Code of conduct

Neutrality is a hoax. Journalism is always partial. Lok Sujag is partial too.

Our partiality, though, is limited to the selection of subjects, ideas, and angles from which we view and report our stories. We, therefore, are partial to the marginalised, the unheard and the silenced. This partiality defines our vision and mission.

We, however, never compromise on the universally accepted principles of professional journalism that involve a responsible, honest and fair pursuit of facts – without any fear and favor.

We also know and acknowledge that we do not have a monopoly over truth. We are always open to debate and welcome constructive criticism.

The right to freedom of expression defines our universe while the law of the land marks our limits.

All the content published by Lok Sujag is put through the highest standards of professional due diligence. It is rigorously checked for accuracy, fairness and integrity.

We do not invade anyone’s privacy nor do we indulge in slander, propaganda and hate speech.

We do not obtain information by deceit nor do we pressurize a source to part with information. We do not pay or promise to pay anything in cash or in kind in return for the information we obtain.

We do not accept any gifts and favors – in cash and kind – in return for raising a voice for the weak and the marginalized. The only exception is local hospitality limited to a simple meal or snacks.

We, similarly, do not demand and accept money to hide any information that we have and that public interest requires us to release/publicize.

We also do not seek or avail free invitations to ticketed events, discounts, or any other preferential treatment that are not available to the general public.

We identify our sources. When that is not possible, we strive to describe the sources as clearly as we can without revealing their identity.  Whenever, however, we withhold the identity of a source, we will give a reason for doing so.

Our reporters and writers do not use pseudonyms. We fully disclose our identity, motives, and methods in our work.

We do not use our press credentials to get out of situations where a law is broken. When we cover business and finance, we disclose all our business interests, financial stakes and investments pertaining to the issue/subject being covered.

We do not cover stories involving our blood relatives unless public interest requires us to do that.

We accept no advertisement from any company or institution in order to avoid any conflict of interest at institutional level.

Members of our staff cannot hold any office in a political party, a religious organization or a business/trade association. They cannot associate themselves with any group, movement, organization and cause that uses or wants to use violent means to achieve its objectives.

We do not use images showing violence, mutilated bodies and blood unless public interest requires us to do so.

We do not identify or photograph minor children who are victims of sexual abuse, forced marriage or any sort of irresponsible parenting.

We do not identify or use the images of rape victims, victims of sexual harassment and of people living with illnesses that are socially stigmatized – unless they explicitly allow us to do so. In the case of children facing these situations, we seek permission

from their parents/ guardians after informing them about the potential implications.

We take images of a person in a private setting only with the express permission of that person.

We are obliged to remove or blur the image of a person taken at a public place if that person objects to it. We do not digitally alter a photograph or a video without disclosing it to our audience. This does not include routine digital improvements in contrast, color saturation and other similar visual editing parameters related to the quality of an image. This also does not include alterations done to produce an art work.

We do not publish offensive words and profanities unless they are germane to our work. We also do not publish offensive and biased references to a person’s religion, caste, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability, facial features, apperance and clothes unless public interest requires us to do so.

We differentiate between the accused, the indicted and the convicted in all court/criminal cases.

We take the greatest care and practice utmost caution in covering stories related to religious and sectarian conflicts, communal and ethnic strife, hostage crises or any other violent situations so that our coverage does not cause further deterioration in the situation and/or jeopardize lives.
We never plagiarise  We do not lift text, quotes and images from the already published sources without attribution.

We are committed to minimizing and correcting errors that appear in our work. Readers/members of Lok Sujag Community who point out errors in our content are treated with respect and are thanked. When a correction is made, the error in the previous versions of the story is duly acknowledged. Anything unfair or factually inaccurate will be duly acknowledged, with regrets and apology where needed.

This document will be periodically updated and reviewed to respond to the rapidly changing news media landscape and the evolving rules of engagement in our news generation and consumption.

In case you have any complaint regarding any part of our work, you can raise it with our Editorial Advisory Board responsible for ensuring the implementation of this code of conduct.

You can file your complaint here: