The Royal Observer Ethics
TheRoyalObserver.com will strive for the highest ethical standards in news coverage of celebrity news. Our job is to report on celebrities, the people involved in celebrity-related court cases and those impacted by those cases. It is also to inform and entertain people about pop culture and interesting stories from around the world.
Our creditability is built on being accurate and being fast with the news. We strive to hit both marks — but will sacrifice speed to tell complete, accurate and fair stories.
That requires TheRoyalObserver.com to continue to maintain ethical practices in providing its coverage. Here is an overview of some common media ethics and how TheRoyalObserver.com handles these practices.
Anonymous sources
TheRoyalObserver.com believes in accurate sourcing for its stories, whether that is individuals or government agencies. Sometimes that requires anonymous sourcing, especially with sensitive stories. They will be used as a last resort or to protect identities to tell complete stories of topics that aren’t easy to discuss.
All anonymous sources will be known to the editor-in-chief and cleared before publication.
Profanity
TheRoyalObserver.com very rarely allows profanity and only in cases when it can be used to enhance the storytelling. It will not be used casually or when it is not necessary to convey the message. Any concerns about profanity should be addressed to contact@TheRoyalObserver.com.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is not tolerated at TheRoyalObserver.com. Any allegations of plagiarism should be reported to contact@TheRoyalObserver.com.
All allegations will be investigated and handled. The findings will be made public.
Sometimes, news coverage means using information from other media outlets. In those cases, the attribution will be clear, and the sites will be linked for their coverage. Entire stories will never be used without permission of the original publication.
Fairness
TheRoyalObserver.com believes in fairly reporting stories. Allegations of crimes/news stories are often based on police, court documents, and witness reports. It’s not always possible to reach subjects, but any subject who would like to discuss a news story will be given an opportunity to be included in a current story or used in future coverage.
Errors/Corrections
Mistakes happen, everybody is human. TheRoyalObserver.com will strive to make quick corrections to mistakes. Any issues with stories should be reported to the editor-in-chief and will be addressed. Often that is with a correction on the original webpage with the story.
Court Documents/Mugshots
TheRoyalObserver.com will use court documents and/or mugshots when appropriate to help tell stories. They are public records and can be used to help tell the story. They are also used to inform the public about news stories and help to paint a complete picture of the newsworthy incident/happenings.
Updates
Often, stories on TheRoyalObserver.com are reported after a newsworthy event or an incident. They could be updated as cases/newsworthy events move through a court system. That could be through a new story or a simple update at the top of the story.
Removing stories
TheRoyalObserver.com does not remove stories that are accurate at the time of reporting. They are based on public records, research and fair coverage. While the staff understands that many stories are sensitive, that does not warrant their removal.
Future responsibilities
TheRoyalObserver.com understands that news stories can have a major impact on people’s life. That said, stories are accurately reported at the time and will remain available to read. Leaving stories up goes to creditability and allows TheRoyalObserver.com to accurately cover newsworthy stories. It prevents selective removal of stories in the future.
Staff responsibilities
Relationships
It is vital for TheRoyalObserver.com staff to maintain relationships with people quoted in stories or involved in court cases. In these cases, it’s essential to remain friendly with sources and sometimes discuss things that aren’t coverage-related. That being said, staff will make it clear that a journalist-source relationship exists, and that subject will always know when they are talking and could be quoted for a possible story.
Gifts
TheRoyalObserver.com staff will not accept gifts from sources, government agencies or others. It creates a slippery slope and potential issues impacting coverage in the future. The easiest thing is just to say “no.”
That said, sometimes gifts are received anonymously or through promotion. Often, they are of nominal value. IN the cases they aren’t, the items are discarded, given away or donated to charitable groups.
Conflicts
There are some cases where there are conflicts of interest in coverage. In those cases, staff should let the editor-in-chief at contact@TheRoyalObserver.com know immediately. The staff member might be allowed to work on a story because it allows a unique way to cover it. Other times it might warrant a different staff member taking on the story. These stories will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
Staff members are allowed to work on related projects — such as books or podcasts — when approved. In the case there is a conflict with TheRoyalObserver.com coverage, those issues will be discussed and a solution found.
Outside appearance
TheRoyalObserver.com encourages outside media appearances for its staff. It’s a way to spread the word about the site’s work and the staff’s expertise. All outside appearances will be cleared by management beforehand. When with other groups, TheRoyalObserver.com staff will maintain the same ethical standards and will act in a manner that represents TheRoyalObserver.com in a respectable manner.