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Privacy policy

Editorial Policy 

1. General Provisions

ThePublic is an independent online media outlet operating in accordance with Ukrainian law.

The editorial policy defines the principles for creating, verifying and distributing content, as well as the ethical standards of the editorial office.

2. Mission and social role

ThePublic publishes socially important information, analytics and original content with the aim of:

  • promoting the development of an open democratic society,
  • ensuring citizens' right to receive reliable information,
  • analyse events, taking into account their long-term consequences for Ukraine and the world.

The editorial team acts in the interests of society, not individual political, economic or other groups.

3. Editorial independence

ThePublic editorial team is independent in shaping editorial policy and making decisions about what to publish.

Any influence from:

  • state authorities,

political parties,

  • public officials,
  • advertisers or sponsors

is unacceptable and contrary to the principles of media activity.

4. Compliance with legal requirements

4.1 Accuracy of information

The editorial office:

  • verifies the accuracy of information before publication,
  • separates facts from evaluative judgements,
  • does not disseminate information that is known to be inaccurate.

4.2 Right of reply and retraction

Persons about whom information has been disseminated have the right to:

  • a response,
  • refutation of inaccurate information in accordance with the procedure and within the time limits provided for by Ukrainian law.

5. Protection of information sources

The editorial office adheres to the principle of protecting sources of information in accordance with Ukrainian law.

  • Information about the source may be disclosed only in cases expressly provided for by law.
  • Anonymous sources are used only if the information is of public importance and has been additionally verified.

6. Personal data and privacy

The Public respects the right to privacy and the protection of personal data.

  • Personal data is published only if there are legal grounds or public interest.
  • Interference with privacy is only possible in cases where it is justified by public necessity.

7. Hate speech and prohibited content

The editorial team does not publish materials that:

  • promote war, violence or cruelty,
  • incite national, racial, religious or other hatred,
  • degrade human honour and dignity,
  • violate the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Content is moderated in accordance with the requirements of the law and editorial standards.

8. Opinions, analytics and comments

Authored materials:

  • are separated from news items
  • contain reasoned positions.

The views of authors do not necessarily coincide with the position of the editorial board.

9. Advertising and political campaigning

  • Advertising and sponsorship materials are labelled in accordance with Ukrainian law.
  • Political advertising and pre-election campaigning are published only with clear labelling.
  • Hidden advertising is prohibited.

10. Corrections and updates

  • Any errors found shall be corrected promptly.
  • Significant changes are accompanied by a corresponding note.

11. Conflict of interest

Authors and editors are required to:

  • report potential conflicts,
  • refrain from creating materials in cases of direct interest,
  • disclose relevant relationships if they may influence the perception of the material.

12. Interaction with the audience

The Public is open to dialogue with readers.

Appeals, complaints and reports of violations are considered within the time limits established by law.

 

Corrections Policy 

1. General principles

The Public recognises the audience's right to receive accurate and reliable information. If errors are found, the editorial team undertakes to correct them promptly, transparently and responsibly.

The policy of corrections and refutations is based on the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Media", the Law of Ukraine "On Information" and other applicable regulatory and legal acts.

2. Types of errors

The editorial board distinguishes between the following types of errors:

  • Factual errors
    Inaccurate dates, figures, names, geographical names, quotations, references to documents or sources.
  • Contextual errors
    Incomplete or distorted presentation of information that may mislead the reader.
  • Editorial errors
    Spelling, stylistic and technical errors that do not affect the content of the material.

3. Procedure for reporting errors

Errors can be reported by:

  • readers,
  • state authorities or legal entities,
  • the authors or editors themselves.

Errors are reported through the editorial office's official communication channels.

4. Consideration of appeals

The editorial office:

  • checks each substantiated appeal,
  • analyses primary sources and materials,
  • decides on the need for correction or refutation.

Appeals are reviewed within the time limits provided for by Ukrainian law.

5. Correction of errors

If an error is confirmed, the editorial office:

  • corrects the material without delay,
  • retains the original structure of the material,
  • adds a note about the correction, indicating the nature of the changes and the date.

Editorial and technical errors that do not affect the content may be corrected without a separate note.

6. Refutation of inaccurate information

If the material contains inaccurate information that may damage the honour, dignity or business reputation of a person, the editorial office shall:

  • publishes a retraction in the manner prescribed by Ukrainian law,
  • shall publish the retraction in a proportionate format and volume,
  • adhere to the deadlines established by law.

The retraction shall be clearly separated from editorial comments.

7. Right of reply

Persons affected by the material have the right to reply in accordance with Ukrainian law.

  • The response shall be published within a reasonable time.
  • The content of the response shall not be edited, except in cases provided for by law.
  • The response may not contain illegal content.

8. Archive and transparency

  • Corrected materials remain in the site's archive.
  • The editorial team does not delete materials solely for the purpose of concealing errors.
  • In the event of significant violations, the material may be removed from publication with a corresponding note.

9. Refusal to correct

The editorial board may refuse to correct or refute if:

  • the information is reliable,
  • the request does not contain facts or evidence,
  • the request contradicts Ukrainian legislation.

The applicant shall be notified of the refusal, stating the reasons.

10. Special conditions

In the event of martial law or a state of emergency, the editorial office may act in accordance with additional restrictions established by Ukrainian law, without violating the basic principles of accuracy and responsibility.

 

Funding and Advertising

1. Sources of funding

ThePublic operates on a transparent and independent financial basis. We are not dependent on oligarchic groups or political parties, and our funding comes from the following sources:

  • Own project initiatives - team contributions, development of own products and projects.
  • Voluntary support from readers - periodic donations or participation in support programmes that do not influence editorial policy.
  • Advertising and sponsorship programmes, clearly separated from editorial content.
  • Grants and media development funds, provided that editorial decisions are completely independent.

The editorial team publishes information about funding sources that may have a significant impact on the publication's activities, in accordance with Ukrainian legislation on media transparency.

2. Advertising policy

Advertising on ThePublic complies with Ukrainian transparency norms and standards. We adhere to the following rules:

  • Labelling - all advertising and sponsorship materials are clearly marked as "PROMOTED" or "Sponsored material" in accordance with the requirements of Ukrainian advertising legislation.
  • Separation from editorial content - advertising content does not influence editorial decisions, topics or tone.
  • Prohibition of hidden advertising - hidden advertising without labelling is prohibited.
  • Political advertising is published only with labelling, in accordance with Ukrainian legislation on elections and campaigning, especially during election campaigns.
  • Social advertising may be placed under certain conditions if it promotes social goals and does not contradict editorial principles and Ukrainian law. 

3. Transparency and accountability

ThePublic strives for openness regarding its funding sources and advertising policy. When necessary, we publish:

  • reports on significant grants and partnerships;
  • a list of active advertisers;
  • explanations regarding the distinction between advertising and editorial content.

 

Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy

1. General principles

ThePublic may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools as aids in editorial work. Responsibility for all published content lies with the editorial staff and specific authors in accordance with Ukrainian law.

2. The editorial team may use AI for:

  • preliminary processing of information,
  • structuring materials,
  • language editing and style checking,
  • translating texts,
  • analysing large amounts of open data,
  • auxiliary research tasks.

AI is used as a support tool, not as a replacement for journalistic work.

3. ThePublic does not use AI for:

  • automatically generating news without human verification,
  • inventing facts, quotes or sources,
  • making editorial decisions,
  • creating content that could mislead the audience about authorship.

4. Verification and responsibility

  • All content created using AI undergoes editorial review.
  • Facts, figures, names and quotes are verified by a human.
  • In the event of errors, the Corrections Policy The Public is applied.

5. Transparency

The editorial team adheres to the principle of transparency regarding the use of AI.

  • If AI played a significant role in the creation of the material, this may be indicated separately.
  • The authorship of materials always belongs to a person or the editorial team, not an algorithm.

6. Ethics and human rights

ThePublic does not use AI in a way that:

  • violates human rights,
  • promotes discrimination or hate speech,
  • violates the right to privacy,
  • contradicts Ukrainian legislation.

7. Personal data

  • AI is not used to process personal data without legal grounds.
  • Confidential information and protected sources are not transferred to third-party AI services.

8. Adaptation to future changes

The editorial team recognises that AI technologies are changing rapidly. This policy may be updated in accordance with:

  • technological developments,
  • changes in Ukrainian legislation,
  • international standards in the field of media and ethics.