Insurgency News exists to publish accurate reporting, careful analysis, and clearly labeled opinion in an environment where trust in media institutions has eroded. These standards govern how we report, write, edit, and publish.
They are not aspirational slogans. They are operational rules.
1. Editorial Independence
Insurgency News is independently owned and operated. Editorial decisions are not dictated by political parties, advocacy organizations, donors, advertisers, churches, or outside institutions.
Writers and editors are expected to resist both external pressure and internal incentives that would distort reporting or argument for the sake of popularity, ideological conformity, or engagement metrics.
Independence does not mean neutrality. It means freedom from capture.
2. Reporting vs. Opinion
We maintain a clear distinction between news, analysis, and opinion.
News articles report verifiable facts and events.
Analysis explains implications, incentives, and consequences while remaining grounded in factual reporting.
Opinion argues a position and is explicitly labeled as such.
Opinion is not smuggled into news reporting through loaded language, insinuation, or selective omission. Conversely, opinion writers are not required to pretend they are neutral observers.
Category labels exist to protect reader trust and editorial clarity.
3. Accuracy and Sourcing
Accuracy is non-negotiable.
Factual claims must be verifiable.
Primary sources should be cited whenever possible.
Secondary reporting should be identified as such.
Anonymous sources are used sparingly and only with editorial approval.
Speculation, rumor, and unverified claims are not presented as fact. Where information is uncertain or incomplete, that uncertainty should be made explicit.
Speed does not excuse carelessness.
4. Corrections and Updates
Errors happen. How they are handled matters.
Substantive factual errors are corrected promptly.
Corrections are made transparently, not silently.
Updates that materially change the understanding of a story are noted.
Our credibility depends not on never being wrong, but on being honest when we are.
5. Language and Tone
Insurgency News aims for clarity, not performance.
We avoid:
Sensationalism
Clickbait framing
Gratuitous outrage
Dehumanizing language
Racial, ethnic, or biological essentialism
Strong language may be appropriate in opinion or analysis, but it should serve argument and understanding—not emotional manipulation.
Readers are assumed to be capable of thought, not merely reaction.
6. Worldview and Moral Commitments
Insurgency News operates from a consciously Christian worldview. We do not pretend that moral commitments can be removed from political reasoning, nor do we treat Christianity as a private sentiment disconnected from public life.
At the same time:
Scripture is not weaponized as a rhetorical shortcut.
Theological claims are argued, not asserted as slogans.
Disagreement among Christians is acknowledged where it exists.
Worldview commitments inform our work; they do not excuse intellectual laziness or dishonesty.
7. Good-Faith Disagreement
Insurgency News welcomes disagreement, including among contributors.
We require:
Honest representation of opposing arguments
Engagement with what critics actually say, not caricatures
Willingness to acknowledge uncertainty or complexity
Bad-faith tactics—misquotation, selective editing, or intentional misrepresentation—are grounds for editorial rejection.
8. Conflicts of Interest
Writers should disclose relevant conflicts of interest, including:
Financial ties
Organizational affiliations
Personal involvement in the subject being covered
Editors may require disclosure, recusal, or reassignment where appropriate.
9. Use of Technology and AI
Artificial intelligence tools may be used for:
Editing
Transcription
Research assistance
Formatting or technical tasks
AI may not be used to:
Fabricate sources
Invent facts or quotations
Generate full articles presented as human-authored work
The responsibility for accuracy and integrity always rests with the human author and editor.
10. Editorial Authority
Final editorial judgment rests with the publisher and editors.
Insurgency News reserves the right to:
Decline publication
Request revisions
Reassign coverage
Revoke publishing privileges
These decisions are made to protect the integrity and long-term credibility of the publication, not to enforce ideological conformity.
Conclusion
Insurgency News exists because many readers no longer trust institutions that claim neutrality while enforcing consensus, or outlets that trade seriousness for spectacle.
Our standards are designed to do something harder:
to report truthfully, argue honestly, and publish work that can withstand scrutiny—whether it flatters prevailing narratives or not.
