Editorial Policy
Town Post is a news and opinion website focused on Jamshedpur and Jharkhand.
We are committed to follow these guidelines for our editorial decisions.
- Our focus, in news and opinion, remains on Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India and world, in that order.
- For news, we would spend most of our resources on covering local and state news. For opinion, we would spend most of our resources on issues relating to India.
- We stand for Indian people, Indian nation, Indians laws and Indian Constitution. We may discuss any aspect of all these entities, yet we will remain firmly committed to all of these.
- In covering news, we will try to show zero partiality to any political party. In opinion, we will try to give space to all political parties to the extent possible.
- We stand for Indian nation and its unity, sovereignty.
- For us, Kashmir is an integral part of India and PoK is also a part of it.
- We stand for democracy, constitutionalism, equality.
- We trust in capitalism, competition and free enterprise.
- We are against Maoism and Maoist violence. We support governments in their fight against Maoism. However, we also do not support police atrocities against villagers and recognize the reality that even innocent villagers can be misguided by Maoists and even be branded Maoists wrongly by the security forces. However, we will generally go with police version, unless our own reporters are in a position to add something to the police versions.
- We do not believe in communism or socialism as an economic, social or political theory.
- We are against violence, anarchy, violation of laws.
- We are for healthy discussion and debate and would give space to any idea, if written in a decent manner.
- In news, we will be blind to religion of people involved, unless religion of the people involved itself is important part of the news.
- In opinion, we will not show disrespect to any religion. However, we will encourage discussion and debate on religion too, in decent words.
- As an organisation we do not believe in any god. We will discuss gods and religions purely with an academic perspective.
- We do not believe that a supreme anthromorphic or all pervasive power created this universe with a design.
- We choose science over any religion, faith or belief.
- We believe that diversity brings progress.
- We are against religious bigotry. We are for freedom to convert one’s own faith. But we are against conversion of other’s faith.
- We give coverage to cultural and religious programs of all communities and religions.
- We respect privacy.
- In crime news, we will never name a female or minor victim. Unless our own reporter has something to add, we will generally go by official police version.
- In petty and first crimes, we will try not to give full name of accused, even if named by police and other publications.
- In serious crimes that can impact families and members connected, we will try to minimise impact by anonymising first or last names of the victims, and if felt appropriate, even of the accused.
- Our columnists are free to express their opinions.
- We respect opinions of our columnists and their right to express their ideas, thoughts.
- We think that laughter keeps an individual fit, while satire keeps the society fit.
- We respect traditional Indian thinkers like Sant Kabir, Sant Raidas, Sant Guru Nanak.
- We take pride in historical personalities like Shivaji Maharaj, Maharana Pratap and Vivekanand.
- We do not take pride in dark chapters of Indian history e.g. Akbar, Aurangjeb, Tipu Sultan or King Ashoka.
- We respect all freedom fighters e.g. Bhagat Singh as well as Abdul Hamid.
- We respect scholars e.g. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan as well as Abdul Kalam.
- We bow to Bhagwan Birsa, Sidhu-Kanhu and other freedom fighters of Jharkhand.
- We respect our defence forces, soldiers and martyrs.
- We are against casteism. We support constitutional provision of reservation for Hindu dalits, scheduled castes and tribes, persons with disabilities.
- We are against superstition. We choose science, facts and analysis over blind belief.
- In our world view, we will support democracies and indigenous communities of different countries.
- On the state policies of China and Pakistan, we will take a stand that is in sync with official position of India.
- However, we will treat people of Pakistan and China as being separate from their state policies and respect them in the same way as we respect people from other nationalities.
- We do think that Pakistan and Bangladesh have been committing atrocities against their minorities as a state policy.
(This is a developing document. We will keep changing it and adding to it as we evolve as an organisation.)
