संपादकीय नीति

Rudrapur City exists to get important information about the city to people accurately, quickly and clearly. Being right matters more than being first.

• A source and a time on every news item and every alert.
• A clear label on anything that is not confirmed.
• Open correction when we get something wrong.
• No side taken for any party or politician.
• No story published in return for money or any other benefit.

• Every news item from a feed shows the publisher's name (for example Amar Ujala) and its publication time. We show only the headline and the link, never the story's description, photos or full text.
• The story belongs to its original publisher, who owns the rights in it. "पूरी खबर पढ़ें" (read the full story) takes you to their website.
• When the same story appears in several places we show it once and list the other publishers alongside.
• Stories we write ourselves carry the source "रुद्रपुर सिटी" (Rudrapur City).
• Every alert says who gave the information (for example a department announcement or a reader's report) and when.
• Feed news appears automatically. Rudrapur and Pantnagar stories come first, and political stories are limited on the home page so that civic information is not crowded out.
• The editor can pin a story to the top, or hide one that is not about Rudrapur, is a duplicate, or breaks this policy. No story is hidden to please or displease anyone.

Two kinds of picture appear on the site: our own simple drawings (category artwork), and real photographs, either taken by the editor or freely licensed. A photograph is never used to decorate a story; it appears only when the picture itself is true information.

• We never show a publisher's photo, thumbnail or description from a feed: only the headline, the publisher's name, the time and the link. Those cards carry our own category artwork instead of a photograph, so that no picture can suggest something about a story we did not report ourselves.
• A photograph appears only where it truthfully shows its subject: a place, an event, a workplace for a job, or a report we wrote ourselves. A picture of somewhere else, or of another occasion, is never used in its place.
• Every image carries alt text describing it, in Hindi and also in English on the English pages, so that people using a screen reader, and anyone whose images do not load, still get the whole meaning.
• A licensed photograph carries its photographer's name, the licence and a link to the original file page, under the picture on the page where it is shown in full. Without a credit and a source link such a photograph never reaches the site at all, and the complete list of them is kept in our records.
• We do not publish a photograph in which a private individual can be identified without that person's permission, and we never publish a photograph of a child (under 18).
• Photographs of a crime or accident scene, of people injured or killed, and any image that targets a community or would raise tension between communities, are not published anywhere on the site.
• An image is never the only carrier of information. With images turned off, or on a slow connection where they do not load, the words on the page still carry the full meaning.
• If you find a photograph of yourself or your family and want it removed, tell us through "गलती बताएं" (report a mistake) at rudrapurcity.com/submit?type=correction or at to be added soon. Such complaints are handled first.

• "अपुष्ट" (unverified) — a reader supplied this and it has not yet been confirmed by an official source. Treat it with caution.
• "तिथि पुष्टि बाकी" (date to be confirmed) — the date of the event or festival is not final yet. The label is removed once the organiser or an official notice confirms it.
• "आधिकारिक वेबसाइट से" (from official website) — the number or information is published on the official website of a government department or institution. A link to that page and the date we checked it are shown.
• "कॉल करके जांचा" (verified by call) — the editor called the number and confirmed it reaches the right place. The date of the check is shown.
• "राष्ट्रीय नंबर" (national number) — a helpline that works across India, such as 112.
• "जांच बाकी" (not yet verified) — the number has not been checked yet. Confirm it yourself before relying on it.

• A power, water, road, school or weather alert is treated as confirmed only when there is an official notice: a department website, a press note, an official social-media account of the authority, or a notice printed in a newspaper. The source name and link are shown.
• A reader's report that matters for safety or daily life (for example a waterlogged road) may be published with the "अपुष्ट" (unverified) label. We try to confirm it with a second person or an official source.
• For weather warnings, notices from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the district administration take priority.
• Every alert has an end time. After it passes, the alert is marked "समाप्त" (ended) and later drops off the list.

• Before publishing, the editor calls the number given to confirm the need. If that is not possible right away and the case is urgent, the request may appear with the "अपुष्ट" (unverified) label.
• A contact number is shown only if the sender clearly permitted it to be published.
• The patient's name, illness or any private medical detail is never published.
• Every request is removed automatically after 48 hours, or earlier when we hear the need has been met.
• Do not pay or accept money for blood. If anyone asks for money, tell us immediately.

• A job is published only when the company name, the work and how to apply are clear. Where possible it is confirmed from the company website, an official advertisement or HR, and the source is shown.
• Adverts that ask for a registration fee, security deposit, training fee or money for a "guaranteed job" are not published.
• Government recruitment information is taken only from the official notification or a government website. Check the last date and conditions there before applying.
• Every job has an expiry date after which it leaves the list.
• Never pay money or a registration fee for a job.

• A festival date is treated as confirmed only when two reliable sources give the same date; otherwise it is marked "तिथि पुष्टि बाकी" (date to be confirmed).
• Events are added from the organiser or an official notice. When we learn an event is cancelled it is marked "रद्द" (cancelled).
• Local phone numbers are published only when printed on an official website or confirmed by calling, and the date of the check is shown.
• A private individual's phone number is shown only with their recorded permission.

• If you spot a mistake, tell us through "गलती बताएं" (report a mistake) at rudrapurcity.com/submit?type=correction, by email at to be added soon or on WhatsApp at to be added soon.
• When a factual error in our own content (alerts, events, jobs, numbers, stories we wrote) is confirmed, it is corrected as soon as possible. If the error could have caused harm (such as a wrong number or date), we say clearly what was corrected.
• The headline of a feed story belongs to its publisher. If it is wrong we may hide it and suggest you contact the original publisher.
• If content is unlawful, harms your privacy or is untrue about you, follow the steps on the Grievance page (rudrapurcity.com/grievance). These cases are handled first.
• True information in the public interest is not removed merely because someone dislikes it.

• Rudrapur City is not affiliated with any political party, politician, candidate or organisation.
• We do not publish political advertising, election campaigning or "paid news" (stories published for money or any benefit).
• Polls are only about city services and everyday life, never about a party, politician, religion or caste. Poll results reflect only the people who voted and are not a scientific survey.
• During elections we share information such as polling dates, rules and booths only from official notices of the Election Commission or the district administration.

• Today the site carries no advertising and no sponsored content.
• If sponsored content is ever introduced, it will always carry the label "प्रायोजित" (sponsored) and appear separately from news. Sponsors will have no influence over news, alerts or numbers.
• This policy and the privacy policy will be updated before that happens. Political advertising will never be accepted.

• Today we do not use AI (artificial intelligence) to write news, alerts or any other content.
• Sorting feed stories by place and topic and removing duplicates is done by a simple rule-based program.
• If AI is ever used (for example for translation or summaries), this will be disclosed where it is used, and the editor will check the result before it is published.

• We never publish the name, photo, address or any detail that could identify a victim of a sexual offence (Section 72, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023).
• We never publish the identity of a child under 18 involved in any case: name, school, address or photo (Section 74, Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and Section 23, POCSO Act, 2012).
• Nobody is described as guilty before a court decides. Until then we write "accused" or "according to police".
• Religion, caste or community is mentioned only when it is genuinely needed to understand the story. Inflammatory content, rumours or material that raises tension between communities is not published, however viral it is elsewhere.
• Disturbing photos or videos of people injured or killed in accidents or violence are not published. Stories about suicide never describe the method.
• If the headline of a feed story appears to break these rules, it is hidden.
• We treat the Press Council of India's Norms of Journalistic Conduct as our guide.