Policies
Policies
The MSU Spokesman’s policies regarding comment sections, anonymity, content, photo use, advertisements, corrections and updates are as follows:
Comment sections policy
The Spokesman welcomes and encourages readers to engage with content and express opinions through the comment sections on our website and social media platforms. The Spokesman reserves the right to block users or remove comments that contain vulgarity, hate speech, inaccurate information and/or personal attacks, or those that appear to be spam, commercial promotion or impersonation, including those submitted using a fabricated or unverified email or display name. The comment sections are moderated by our Editor-in-Chief, Lillian Stephens, and our Social Media Manager, Jordynn Blackwell. You can reach them at editorinchief@themsuspokesman.com and socialmediamanager@themsuspokesman.com.
The only guest posts that are permitted are guest op-eds and Letters to the Editor, which must be written by individual(s) affiliated with the Morgan community.
Anonymity policy
The Spokesman anonymity policy for sources and authors follows the AP standard for anonymity, and requests for anonymity will only be granted if they fall under this standard. The Spokesman reserves the right to grant anonymity on a case-by-case basis. A request for anonymity does not guarantee anonymity. The identity of anonymous individuals must be known to the faculty advisor, the editor of the section in which their quotes or writing will appear and our Editor-in-Chief, Lillian Stephens.
Requests for anonymity that have been granted historically include but are not limited to those related to FERPA, HIPPA and Title IX regulations, members of the LGBTQ+ community whose gender/sexual identity is revealed but who are not out and individuals who would face legal, academic or professional repercussions for having their name attached to a piece.
Content policy
The Spokesman does not allow the removal of content, including but not limited to author and source names, parts of articles or quotes, articles, and photos, from online archives of its divisions once it has been published in any format. If you have any questions, please email our Editor-in-Chief, Lillian Stephens, at editorinchief@themsuspokesman.com or our faculty advisor, Milton Kent at mkent@themsuspokesman.com
The Spokesman reserves the right to determine its content to align with its mission, goals and audience. The focus of and information included in our articles is ultimately our journalistic decision. We welcome pitches and story tips from the community at submissions@themsuspokesman.com.
Photo use policy
The Spokesman does not allow staff members to release photos taken on assignment for The Spokesman other than those published in coverage. Anyone wishing to use Spokesman photographs that have been published in Spokesman coverage for non-Spokesman uses must gain permission from the individual photographer via contract before doing so. After gaining permission and signing a usage contract, users of Spokesman photographs for non-Spokesman purposes must credit both the photographer and The Spokesman when using the photos, ideally in the following format: “Photo by [PHOTOGRAPHER]/The MSU Spokesman” or the format outlined in the agreed upon contract. Failure to uphold this policy will bar users from gaining permission to use published Spokesman photos for non-Spokesman uses in the future and could lead to punitive action by the photographer as outlined in the contract.
Advertisements
The Spokesman welcomes advertisements that meet the paper’s standards for taste and suitability. For more information, please contact admanager@themsuspokesman.com
Corrections and updates
Occasionally, corrections and updates will be made to pieces that contain either inaccurate or misrepresented information or for which additional, relevant information has been obtained post-publication, respectively. The Spokesman works to minimize errors in publication and to issue corrections promptly. Corrections will be handled at the end of an article. If you are aware of an error in Spokesman content, please contact our Editor-in-Chief, Lillian Stephens, at editorinchief@themsuspokesman.com
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