It is essential that the integrity of Kurdish Herald and its programs are not undermined by the interests of any of its writers and reports. Our readers must be able to trust the objectivity and impartiality of Kurdish Herald's output and to be confident that editorial decisions are based purely on sound, objective editorial judgement.

 

All Kurdish Herald writers and reporters are obliged to abide by Kurdish Herald Editorial Policy. In particular, it is important that there is no suggestion that any business, governmental or partisan or other interest could influence Kurdish Herald coverage.

 

Kurdish Herald Editorial Board reserves the right to refuse the publishing of any work that does not conform to the rules of Kurdish Herald Editorial Policy. Kurdish Herald Editorial Board will review carefully all submitted works and make judgements on whether to publish such works based on the strict rules of Kurdish Herald Editorial Policy.

 

Kurdish Herald Editorial Policy:

 

Kurdish Herald is an independent publication, which features critical analysis of the politics, economics and culture of Kurdistan and the Kurdistani and Kurdish people. The all-English publication produces actionable knowledge on a multitude of areas of Kurdish affairs. Kurdish Herald specifically focuses on emerging trends and personalities shaping the lives of the members of the Kurdistani society.

 

Section One: Content

 

All content published in Kurdish Herald must, where applicable undergo the following criteria:

 

1. Quality - The content must appear in well-written English, furthermore, it must address a critical assessment of the topic being addressed.

2. Quantity - The number of words will depend on the section where the content appears.

3. Originality - The content must be Kurdish-Herald-exclusive and must remain so after its publication

4. Objectivity - The content must be objective and adhere to general journalistic standards

5. Verifiability - All references used in any piece must be verified before publication

 

Section Two: Redlines

 

1. Denial of the Kurds’ right to nationhood, stating non-geopolitical reasons such as lack of components, linguistic, cultural, institutional and or territorial
2. Denial of the Anfal Campaign (1987-1988), this includes the attribution of blame to any party other than the Arab Ba’th Socialist Party which ruled Iraq between July 17, 1968 and April 9, 2003
3. Denial of the Halabja Massacre, this includes denial of the fact that the former Iraqi regime ruled by Saddam Hussein was directly responsible for the attack which occurred on March 16, 1988 in the town of Halabja.
4. Anti-Semitism, including but not to limited to the denial of the Holocaust
5. Denial of the Armenian Genocide, including using attributes that lessen the significance of the event
6. Content that can be perceived as racist or prejudiced for the various non-Kurdish components that make up the societies in the modern states of Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq
7. Any defense of honor killings, polygamy or any content that may suggest gender inequality
8. Any use of profane or vulgar language in any context
9. Any insults to any religious groups, including but not limited to the three monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and all associated figures
10. Denial of violations of human rights against the people of Kurdistan, violations that have been documented by credible human rights organizations.

Section Three: Contributing Authors

 

1. Contributing authors must use their real names, pseudonyms are used only when the author can provide extremely exclusive content and the use of his or her real name may endanger the author's or the source's safety
2. All contributing authors must be screened to ensure that they have not previously violated Kurdish Herald’s Redlines (see section 2 of this policy)
3. All contributing authors are expected to present unpublished works

 

Section Four: Opinions

 

1. The same criteria applicable to contributing writers applies to the authors of opinions
2. Opinions represent the views of their authors only
3. Opinions must only be published by

 

Section Five: Intellectual Property

 

All content published in Kurdish Herald shall be considered copyrighted material, belonging to Kurdish Herald.