editorial guidelines
editorial content is designed to inform, educate, and provide value to the reader. it is written by our staff on topics of interest to a broad array of canadians.
4 minute read
content posted on healthing includes original reporting and commentary by staff, freelance contributors and columnists, as well as opinion pieces by readers, advocacy and policy leaders and medical experts.
getty images
healthing is operated by 丹麦vs突尼斯让球, one of canada’s largest news networks with over 120 print and digital brands including the national post.
editorial content
editorial content is designed to inform, educate, and provide value to the reader. it is written by our staff on topics of interest to a broad array of canadians. content posted on healthing includes original reporting and commentary by staff, freelance contributors and columnists, as well as opinion pieces by readers, advocacy and policy leaders and medical experts.
verified voices
our verified voices program brings together trusted sources of content through our verified voice partnerships with patient associations, research institutes and healthcare industry stakeholders. these alliances offer our readers relevant, reliable and actionable information to equip them with the education they need to be active participants in the management of their healthcare. all content published under our verified voice partnerships has been vetted and comply with the healthing editorial charter.
our producers, in collaboration with healthing’s editorial team, review and select submitted content which will live in a dedicated space on healthing.ca.
advertisement
sponsored content
sponsored content is content that is paid for by an advertiser and is usually paired with content ads. it is categorized into two areas:
- custom content is any article, infographic, video or dynamic web page that is commercially produced by postmedia content works branded content studio on behalf of the client, which then goes through an approval process with the client before publishing.
- advertorial content is content provided by our clients, which is lightly edited by content works to ensure it adheres to postmedia’s branding guidelines.
in collaboration with clients, we tap into the expertise of health professionals, producers, videographers and writers to craft compelling stories. for health-related content, we will submit to ads standards canada for review and approval to ensure compliance with laws and health canada’s regulatory guidelines. our sponsored articles are published in the pages of postmedia’s iconic titles, next to editorial content from our trusted brands.
accuracy
all editorial content posted on healthing strives for accuracy, objectivity and balance.
images, excerpts and quotations are clearly attributed and fairly, faithfully reproduced. any amendments are undertaken only for clarification of meaning or context or as otherwise required by law. amendments and corrections are explicitly noted for readers.
advertisement
transparency
stories expressing a specific point of view are differentiated by labels including “advice,” “opinion” or “commentary.”
educational or informational material provided by external groups — for example, patient associations, or other media partners — is identified by a byline style that includes the organizations’ name and/or logo. further information and a link to originating content creators is also included for each story. postmedia is not responsible for content provided by third parties. any concerns or questions regarding licensed or supplied content should be addressed directly with the content provider.
paid content is explicitly identified by labels such as “sponsored by,” “promoted by,” or a label such as “paid advertisement.”
respect
many health stories deal with deeply personal, highly sensitive issues and may feature individuals with little or no experience speaking to the press. contributors to healthing must be clear with potential subjects as to why they are being approached for comment or other participation in a story and where final material may be published.
any coverage of death by suicide must be discussed with a masthead editor. stories should not include details on how a person has taken their own life. all material related to suicide will include information on where to seek help for those in crisis.
advertisement
privacy
healthing reserves the right to keep the identity of a story subject private in cases where not doing so compromises the health, physical or emotional safety of the subject.
fair comment
contributors must give the primary subjects of their stories the right to reply to relevant material prior to publication. if subjects have not responded in a reasonable time frame, stories should note what efforts were made to reach them.
corrections
significant factual errors are flagged for immediate review by senior editors. should fixes be required, they are acknowledged in a note added to the original story and corrected in the body of the text.
postmedia does not “unpublish” content or remove details (names, for example) other than for legal reasons. inquiries for a possible exception to this rule must be made in writing care of the executive producer.
complaints
postmedia is a member of the national newsmedia council. a self-regulating ethics board founded in 2015, the nnc adjudicates complaints “concerning fairness of coverage, relevance, balance and accuracy of news and opinion reporting.”
terms of use
our content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. if you have questions or concerns about a medical issue, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider. if you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, or 911, immediately. we believe in and support diverse and inclusive conversations — harassment, hateful and disrespectful speech will not be tolerated.
advertisement
for more information on postmedia’s terms of use, visit https://www.postmedia.com/terms-and-conditions/.
privacy
healthing is committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding your personal information and we always strive to be transparent about the data we collect about you, how it is used and with whom it is shared. the postmedia privacy statement (collectively, the “privacy policy”) describes how we may collect, use and disclose personal information of subscribers, customers, site visitors, etc. (collectively “you” or “users”).
for more information on privacy, visit https://pages.postmedia.com/privacy-statement/en/.
share story
