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SFCROWSNEST'S GUIDELINES
FOR ONLINE JOURNALISTS
What does a SFcrowsnest journalist do?
You log on to SFcrowsnest and post news, reviews
and other content into the daily updates part
of the online magazine.
Is it technically difficult?
Not at all. Logging into the ‘Nest and posting
content is no more difficult than logging on to
Hotmail.com and sending an e-mail. You don’t
need to understand HTML code or anything nasty
like that.
How do I become a SFcrowsnest journalist?
First, you need to e-mail a sample in of an actual
news story or review you would propose posting
into the daily updates part of the magazine. Send
your sample in the body an e-mail (not as a file
attachment) to sfcrowsnest@hotmail.com
for review by an editor. Make sure it adheres
as much as possible to the guidelines below.
We view your sample article as an indication
of how you will write. A thoughtful, well-written
article that is free of hype has a far greater
chance of getting accepted than one that is sloppy,
poorly written, and full of promotional or subjective
language.
In your e-mail, please also let us know about
your relationship - if any - with any other web
sites or SFF genre organisations and/or activities.
Webmasters, site owners, and friends and relatives
of webmasters and genre-related organisations
are free to become contributors to SFcrowsnest.
However, you should be up-front and honest about
your affiliations.
Are there any requirements for being an SFcrowsnest
journalist?
Everyone is welcome to become a content or news
contributor. All you need is a passion for the
science fiction & fantasy genre and a computer
with an internet connection. While there are no
specific pre-requisites, we seek fans that have
a real interest in building a genre magazine that
is free of commercial interest, fan vendettas
and favouritism. We want fairness, fun and objectivity!
Those who still believe science fiction and fantasy
sites should be free and accessible to all, without
bias and the white noise of hot air; pomposity
and large egos will enjoy contributing to the
Nest.
Potential contributors should ideally demonstrate
a good eye for news spotting or penning original
quality content, attention to detail, and possess
an excess of imagination as well as good grammar,
decent spelling and well-honed writing skills
(in English, please).
Is there a time commitment for SFcrowsnest journalists?
There is no time requirement. Frankly, we appreciate
any time you can commit to contributing content
and improving & developing the site. We have
no deadlines and you may contribute - or stop
contributing to us - at any time.
Can I have more than one SFcrowsnest journalist
account?
No. All contributors have only a single login
and password. Creating multiple logins using different
aliases is considered abuse, and when discovered,
all such accounts will be deleted.
What kind of compensation is available to SFcrowsnest
journalist?
The Nest hasn’t never made more money than it
costs to host the zine (the shortfall sadly still
being made up by the day-job income of its owner).
So why do we keep on doing it? Well, the site
was established in the spirit of the original
Internet, which has developed a long list of successful
web magazines created by uncompensated volunteers.
The Nest offers the opportunity for the net-citizens
around the world to come together to build the
best online resource for other net-citizens to
freely read. Therefore, editors are not financially
compensated.
One of the nice things about SFcrowsnest is it’s
now become a community of volunteers who altruistically
devote their time and subject expertise just to
give back to the rest of the genre. Writers contribute
for the love and fun of it in the spirit of fostering
a free and accessible web for the SFF genre.
Who owns the copyright of contributed material?
You retain full copyright of any material your
submit – we also claim joint online copyright
so far as we need this is be able to legally post
your material on the Nest in the first place.
In practical terms, this means in addition to
SFcrowsnest you can resell or give free your material
to as many other parties as you please and will
have you. You should bear in mind that if any
of the other publishers require sole copyright
and the surrender of all your rights, parallel
publication of such material on SFcrowsnest is
probably going to be a problem for them ... and
therefore you.
SFCROWSNEST'S GUIDELINES
FOR ONLINE JOURNALISTS
1. Acceptable & Unacceptable content
- Acceptable
• Your own reviews & commentary on science
fiction and fantasy films, books, e-books, web
sites, TV episodes, computer games, RPGs, wargames,
anime & manga, comics, conferences and events.
• Commentary on, and highlighting the existence
of, news and content on 3rd party web
sites, as per the guidelines below. Subjects are
as above (science fiction and fantasy films, books,
e-books, web sites, TV episodes, computer games,
RPGs, wargames, anime & manga, comics, conferences
and events).
- Unacceptable
- Off-topic contributions
- Links to sites with weapons, adult material,
race hate, gambling and other less ethical material.
2. Be Honest and Fair
Journalists should be honest and fair in gathering,
reporting and interpreting information. You should
bear in mind:
• Under no circumstances plagiarise anyone else’s
content.
• Under no circumstances re-post content you
were not the author of. Making it clear you have
reposted 3rd party content in the body
of your article does not magically make you exempt
you from being sued for copyright theft. Always
give credit to others when appropriate.
• Identify and link to sources – online of offline
- whenever feasible. Your readers are entitled
to as much information as possible on your source’s
reliability. Provide a succinct summary, while
also including a link to more in-depth material
• Make certain that your online articles, quotations,
headlines, pictures and other content do not misrepresent;
they should never oversimplify or highlight material
out of context.
• Under no circumstances distort the content
of images without disclosing what has been changed.
Image enhancement is only acceptable for technical
clarity.
• Never publish information you know is inaccurate
- and if publishing questionable information,
make it clear it is in doubt.
• Distinguish fully between advocacy, commentary
and factual content. Advocacy and commentary pieces
should not be taken as a licence to misrepresent
fact or context.
• Distinguish factual information from advertising
and shun press releases that blur the lines between
the two.
3. Minimize Mischief
Journalists must treat sources and subjects as
human beings deserving of reverence. You should
bear in mind:
• Writing online doesn't magically make you -
or us for that matter - immune from the laws of
libel and slander. When in doubt on this point,
please don’t be rude about anyone.
• Show compassion for those who may be affected
adversely by your content. Use tact when dealing
with young adults and inexperienced sources or
subjects.
• Be sensitive when seeking or using content
about those affected by tragedy or grief.
• Recognize that writing and reporting may cause
hurt or distress. Pursuit of news is not a license
for arrogance.
• Recognize that private citizens have a greater
right to control information about them than do
public officials and others who seek power, influence
or attention. Only an overriding public need can
justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.
• Show good taste and avoid pandering to lurid
curiosity. Always be cautious about identifying
victims of crimes and criminal suspects.
4. Be Accountable
Journalists should bear in mind:
• Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
• Invite dialogue with readers over your post’s
content and the writer’s conduct.
• Disclose conflicts of interest, affiliations,
activities and personal agendas.
• Deny favoured treatment to advertisers and
special interests and resist their pressure to
influence content. When exceptions are made, disclose
them fully to readers.
• Be wary of sources offering information for
favours. When accepting such information, disclose
the favours.
5. Corrections Policy
SFcrowsnest authors and editors should strive
to post accurate information, including correct
spelling and punctuation. However, we recognize
that errors may occasionally slip through.
To correct these errors, the following procedures
will be used:
Obvious Typos: Authors and editors may
make minor corrections (obvious typos, punctuation,
broken hyperlinks, paragraph formatting) in original
posts without noting that changes have been made,
provided that they do not alter the meaning of
any portion of the post in any way.
Non-Obvious Typos: Proper name misspellings
or changes that affect word meanings will always
be corrected in the original post. But in these
cases the word "Corrected" also will
be inserted just below the title to the post followed
by an explanation to the readers noting the nature
and date of the correction. The corrected text
then will appear below the explanation.
Clarifications and Factual Corrections:
Sometimes clarifications to posts that are unclear
or create misimpressions may be necessary, as
well as corrections to posts that contain factual
errors. In these cases the word "Clarified"
or "Corrected" will be inserted just
below the title to the post, followed by an explanation
to the readers noting the nature and date of the
clarification or correction and including a description
of the specific changes that are being made to
the original posting.
More details
Guidelines for would-be
daily newsfeed journalists
Guidelines for
flash fiction submissions
Guidelines
for short and long fiction submissions
Guidelines for
book and movie review submissions
The problems
Geoff sees most when looking at samples
Summary: contributor
guidelines
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