms and the manner in which news or content is catered to the general public, it is important that we recognize the issue of ‘Click-bait’ content creation. In a bid to attract prospective viewers who have a wide range of options, there is a chance to fall prey to the ‘Click-bait’ content creation. We recognize this as a genuine challenge for media houses, and strive to eliminate the disparity between the titles and the main content. We, at EssentiallySports have inculcated stringent internal processes to streamline this issue that is taking over the digital-media hemisphere.
- The digital media hemisphere has given a platform to cover rumors or speculative content in sports. As the data suggests, speculative reporting has become “a central aspect of contemporary sports journalism”, it is the need of the hour to clearly demarcate between: what is a fact and what is a rumour. We, at EssentiallySports shall always attempt to clearly indicate/signify the coverage around rumours or speculative content. Even in the pursuit of contemporary sports journalism, we shall duly undertake the task of creating coverage that warrants the readers’ time, and that creates genuine value.
- In a world of polarized opinions and partisan agenda, in every single pursuit of ours, we at EssentiallySports shall strive to be impartial and also to provide contrasting opinion or the other side to the story as well. This approach of ours shall define our niche-journalism pursuits as an organization.
- Political Correctness vs the ‘need of the hour’ coverage that is considerate and yet exigent. In a polarizing media hemisphere, that expects the media houses to either be politically correct or be a beacon for their ideological propaganda. We, at EssentiallySports, strive to stay impartial, be compassionate to the vulnerable and provide the ‘need of the hour’ information that makes our readers less radicalized, and more informed.
(ix) WHAT IS THE ‘FAN’S PERSPECTIVE’?
“The Fan’s Perspective” is not just a mere tag line for EssentiallySports, it is everything that we intend to embody in our standard-setting and creative content creation pursuits. In the media sphere, there is a tendency to furnish content that is solely based on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) data. We, at EssentiallySports, choose to pursue topics or angles that would genuinely pique the interest of the fans, instead of SEO proficiency. Based on what would genuinely pique a fans’ interest, we then duly strive to equip our journalists/authors with high journalism standards to curate a well-rounded experience.
We at EssentiallySports aim to connect sports fans and readers from all over the world, with content at your fingertips. We are a click away at EssentiallySports.com, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and mobile applications. We deliver content on what the fans want to read about major sporting events and sports personalities. Our team is filled with passionate sports enthusiasts who also have a keen interest in analyzing and writing about the same. This corresponds to the behavior of an enthusiastic sports fan, thus the tagline, ‘The Fan’s Perspective’.
(x) ACCOUNTABILITY – COMPLAINTS AND RECTIFICATION
The standards we set at EssentiallySports also denote our duty to be transparent and accountable. We shall duly publish information around our editorial standards/frameworks through this document and shall update this document periodically, with or without a contingency.
We at EssentiallySports shall strive for perfection and accuracy in the content we provide. However, if a correction, updating of information or deletion is required; we shall immediately respond to such requests and necessitate due action.
We are open to receiving feedback or complaints with respect to our content or content strategy. And shall always strive to make a seamless content experience for all our readers, irrespective of their caste/sect, religion, colour, gender/orientation, ethnicity etc.
Email: editorial@essentiallysports.com
Updated: 02-02-2024