Community Standards

NewsBreak Community Standards

Commitment to Community Safety

Our platform is dedicated to fostering vibrant, connected communities through trusted local news and information. We emphasize content excellence and cutting-edge technology to help ensure users receive timely and reliable information. We value contributions that enrich lives with locally relevant content, focusing on utility, innovation, aspiration, and compassion. Together with our publishing partners, we address community concerns that impact lives.

Core Platform Principles

Our success relies on adherence to shared principles and guidelines. We prioritize transparency to combat disinformation and reject undue influence and extremism. Our commitment to inclusivity involves rejecting discrimination and promptly correcting errors.

These guidelines complement our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary actions, including decreased distribution or removal from the platform. We reserve the right to take any action on content or profiles at our discretion. These example of violative behavior are not all-encompassing and may include other behavior.

We strive to create a safe environment for engaging with credible local news and sharing perspectives, rooted in:

Accuracy: Maintaining the integrity of information across all formats.
Transparency: Ensuring clear ownership and independence in reporting.
Accountability: Holding all users accountable for their published content.
Fairness: Highlighting diverse perspectives with factual context.
Safety: Prohibiting hate speech, harassment, and content that endangers public safety.

These principles aim to strengthen community bonds and foster trust.

Shared Community Guidelines

Our platform is designed for sharing credible, relevant information and fostering community engagement. Our guidelines ensure an authentic, healthy, and safe environment across all forms of content, including imagery, video, text, links, comments and GIFs that accompany them, short posts, articles, profile names and pictures, and embedded content.

Violations may lead to content removal or account disabling for severe offenses. Multiple violations may result in account deactivation. Users are encouraged to report content or users that appear to violate these guidelines. Please use the in-app 'Report' button found when clicking on the vertical ellipses, “⋮” menu on all comments, posts, and articles to report violations directly to our moderation team. The examples provided are illustrative and not exhaustive.

Prohibited Content

We do not allow:

Hateful Behavior: Content that discriminates, mocks, or insults based on protected attributes.

Violent Extremism: Content glorifying or promoting terrorism or criminal activities.

Promotion of Illegal Activity and Regulated Goods: Content facilitating or promoting illegal activities regulated goods.

Incitement of Violence: Content containing threats or advocating violence.

Promotion of Harmful Behavior: Content promoting suicide, self:harm, or eating disorders.

Harassment and Bullying: Content targeting individuals with threats or harassment.

Promotion of Dangerous Acts: Content encouraging risky stunts or activities.

Endangering Minors: Content exploiting, sexualizing, or created by minors.

False, Misleading or Fraudulent Content: Content spreading misinformation or fabricating information.

Election Interference: Content undermining fair elections.

Violent and Gory Content: Content without news value or proper context which intends to shock or disgust.

Nudity or Sexual Content: Sexually explicit or inappropriate content.

Intellectual Property Violations: Content infringing on intellectual property rights.

Privacy Violations: Content sharing personal information without consent.

These guidelines do not prohibit journalistic coverage of newsworthy events or informed analysis.

Detailed Standards

CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

Hateful Behavior

NewsBreak is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. We do not tolerate discrimination, hate speech, or the promotion of hateful ideologies. We do not allow:

Mocks, shames, insults, uses excessive profanity, expresses contempt or disgust and abuses an individual or a group based on one or more attributes noted above.
Promotes hateful ideologies. These ideologies show hostility towards people because of their protected attributes and go against the inclusivity that we strive towards. This includes content with symbols, logos, slogans, imagery such as flags or t-shirts, salutes or other artwork, and objects related to a hateful ideology.
Denies documented violent events targetting protected groups (eg: Holocaust denial) and other conspiracy theories with the intent to justify hateful ideologies
Promotes or glorifies hate groups and individuals as identified by reputable organizations.
Claims one group is superior to another while referencing protected attributes.
When identified as such, purposely misgenders or deadnames an individual.
Contains inflammatory religious commentary with the intent to incite violent responses from the reader.

Editorial coverage of newsworthy incidents involving these subjects is allowed with relevant context. This policy helps ensure that NewsBreak remains a platform that promotes inclusivity and safety for all users. See more details on how we fight hateful behavior in our Safety Center here.

Violent Extremism

Terrorists and related organizations are not permitted to use NewsBreak for any reason, including recruitment. Content shared in editorial coverage of newsworthy events that do not promote terrorism, and where clear context is established, may be allowed. NewsBreak does not allow:

Content that glorifies, praises, or memorializes terrorist organizations or criminals.
Advocacy or justification of terrorist or criminal activities.
Content intended to radicalize or recruit for criminal or violent extremist groups.
Use of key imagery that symbolizes terrorist organizations for praise.

Exceptions for educational, documentary, scientific, or creative contexts with clear, non-promotional intent.

Promotion of Illegal Activity and Regulated Goods

While we allow editorial coverage of newsworthy events, content that could directly facilitate or promote illegal activities is not permitted. NewsBreak does not allow:

Content that glorifies or promotes criminal activities, violent behavior, or human trafficking.
Instructions for illegal activities like bomb-making or drug production.
Promotion of illegal drugs, unapproved pharmaceuticals, weapons, ammunition, explosives, and other regulated goods.
Exceptions for legal cannabis coverage and certain gambling activities where permitted.

Incitement of Violence

We prioritize preventing offline harm related to NewsBreak content. While we support freedom of expression and tolerate hyperbolic speech as a form of disagreement, we reserve the right to remove content and disable accounts if there is a genuine risk of physical harm or credible threats to public safety. NewsBreak does not allow:

Content containing threats to kill, commit sexual assault, or harm others.
Statements advocating violence or inciting violence towards specific people or groups.
Removal of credible threats to public safety, including direct and conditional threats.

SAFETY

Promotion of Suicide, Self-harm, and Eating Disorders

NewsBreak cares about community wellness. While we support sharing personal experiences to raise awareness and find support, we do not allow content that promotes suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, or drug abuse.

Harassment and Bullying

Everyone deserves a harassment-free experience on NewsBreak. We prohibit content that targets individuals with harassment, bullying, or threats, including sexual harassment and derogatory language.

Additionally, we take a severe stance against the sharing of Non-Consensual Intimate Visual Depictions (NCIVD), including AI-generated imagery. We remove this content upon reporting and penalize accounts that share it. NewsBreak is committed to proactive enforcement, including moderator training and automated detection measures, to prevent the spread of NCIVD.

If you encounter NCIVD content, please report it to compliance@newsbreak.com immediately. We are dedicated to protecting individuals from harm and ensuring compliance with evolving legal standards.

Promotion of Dangerous Acts

Content that encourages untrained amateurs to perform dangerous stunts or activities, posing risks to themselves or others, is not permitted.

Endangering Minors

We protect minors' safety. Content that endangers or exploits minors, depicts violence against them, sexualizes them, or promotes dangerous activities is strictly prohibited.If you encounter child sexual abuse material, report it to compliance@NewsBreak.com. For immediate danger to a child, contact law enforcement.

Endangering Public Health

Health benefit claims without reputable sources.
Promotion of consuming or inserting inedible objects.
Non-expert health claims risk public health. Such claims include false cures or anti-vaccination advice.
Misleading presentation of scientific, medical, or health information without proper context.

INTEGRITY AND AUTHENTICITY

False, Misleading and Fraudulent Content

NewsBreak strives to ensure credibility and protect users' well-being and trust by discouraging misinformation or disinformation. While we take the accuracy of the content on our platform seriously, publishers, and creators are responsible for fact-checking their content. We do not allow the publishing of rumor, hearsay, or unvetted or unverified information. Attempts to introduce misinformation or disinformation, as well as fabricating information or presenting false information as fact, may result in account termination. The use of clickbait is also not allowed. Attribution is required for all facts that could be challenged, with original reporting preferred. Opinion or satirical pieces must be clearly labeled as such in the headline. For more details see the contributor and publisher guidelines respectively.

We do not allow creators to publish altered media intended to confuse, harm, or mislead. Editing for technical quality, like color correction or adding graphics, is allowed, but manipulation to mischaracterize events is not allowed. Photo edits must maintain accuracy without altering meaning, and misleading cropping is not allowed. Secretly captured video with malicious intent or in violation of the law is prohibited, except for lawful surveillance footage. Deep fakes are also not allowed unless clearly labeled and relevant to the story's subject. Composite images must be clearly indicated. In crime-related media, faces of minors must be blurred unless law enforcement releases the photo or parental permission is obtained, and faces of alleged victims should be blurred in sensitive cases if anonymity is requested.

We do not allow:

Misinformation and Disinformation

Unsupported claims presented as fact.
Unsubstantiated accusations of illegal or unethical behavior.
Promotion of harmful conspiracy theories.
Unproven rumors likely to incite violence or harm.
Content falsely implying affiliation or endorsement.
Manipulated media shared deceptively.
Coordinated inauthentic behavior.
Misleading quotations of religious texts.

Impersonation

Accounts or articles impersonating individuals or entities (EG: news organizations) to deceive.
Claims or quotes without proper citation or sourcing.

Spam

Over-frequent or automated posts to increase viewership.
Selling or exchanging accounts or permissions.
Requiring engagement to access more content.
Encouraging engagement for false promises.
Deceptive use of engagement features to improve rank.
Offers for off-platform goods/services disguised as comments.

Other Fraudulent Behavior (scams and deception)

Content that actively deceives, misrepresents, defrauds, or exploits the community for personal gain.
Instructions or promotion of cheating, scams, financial fraud, identity fraud, or unethical behavior.
There may be exceptions for counterspeech or condemnation of such behaviors, provided other policies are not violated.

Election Interference

Encouraging illegal voting or misrepresentation.
Inciting violence to disrupt a peaceful transfer of power.
Unsubstantiated claims questioning election integrity.
Information designed to impede civic participation.
False claims about election results that could interfere with the process.

SENSITIVE CONTENT

Violent and Gory Content

NewsBreak does not allow content that glorifies or incites violence or aims to shock or disgust without news value. News content must contain proper newsworthy context. Even then, graphic content should include proper warnings and avoid shocking users. We do not allow content that:

Glorifies violent criminal or terrorist organizations.
Shows violent crimes resulting in death or injury
Exploits or shocks with footage of natural disasters, war aftermaths, protests, riots, or other violent scenarios.
Displays gruesome human body parts, medical procedures, or bodily fluids to shock or disgust
Depicts animal abuse or violence to shock, glorify, or promote cruelty

Adult Nudity or Sexual Content

NewsBreak does not allow content that:

Exposes female breasts, nipples, buttocks, or genitalia, and male buttocks or genitalia outside of context (e.g., beach, pool).
Shows sexual objects, intercourse, or stimulation, including illustrated or animated.
Discusses celebrity or personal sexual history without consent.
Depicts disrobing or sexual behavior intended to arouse.
Links to porn, adult, or x-rated sites.
Focuses on genitalia in photos, paintings, or sculptures.
Promotes human trafficking or compensated sexual acts.
Solicits for sex, sexual partners, sex chats, or sexual imagery.

EDSA Exceptions

We may allow content that seems to violate our policies if it has clear educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic (EDSA) value. Examples include anti-bullying campaigns, historical documentaries, artistic comedy, and scientific nudity. Clear intent within the content is required for EDSA eligibility, but sensitive or harmful content may not be included in this exception.

CONTENT RIGHTS

Intellectual Property

NewsBreak respects intellectual property rights and does not allow improper use. When posting, ensure you have the rights to the content. We may remove content that infringes on intellectual property rights, including:

Copyright infringement (plagiarism, music, unlicensed imagery, etc.)
Trademark infringement
Other intellectual property rights violations
All imagery should be credited

Report copyright infringements to our designated Copyright Agent as outlined in our Terms of Use.

Privacy

NewsBreak prioritizes privacy and personal information protection. We may remove content violating privacy laws or our Privacy Policy. Report potential privacy violations at privacy@NewsBreak.com. We investigate and take down content that shares personal information without consent or that could cause harm. This includes:

Government-issued numbers (Social Security, passport, government IDs)
Personal information identifying individuals (ID numbers, civil registry information)
Digital IDs (emails with passwords, standalone passwords)
Medical information (psychological, physical, genetic, biometric details)
Personal contact information (addresses, phone numbers) unless volunteered
Residential information (images of private homes with GPS coordinates)
Safe house addresses or identifiable information of residents
Financial information (bank statements, account numbers, credit card details)
Business financial information unless publicly available or self-shared by the business

Expectations for other entities on NewsBreak

The above are common standards amongst all users and content creators on NewsBreak. We have separate guidelines for publishers, contributors and Local Listings/Community Resources. Click the following links to understand the exhaustive expectations for each:

Publisher Guidelines and Terms
Contributor Network Content Requirements and Terms
Local listings and Community Resources Guidelines