Become an Author

Most of Newsido is assembled from published sources by machine. Authors are the exception: people who write for Newsido in their own name, and whose posts can appear in Explore and in readers' feeds rather than only on their own profile.

What an author is

Any Newsido account can post, and anything you post is visible on your profile. An author account is one we have looked at and decided to distribute: your posts become eligible for Explore and for the topic channels, which is a much larger audience and therefore a much larger responsibility.

Author status is about editorial trust, not about identity. That is what a verified badge is for, and the two are separate: you can be one without the other.

Who we are looking for

Newsido's whole promise is "what this means for you". So the writing we want is the writing that answers that question from the inside:

• Local knowledge. Someone who knows how their council actually works, and what the planning decision on page 40 will really do.
• Trade and sector knowledge. Builders, drivers, landlords, mortgage brokers, energy engineers, publicans, hauliers — people who can say what a rule change looks like on a Tuesday morning.
• Explainers. Anyone who can take something genuinely complicated — a rate decision, a benefit change, a court ruling — and make it plain without making it wrong.
• First-hand reporting. If you go to the meeting, the court or the site and write down what happened, we want to read it.

You do not need to be a journalist, and you do not need a following. You do need to be able to write clearly and to be right.

Before you apply

We are reviewing a real person and a real body of work, so give us something to review:

• Fill in your profile — a real name or the name you write under, a profile picture, and a bio that says what you know about and why.
• Post a few pieces to your profile first. Three or four good ones tell us far more than thirty thin ones.
• Make sure your email address on the account works, because that is how we will reach you.

How to apply

Go to Settings › Authorship and use the option to switch to an author account. That sends us a request and the page will then show it as pending. There is nothing else to fill in.

If you would rather tell us about yourself properly — and it does help — email [EDITORIAL EMAIL] with your username, what you would write about and a link or two to work you are proud of.

We read every request by hand. You will hear back either way. If it is a no, it will usually be because there was not enough work on the profile yet to judge, and you are welcome to reapply. There is no charge to apply and no charge to be an author.

What we expect from authors

• Be accurate. Check it. Where a figure or a claim came from somewhere, say where.
• Be your own voice. Do not pass off someone else's work, and do not post AI-written filler. Newsido already has a machine; it does not need a second one.
• Declare an interest. If you are paid by, work for, or stand to gain from someone in the story, say so in the post. This one is not negotiable.
• No advice. You can explain how a mortgage or a tax change works. You cannot tell readers what to buy, sell or invest in.
• Nothing paid, unless it is labelled. Sponsored or promotional content must be clearly marked as such, or not published.
• Be decent. Our Terms of Service apply to you the same as to everyone, and the wider reach means we hold you to them more firmly.
• Correct it yourself. If you get something wrong, correct it and say that you have. That is what makes a correction worth anything.

Your work stays yours

You keep the copyright in everything you write. By publishing it on Newsido you give us permission to host, format and distribute it as part of the service — including in feeds, previews and notifications — for as long as you leave it up. Take it down and that permission ends. You are free to publish the same piece elsewhere. See section 6 of the Terms of Service.

Money

We are not going to pretend there is a cheque. Newsido does not currently pay authors, and being an author is not a job offer. What it gives you is distribution, a byline and a link back to whatever you do. If that changes, we will say so on this page rather than quietly change the arrangement.

Losing author status

We may remove author status if the standards above are not met — repeated inaccuracy, an undeclared interest, unlabelled paid content, plagiarism, or breaking the Terms of Service. We will tell you why. Your account and your existing posts remain; the wider distribution stops.

Questions

Email [EDITORIAL EMAIL]. If you are unsure whether what you write is a fit, ask us before you spend a week on it.

See also: About, Verification Rules, Help Centre.