Editorial Policy

The Media Co-op is dedicated to providing grassroots, democratic coverage of communities across Canada. The majority of the content on the Media Co-op website is generated by members of the cooperative, though other posts come from non-members.

All content posted to Mediacoop.ca is subject to our online editorial policy. By posting to the site, you are agreeing to the editorial policy outlined here.

The Media Co-op is based on open publishing, so any content published by a user appears immediately on the site. Post are then moderated by the editorial collective. The editorial collective has final say over all content appearing on the site. Editors can approve, feature, hide, or unpublish content posted by users.

Unreviewed posts appear at the very bottom of the front page of mediacoop.ca. This is where posts appear immediately after they are published. Posts in this area either have not yet been reviewed by editors or are posts that are not deemed to meet the guidelines for approval. In the future, we will be adding functionality to the site that will insert the word "UNAPPROVED" or something similar into the titles of all posts in this category.

When a post is approved by the editors, it appears in the main body of the front page of mediacoop.ca. Editors may or may not choose to feature it in the top half of the front page, depending on its quality, relevance, news value, or urgency. Audio and video posts that are approved will also appear in the "Audio and Video" slider in the middle of the page. You can also browse back through older posts.

Posts which do not meet the minimum standards for the site may be hidden, in which case they would not appear on the front page but would still be accessible on the site at a private URL, or they may be deleted.

We used to have local sites based in a number of different cities. The locals were declared inactive at the 2018 annual general meeting and the local sites have been archived. As well, The Media Co-op network used to publish The Dominion, a bi-monthly grassroots news magazine, but that publication has been inactive since 2016.

Editorial Policy: FAQs

1. When will the Media Co-op feature my post?

The Media Co-op may choose to “feature” your post if it:

  •  is an original piece of journalism
  •  prioritizes grassroots voices
  •  provides a story or angle not covered by corporate media
  •  meets minimum standards for journalistic articles (the HMC’s Contributors’ Guide is an excellent resource)
  •  is relevant and interesting to our constituencies
  •  is in the correct format (for example, a text Story created using the Video publishing tool will not be featured)

Meeting these criteria does not guarantee that your post will be featured. If you feel that your piece posted to mediacoop.ca should be considered for featuring, do email us at info [at] mediacoop.ca – we may have missed it.

Users whose posts have been featured twice become “contributor members.” Members are given priority consideration when we are selecting paid pitches.

2. Will the Media Co-op edit my posts?

Yes, the Media Co-op may contact you to engage in an editing process.

3. When will the Media Co-op hide or delete my post?

The Media Co-op may hide your post if we find its language or content objectionable. The post will no longer appear on the front page but will still be accessible on the site at a private URL.

If this happens, you have the option of editing it to remove offending content, and then sending a request for it to be re-posted or re-featured.

Posts containing the following will be unpublished (deleted) from the Media Co-op:

  • Offensive language (see section below)
  • Defamatory remarks towards individuals or groups, especially members of grassroots movements
  • Threats towards individuals, grassroots movements, or oppressed populations
  • Hateful speech towards individuals or groups
  • Grossly inaccurate & unsupported representations of individuals or groups
  • Posts with misleading claims about authorship; plagiarism
  • Content that has the intent or effect of undermining the operations of the Media Co-op
  • Spam or advertising

The Media Co-op reserves the right to hide, delete, or unfeature any content on the site. Although all efforts will be made to communicate with users in good faith, the Media Co-op reserves the right to make such changes without explanation. The Media Co-op also reserves the right to delete user accounts which consistently violate the above standards.

4. What does the Media Co-op consider “offensive language”?

The Media Co-op makes every effort to abide by principles of self-determination in language and naming.

This means, call individuals or groups by the names they ask you to use. If you are unsure, educate yourself about language. Sometimes, members of the same social group have conflicting preferences. If you are interviewing someone, ask them what name, title, description or pronoun they would like you to use when referring to them.

Here are some examples to check out:

Avoid terms like, “illegal immigrants,” “criminals,” or “peaceful/violent protest,” which convey a moral judgment without actually telling a story. Tell us the story. Who is the person, where did they come from, why don't they have citizenship status? What, specifically, did or didn't happen at the protest?

Nobody gets everything right all the time, but the language you use in your writing is your responsibility. When possible, we'll gently remind you to check your language, or allow other readers to point out their concerns. An article loaded with offensive terminology may be hidden, unfeatured or unpublished.