Editorial policy of Gwara Media
1. Our mission
As a local media from Kharkiv, we focus on social changes and possible solutions. We want to see Kharkiv and Ukraine strong, modern, and democratic, so our journalistic work contributes to civil society development.
We believe Kharkiv to be attractive to international audiences, tourists, students, businessmen, and stakeholders. Our mission is to provide information and represent the city in the world.
2. Our impact
Each Gwara Media publication helps the reader learn more about Kharkiv city and Oblast – from the history of the Kharkiv metro to in-field reports from liberated territories.
We focus on the following types of content:
- Local people and communities’ stories. We let Kharkiv residents speak for themselves.
- Fact-checking. We conduct investigations based on the news received by our fact-check bot PEREVIRKA, using the principle of evidence and OSINT.
- News. We cover the local events relevant for those who visit Kharkiv or are interested in the region.
- Documentary. We choose the uncovered areas and great stories that do not get old with time.
3. Truth, impact, respect
In Gwara Media, the author of the publication can write only about the issues they have experienced, witnessed, or researched.
3.1 Truth. We provide the reader with only verified facts, our content is original, and we do not repeat other people’s opinions but make our own conclusions.
3.2 Benefit. Everything Gwara Media does should be useful to the reader. Any publication should be helpful, informative and tell something new. We do not write just to gain the words or pages number. When creating each sentence and publication, we ask ourselves “What benefit will this content bring to the reader?” If there is no answer, there is no story.
3.3 Respect. Our audiences are equal to us. We do not consider the reader not intelligent enough, we do not speak to the audience arrogantly, positioning ourselves as the ultimate truth. We express our respect with restrained humor, intellectual content, appropriate explanations of unfamiliar terms and context, and communication ethics adherence.
4. Articles are not removed
We do not remove the materials published on Gwara Meda. It means we are fully responsible for the articles and visual materials that we have released on the portal.
In case the representatives of power structures, individuals, or legal entities make claims on the publication content, the Gwara Media editorial office only makes corrections to the material. In case of a lawful, legally-grounded requirement to remove the publication, its place takes an honest explanation of why we had to remove the article.
4.1. How exactly do we inform the reader about the changes? At the end of the publication or directly in the paragraph that needs correction, we put the UPD mark and indicate the time and date of the corrections made. Next, we explain what was replaced and why.
5. Advertising
We do not publish the submitted press releases. Instead, we discuss partner placement conditions. We can put up a banner, support our partners, feature on social media, or create our own story. Commercial projects and brands can cooperate with us as advertisers. The editors may refuse access to advertising without explaining the reasons. All published materials remain forever.
6. Fact-checking
Fact-checking in Gwara Media is an element of respect for the reader and a way to protect the publication from accusations of falsehood. We make sure that each author`s or speaker’s statement has a clear and understandable evidence base.
7. Legality
Gwara Media is an information agency that is registered following the law and carries out information activities to provide information services by collecting, processing, creating, storing, and preparing information for distribution, issuing and distributing information products, distributing informational messages, reference information, commercial offers, and announcements, as well as earning profit from the sale of copyrighted information and advertisements placement.
Having a clear purpose and goals for its activity, our organization cannot bypass the law and the legal field of both our country and international law as a whole. All the activities of our company are primarily based on the Basic Law – the Constitution of Ukraine, based on international legal acts, as well as on several specialized Laws of Ukraine, in particular, the Law of Ukraine “On Information Agencies”, the Law of Ukraine “On Information”, bylaws regarding editorial activities and activities of journalists, etc.
All our publications and materials comply with the standards and norms of the law and do not contain information that promotes the violation of human rights and freedoms, honor and dignity, racial intolerance, gender inequality, discrimination based on language, culture, politics, religion or other characteristics, calls aimed at the liquidation of the independence of Ukraine or another country, change of the constitutional system by violent means, violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, undermining of its security, illegal state power seizure, propaganda of war, violence, incitement of inter-ethnic, racial, religious enmity, encroachment on human rights and freedoms, public health, etc.
8 External stakeholder’s interaction
8.1 No patronage. We do not cooperate with projects that are carried out “under the patronage” (conceptually or with inscriptions on banners) of an individual who is a public servant, politician, or plans to become one in a five-year perspective. Even if this person makes important, at first glance, projects, most often these are tactical steps without a thorough strategy integrating personal ambitions.
Moreover, we want to live in a developed society where city administrations do their work and provide an opportunity to implement public and social projects without patrons.
Our investors are our readers, advertisers, with whom we interact transparently, and non-profit organizations or international funds that support democracy and sustainable development in the world.
If the material is created with the financial support of our readers, brands, or donors, it will have the corresponding remark on the website.
8.2 Interactions with city and regional administrations. To implement influential initiatives, we cooperate with city, regional, and district administrations. Civil servants in such administrations should be professionals hired at the expense of taxpayers. We are determined to cooperate with state bodies to obtain information, implement projects and initiatives, control their implementation, and stimulate transparency and accountability to our readers.