FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn about the most commonly addressed inquiries that we get about our publication.

What are the biggest differences between “The International Telegraph” and other news publications?

There are 4 major differences between our news publication and every other publication in the world.

Transparency – Our innovative editing process incorporates a tagging strategy that allows readers to be able to evaluate and analyze the value, perspective and credibility of an article that they are reading.
Uncensored – Our editing process does not involve any “proofing” of an article for content, grammar, profanity, agenda, etc. We deliver the raw and uncensored voice/thoughts of our correspondents for our readers to process and validate from their own minds.
Profit Sharing – The Independent Telegraph has a unique business process that features profit sharing its advertising revenue with all of our independent correspondents.
We work for our correspondents, our correspondents do not work for us!

Why don’t you censor or proof the articles in your publication?

The founders and editorial staff of “The International Telegraph” believe that the right to free speech extends beyond the benefits afforded the conveyor of the “message”. We believe that it also protects the rights of the receivers of the “message” to get the true, unfiltered and unadulterated version of the message as it was originally intended/delivered.

“We the people” DESERVE the truth. “We the people” DESERVE the ability to analyze and discern the information that is conveyed to us without it being either watered down or embellished in any way. “We the people” DESERVE to know the thoughts, perspectives and agendas of our peers.

The right to free speech is MEANT for journalism and is PROTECTED by the constitution for journalism. It is NOT intended (or protected) for social media or privately owned platforms. If “We the people” cannot get the TRUTH about one another’s views, opinions, agendas, etc. from our NEWS then where do we expect to get it from?

Do you really believe that “anyone” can be a journalist?

It is not a matter of what WE believe. It is a matter of fact. Journalism is not restricted to some professional credential or criteria. Literally ANYONE can be a journalist. With that being said, not everyone will be a GOOD or CREDIBLE journalist! This is why journalism is broken up into so many different categories; ranging from “objective journalism” to “satire” (and many categories in between).

The International Telegraph takes care to help the readers identify what categories of journalism they are reading so that they may analyze and evaluate for themselves the credibility and validity of the information/message being conveyed.

Are journalists required to tell you the truth?

Unfortunately, NO! And that is the sad truth of the matter that The International Telegraph aims to counteract. Truth is, sadly, very subjective and facts are very often a matter of interpretation and/or contingent upon the reliability of the source.

It is up to YOU, the reader, to discern for yourself what is “truth” and what is “fact” inside of journalism. This loophole allows pundits (self-proclaimed experts) to have varying levels of actual expertise AND to mask themselves among individuals who have actual academic and/or peer-reviewed credentials on the respective subject being discussed. There are many other examples of how journalists use the “truth” loophole to promote misinformation. For example, “satire” can be used to pose a perspective using extreme sarcasm OR to flat out deliver a story completely void of factual accuracy.

The real question is “how does the reader know the difference?” The first step to knowing what is truth or facts and what is something other than truth or facts is to know WHAT type of journalism that you are reading. We feel that it is the responsibility of the editorial staff to inform the reader of the nature of the type of journalism that they are being delivered so that they can begin to evaluate the article for validity and credibility using their own discernment.

We encourage ALL of our correspondents to properly cite their sources utilizing the standard APA format. We also provide tools on the backend to make source citation as easy and painless as possible. If we find that an article is purely subjective, the editorial team will tag it as such and recommend that the article be revised! However, we will still publish the article in the manner that the correspondent ultimately opts to deliver it. Unproofed! Uncensored!

What do you mean by you work for your correspondents?

We mean exactly that!

We are a publisher. And as a publisher we work for our authors. Our authors are not employed by us. We provide publishing services on their behalf and publish and promote their content to the world for distribution and consumption.

The International Telegraph very specifically focuses on ONLY publishing journalist/photojournalist content. …or NEWS, as some might say.

Similar to how a music publishing company or a recording company might provide services for independent artists to record, publish and distribute their professional work, we provide services for independent (or freelance) journalists to distribute their professional work.

If you only work with freelance journalists does that mean that your publication is producing “fake news”?

That is as ridiculous a notion as thinking that a recording studio that works with independent artists is producing “fake music”!

Good music is good music and horrible music is horrible music. Major labels are responsible for some of the worst music in history and mainstream media outlets are responsible for some of the worst journalism (propaganda) in history.

The difference is that there is no way to analyze and evaluate if a recording studio is putting out music that meets (or not) respectable music standards or if it is just cookie-cutter trash. The International Telegraph impartially assigns tags that help the reader identify what standards a particular article is delivered at according to the generally accepted journalistic guidelines.

The bottom-line is this. You may find an article very interesting and entertaining, and it can be HORRIBLE journalism. You may find an article extremely boring and rote and it can be OUTSTANDING journalism. We focus on the latter aspect of both scenarios, and clearly identify those standards to the reader. For this reason it is very likely that our journalists are far more motivated to produce high quality news articles than those that work for mainstream special interest publications.

Does that mean that a journalist has to pay to be published in your publication?

No…and yes!

We only publish content from our clients. So while it is absolutely impossible for a random freelance journalist to pay us and get their article published (the “No” part of the answer), our clients do pay us for our professional services as a publishing company (the “Yes” part of our answer).

With all of that being said, we do pride ourselves in believing that we provide THE elite service for any freelance correspondent who wants to turn their passion for journalism into a legitimate revenue generating business. The ability to be published in our “newspaper” is just the tip of the iceberg!

We also have a few paid independent contractors on our payroll that work directly with the editor to bring forth stories that express the voice and views of the editorial staff.

How do you help freelance journalists make money through your publishing company?

There are many ways a correspondent is able to generate revenue utilizing our services.

Ad Revenue – Our correspondents are able to embed ads directly into their articles or import content from external channels (i.e. youtube) that they are paid from ad revenue. 100% of that revenue is theirs to keep.
Endorsements – We assist our correspondents in securing relevant endorsement deals with brands that align with their own. Our company keeps a 20% commission on every deal we facilitate.
Profit Sharing – Our publication shares 50% of our ad revenue (split evenly) with our correspondents.
Vertical Markets – We assist our clients in utilizing their press credentials and influence to generate income in other professional areas of interest. For example, several of our correspondents are professionals in the entertainment industry. We consult them on how to leverage their work as a freelance journalists to significantly improve their networking, booking, merchandising and other revenue generating opportunities. 100% of that revenue is theirs to keep.
Co-branded Joint Ventures – On case-by-case basis we may establish joint venture partnerships with (or between) our best correspondents for special promotional projects.
Independent Contracts (offered only to a few, exclusive journalists that are selected by the editorial staff).

Do you offer your correspondents more benefits than what was mentioned in the previous question?

Of course! Much more… Far too extensive to cover in a FAQs post.

This publication was founded and is administered by freelance journalists. We are independent correspondents ourselves and we know a few things about the beat!

Whether you want to do journalism full-time, or you want to utilize it to leverage the success of your brand in other markets, our solutions are an absolutely invaluable tool to bringing those goals to fruition.

How do you hold your correspondents accountable?

This is an excellent question and a topic that we take VERY seriously!

All of our correspondents are subject to a strict Code of Ethics for members of the press and face various penalties and consequences for violations of this code. Serious infractions include criminal charges and potentially subsequent conviction.

Additionally, all of our correspondents carry a journalist rating that is awarded by the editorial staff. This rating takes into account the quality of content published by the correspondent as well as their compliance with the code of conduct.

So, a journalist can be fired?

As we mentioned earlier, the journalists don’t work for us so it is impossible to be “fired” technically. However, similar to entertainers or professional athletes, a journalist can be released from their contract and no longer be able to publish with us or utilize our services.

This can happen for a variety of reasons from not meeting publishing quotas (minimum of 1 article per quarter) to violations of the code of ethics. For all intents and purposes we would consider them to be “fired“, yes!

What are the code of ethics for journalists that you promote and follow?

We subscribe and hold ourselves accountable to the code of ethics as outline by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, “SPJ is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.”

The code of ethics can be read and downloaded HERE.