Legal

Ethics Guidelines

Sunday August 30, 2020

the ottawan voluntarily follows the Ethics Guidelines as published by the Canadian Association of Journalists. ?

ACCURACY

▪️ We are disciplined in our efforts to verify all facts. Accuracy is the moral imperative of journalists and news organizations, and should not be compromised, even by pressing deadlines of the 24-hour news cycle.

▪️ We make every effort to verify the identities and backgrounds of our sources.

▪️ We seek documentation to support the reliability of those sources and their stories, and we are careful to distinguish between assertions and fact. The onus is on us to verify all information, even when it emerges on deadline.

▪️ We make sure to retain the original context of all quotations or clips, striving to convey the original tone. Our reporting and editing will not change the meaning of a statement or exclude important qualifiers.

▪️ There is no copyright on news or ideas once a story is in the public domain, but if we can’t match the story, we credit the originating source.

▪️ While news and ideas are there for the taking, the words used to convey them are not. If we borrow a story or even a paragraph from another source we either credit the source or rewrite it before publication or broadcast. Using another’s analysis or interpretation may constitute plagiarism, even if the words are rewritten, unless it is attributed.

▪️ When we make a mistake, whether in fact or in context, and regardless of the platform, we correct* it promptly and in a transparent manner, acknowledging the nature of the error.

▪️ We publish or broadcast all corrections, clarifications or apologies in a consistent way.

▪️ We generally do not “unpublish” or remove digital content, despite public requests, or “source remorse.” Rare exceptions generally involve matters of public safety, an egregious error or ethical violation, or legal restrictions** such as publication bans.

FAIRNESS

▪️ We respect the rights of people involved in the news.

▪️ We give people, companies or organizations that are publicly accused or criticized opportunity to respond before we publish those criticisms or accusations. We make a genuine and reasonable effort to contact them, and if they decline to comment, we say so.

▪️ We do not refer to a person’s race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender self-identification, or physical ability unless it is pertinent to the story.

▪️ We avoid stereotypes of race, sex, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status. And we take particular care in crime stories.

▪️ We take special care when reporting on children or those who are otherwise unable to give consent to be interviewed. While some minors, such as athletes, may be used to being interviewed, others might have little understanding of the implications of talking to the media. So when unsure, or when dealing with particularly sensitive subjects, we err on the side of seeking parental consent. Likewise, we take special care when using any material posted to social media by minors, as they may not understand the public nature of their postings.

▪️ We do not allow our own biases to impede fair and accurate reporting.

▪️ We respect each person’s right to a fair trial.

▪️ We do not pay for information, although we may compensate those who provide material such as photos or videos. We sometimes also employ experts to provide professional expertise, and pay for embedded activities. We are careful to note any such payments in our stories. (See TRANSPARENCY, below).

▪️ It is becoming common to be asked for payments in foreign countries, whether it’s for guides, to make connections, or to help a source travel to meet reporters. But it’s important to question the subject’s motives in such cases, and to be transparent in telling audiences what occurred (See TRANSPARENCY, below).

RIGHT TO PRIVACY

▪️ The public has a right to know about its institutions and the people who are elected or hired to serve its interests. People also have a right to privacy, and those accused of crimes have a right to a fair trial.

▪️ However, there are inevitable conflicts between the right to privacy, and the rights of all citizens to be informed about matters of public interest. Each situation should be judged in light of common sense, humanity and relevance.

▪️ We do not manipulate people who are thrust into the spotlight because they are victims of crime or are associated with a tragedy. Nor to we do voyeuristic stories about them. When we contact them, we are sensitive to their situations, and report only information in which the public has a legitimate interest.

▪️ Journalists are increasingly using social networking sites to access information about people and organizations. When individuals post and publish information about themselves on these sites, this information generally becomes public, and can be used. However, journalists should not use subterfuge to gain access to information intended to be private. In addition, even when such information is public, we must rigorously apply ethical considerations including independent confirmation and transparency in identifying the source of information. (See DIGITAL MEDIA, below.)

INDEPENDENCE

▪️ We serve democracy and the public interest by reporting the truth. This sometimes conflicts with various public and private interests, including those of sources, governments, advertisers and, on occasion, with our duty and obligation to an employer.

▪️ Defending the public’s interest includes promoting the free flow of information, exposing crime or wrongdoing, protecting public health and safety, and preventing the public from being misled.

▪️ We do not give favoured treatment to advertisers and special interests. We resist their efforts to influence the news.

▪️ We pay our own way whenever possible. However, not all journalists or organizations have the means to do so. So if another organization pays our expenses to an event that we are writing about we say so, and this includes when covering industries such as travel, automotive, the military and foreign trade (See TRANSPARENCY, below). (There are some generally understood exceptions; for instance, it is common practice to accept reviewers’ tickets for film previews, concerts, lectures and theatrical performances.)

▪️ We do not solicit gifts or favours for personal use, and should promptly return unsolicited gifts of more than nominal value. If it is impractical to return the gift, we will give it to an appropriate charity.

▪️ We do not accept the free or reduced-rate use of valuable goods or services offered because of our position. However, it may be appropriate to use a product for a short time to test or evaluate it. (A common exception is unsolicited books, music, food, or other new products sent for review.)

▪️ We generally do not accept payment for speaking to groups we report on or comment on.

▪️ We do not report about subjects in which we have financial or other interests, and we do not use our positions to obtain business or other advantages not available to the general public.

▪️ We do not show our completed reports to sources – especially official sources – before they are published or broadcast, unless the practice is intended to verify facts. Doing so might invite prior restraint and challenge our independence as reporters.

▪️ We gather information with the intent of producing stories and images for public consumption. We generally do not share unpublished information – such as notes and audio tapes of interviews, documents, emails, digital files, photos and video – with those outside of the media organizations for which we work. However, sometimes such sharing may be necessary to check facts, gain the confidence of sources or solicit more information.

▪️ Columnists and commentators should be free to express their views, even when those views conflict with those of their organizations, as long as the content meets generally accepted journalistic standards for fairness and accuracy.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

▪️ As fair and impartial observers, we must be free to comment on the activities of any publicly elected body or special interest group. But we cannot do this without an apparent conflict of interest if we are active members of an organization we are covering, and that includes membership through social media.

▪️ We lose our credibility as fair observers if we write opinion pieces about subjects we also cover as reporters.

▪️ Editorial boards and columnists or commentators endorse political candidates or political causes. Reporters do not.

▪️ We carefully consider our political activities and community involvements – including those online – and refrain from taking part in demonstrations, signing petitions, doing public relations work, fundraising or making financial contributions if there is a chance we will be covering the campaign, activity or group involved.

▪️ If a journalist does choose to engage in outside political activity or espouse a particular political viewpoint, this activity could create a public perception of bias, or favouritism that would reflect on the journalist’s work. Any journalist who engages in such activities – including running for office – should publicly declare any real or potential conflicts.

▪️ Our private lives online present special challenges. For example, the only way to subscribe to some publications or social networking groups is to become a member. Having a non-journalist subscribe on your behalf would be one solution, as would be joining a wide variety of Facebook groups so you would not be seen as favouring one particular constituency. (See DIGITAL MEDIA, below.)

TRANSPARENCY

▪️ We generally declare ourselves as journalists and do not conceal our identities, including when seeking information through social media. However, journalists may go undercover when it is in the public interest and the information is not obtainable any other way; in such cases, we openly explain this deception to the audience.

▪️ We normally identify sources of information. But we may use unnamed sources when there is a clear and pressing reason to protect anonymity, the material gained from the confidential source is of strong public interest, and there is no other reasonable way to obtain the information. When this happens, we explain the need for anonymity.

▪️ We avoid pseudonyms, but when their use is essential, and we meet the tests above, we tell our readers, listeners or viewers.

▪️ When we do use unnamed sources, we identify them as accurately as possible by affiliation or status. (For example, a “senior military source” must be both senior and in the military.) Any vested interest or potential bias on the part of a source must be revealed.

▪️ We independently corroborate facts if we get them from a source we do not name.

▪️ We do not allow anonymous sources to take cheap shots at individuals or organizations. (See FAIRNESS, above.)

▪️ If we borrow material from another source we are careful to credit the original source. (See ACCURACY, above.)

▪️ We admit openly when we have made a mistake, and we make every effort to correct* our errors immediately.

▪️ We disclose to our audiences any biases that could be perceived to influence our reporting. (See CONFLICT OF INTEREST, above.)

▪️ We openly tell our audiences when another organization pays our expenses, or conversely, when we have made payments for information.

PROMISES TO SOURCES

▪️ We only promise anonymity when the material is of high public interest and it cannot be obtained any other way. (See TRANSPARENCY, above.) And when we make these promises to sources, we keep them.

▪️ Because we may be ordered by a court or judicial inquiry to divulge confidential sources upon threat of jail, we must understand what we are promising. These promises – and the lengths we’re willing to go to keep them – should be clearly spelled out as part of our promise. The following phrases, if properly explained, may be helpful:

▪️ Not for attribution: We may quote statements directly but the source may not be named, although a general description of his or her position may be given (“a government official,” or “a party insider”). In TV, video or radio, the identity may be shielded by changing the voice or appearance.

▪️ On background: We may use the essence of statements and generally describe the source, but we may not use direct quotes.

▪️ Off the record: We may not report the information, which can be used solely to help our own understanding or perspective. There is not much point in knowing something if it can’t be reported, so this undertaking should be used sparingly, if at all.

▪️ When we are not willing to go to jail to protect a source, we say so before making the promise. And we make it clear that the deal is off if the source lies or misleads us.

DIVERSITY

▪️ News organizations – including newspapers, websites, magazines, radio and television – provide forums for the free interchange of information and opinion. As such, we seek to include views from all segments of the population.

▪️ We also encourage our organizations to make room for the interests of all: minorities and majorities, those with power and those without it, holders of disparate and conflicting views.

▪️ We avoid stereotypes, and don’t refer to a person’s race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender self-identification, or physical ability unless it is pertinent to the story. (See FAIRNESS, above.)

ACCOUNTABILITY

▪️ We are accountable to the public for the fairness and reliability of our reporting.

▪️ We serve the public interest, and put the needs of our audience – readers, listeners or viewers – at the forefront of our newsgathering decisions.

▪️ We clearly identify news and opinion so that the audience knows which is which.

▪️ We don’t mislead the public by suggesting a reporter is some place that he or she isn’t.

▪️ Photojournalists and videographers do not alter images or sound so that they mislead the public. When we do alter or stage images, we label them clearly (as a photo illustration or a staged video, for example).

▪️ We use care when reporting on medical studies, polls and surveys, and we are especially suspect of studies commissioned by those with a vested interest, such as drug companies, special interest groups or politically sponsored think tanks. We make sure we know the context of the results, such as sample size and population, questions asked, and study sponsors, and we include this information in our reports whenever possible.

▪️ When we make a mistake, we correct* it promptly and transparently, acknowledging the nature of the error. (See ACCURACY, above.)

DIGITAL MEDIA: SPECIAL ISSUES

▪️ Ethical practice does not change with the medium. We are bound by the above principles no matter where our stories are published or broadcast.

▪️ We consider all online content carefully, including blogging, and content posted to social media. We do not re-post rumours. (See ACCURACY, above.)

▪️ The need for speed should never compromise accuracy, credibility or fairness. Online content should be reported and edited as carefully as print content, and when possible, subjected to full editing.

▪️ We clearly inform sources when stories about them will be published across various media, and we indicate the permanency of digital media.

▪️ When we publish outside links, we make an effort to ensure the sites are credible; in other words, we think before we link.

▪️ When we correct* errors online, we indicate that the content has been altered or updated, and what the original error was. (See ACCURACY, above.)

▪️ So long as the content is accurate, we generally do not “unpublish” or remove digital content, despite public requests to do so, including cases of “source remorse.” Rare exceptions generally involve matters of public safety, an egregious error or ethical violation, or legal restrictions** such as publication bans.

▪️ We try to obtain permission whenever possible to use online photos and videos, and we always credit the source of the material, by naming the author and where the photo or video was previously posted. We use these photos and videos for news and public interest purposes only, and not to serve voyeuristic interests.

▪️ We encourage the use of social networks as it is one way to make connections, which is part of our core work as journalists. However, we keep in mind that any information gathered through online means must be confirmed, verified and properly sourced.

▪️ Personal online activity, including emails and social networking, should generally be regarded as public and not private. Such activity can impact our professional credibility. As such, we think carefully before we post, and we take special caution in declaring our political leanings online. (See CONFLICT OF INTEREST, above.)

* the ottawan will publish corrections in at least the same prominance of the original story

Terms & Conditions

Friday February 28, 2020

Welcome to The Ottawan!

These terms and conditions outline the rules and regulations for the use of TheOttawan.com's Website, located at https://www.theottawan.com.

By accessing this website we assume you accept these terms and conditions. Do not continue to use The Ottawan if you do not agree to take all of the terms and conditions stated on this page. Our Terms and Conditions were created with the help of the Terms And Conditions Generator and the Free Terms & Conditions Generator.

The following terminology applies to these Terms and Conditions, Privacy Statement and Disclaimer Notice and all Agreements: "Client", "You" and "Your" refers to you, the person log on this website and compliant to the Company’s terms and conditions. "The Company", "Ourselves", "We", "Our" and "Us", refers to our Company. "Party", "Parties", or "Us", refers to both the Client and ourselves. All terms refer to the offer, acceptance and consideration of payment necessary to undertake the process of our assistance to the Client in the most appropriate manner for the express purpose of meeting the Client’s needs in respect of provision of the Company’s stated services, in accordance with and subject to, prevailing law of Netherlands. Any use of the above terminology or other words in the singular, plural, capitalization and/or he/she or they, are taken as interchangeable and therefore as referring to same.

Cookies

We employ the use of cookies. By accessing The Ottawan, you agreed to use cookies in agreement with the TheOttawan.com's Privacy Policy.

Most interactive websites use cookies to let us retrieve the user’s details for each visit. Cookies are used by our website to enable the functionality of certain areas to make it easier for people visiting our website. Some of our affiliate/advertising partners may also use cookies.

License

Unless otherwise stated, TheOttawan.com and/or its licensors own the intellectual property rights for all material on The Ottawan. All intellectual property rights are reserved. You may access this from The Ottawan for your own personal use subjected to restrictions set in these terms and conditions.

You must not:

• Republish material from The Ottawan
• Sell, rent or sub-license material from The Ottawan
• Reproduce, duplicate or copy material from The Ottawan
• Redistribute content from The Ottawan

This Agreement shall begin on the date hereof.

Parts of this website offer an opportunity for users to post and exchange opinions and information in certain areas of the website. TheOttawan.com does not filter, edit, publish or review Comments prior to their presence on the website. Comments do not reflect the views and opinions of TheOttawan.com,its agents and/or affiliates. Comments reflect the views and opinions of the person who post their views and opinions. To the extent permitted by applicable laws, TheOttawan.com shall not be liable for the Comments or for any liability, damages or expenses caused and/or suffered as a result of any use of and/or posting of and/or appearance of the Comments on this website.

TheOttawan.com reserves the right to monitor all Comments and to remove any Comments which can be considered inappropriate, offensive or causes breach of these Terms and Conditions.

You warrant and represent that:

• You are entitled to post the Comments on our website and have all necessary licenses and consents to do so;
• The Comments do not invade any intellectual property right, including without limitation copyright, patent or trademark of any third party;
• The Comments do not contain any defamatory, libelous, offensive, indecent or otherwise unlawful material which is an invasion of privacy
• The Comments will not be used to solicit or promote business or custom or present commercial activities or unlawful activity.

You hereby grant TheOttawan.com a non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, edit and authorize others to use, reproduce and edit any of your Comments in any and all forms, formats or media.

Hyperlinking to our Content

The following organizations may link to our Website without prior written approval:

• Government agencies;
• Search engines;
• News organizations;
• Online directory distributors may link to our Website in the same manner as they hyperlink to the Websites of other listed businesses; and
• System wide Accredited Businesses except soliciting non-profit organizations, charity shopping malls, and charity fundraising groups which may not hyperlink to our Web site.

These organizations may link to our home page, to publications or to other Website information so long as the link: (a) is not in any way deceptive; (b) does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and its products and/or services; and (c) fits within the context of the linking party’s site.

We may consider and approve other link requests from the following types of organizations:

• commonly-known consumer and/or business information sources;
• dot.com community sites;
• associations or other groups representing charities;
• online directory distributors;
• internet portals;
• accounting, law and consulting firms; and
• educational institutions and trade associations.

We will approve link requests from these organizations if we decide that: (a) the link would not make us look unfavorably to ourselves or to our accredited businesses; (b) the organization does not have any negative records with us; (c) the benefit to us from the visibility of the hyperlink compensates the absence of TheOttawan.com; and (d) the link is in the context of general resource information.

These organizations may link to our home page so long as the link: (a) is not in any way deceptive; (b) does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and its products or services; and (c) fits within the context of the linking party’s site.

If you are one of the organizations listed in paragraph 2 above and are interested in linking to our website, you must inform us by sending an e-mail to TheOttawan.com. Please include your name, your organization name, contact information as well as the URL of your site, a list of any URLs from which you intend to link to our Website, and a list of the URLs on our site to which you would like to link. Wait 2-3 weeks for a response.

Approved organizations may hyperlink to our Website as follows:

• By use of our corporate name; or
• By use of the uniform resource locator being linked to; or
• By use of any other description of our Website being linked to that makes sense within the context and format of content on the linking party’s site.

No use of TheOttawan.com's logo or other artwork will be allowed for linking absent a trademark license agreement.

iFrames

Without prior approval and written permission, you may not create frames around our Webpages that alter in any way the visual presentation or appearance of our Website.

Content Liability

We shall not be hold responsible for any content that appears on your Website. You agree to protect and defend us against all claims that is rising on your Website. No link(s) should appear on any Website that may be interpreted as libelous, obscene or criminal, or which infringes, otherwise violates, or advocates the infringement or other violation of, any third party rights.

Your Privacy

Please read Privacy Policy

Reservation of Rights

We reserve the right to request that you remove all links or any particular link to our Website. You approve to immediately remove all links to our Website upon request. We also reserve the right to amen these terms and conditions and it’s linking policy at any time. By continuously linking to our Website, you agree to be bound to and follow these linking terms and conditions.

Removal of links from our website

If you find any link on our Website that is offensive for any reason, you are free to contact and inform us any moment. We will consider requests to remove links but we are not obligated to or so or to respond to you directly.

We do not ensure that the information on this website is correct, we do not warrant its completeness or accuracy; nor do we promise to ensure that the website remains available or that the material on the website is kept up to date.

Disclaimer

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we exclude all representations, warranties and conditions relating to our website and the use of this website. Nothing in this disclaimer will:

• limit or exclude our or your liability for death or personal injury;
• limit or exclude our or your liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
• limit any of our or your liabilities in any way that is not permitted under applicable law; or
• exclude any of our or your liabilities that may not be excluded under applicable law.

The limitations and prohibitions of liability set in this Section and elsewhere in this disclaimer: (a) are subject to the preceding paragraph; and (b) govern all liabilities arising under the disclaimer, including liabilities arising in contract, in tort and for breach of statutory duty.

As long as the website and the information and services on the website are provided free of charge, we will not be liable for any loss or damage of any nature.

Privacy Policy for The Ottawan

Friday February 28, 2020

At The Ottawan, accessible from https://www.theottawan.com, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by The Ottawan and how we use it.

If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us.

This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in The Ottawan. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website.

Consent

By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.

Information we collect

The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information.

If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.

When you register for an Account, we may ask for your contact information, including items such as name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number.

How we use your information

We use the information we collect in various ways, including to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain our webste
• Improve, personalize, and expand our webste
• Understand and analyze how you use our webste
• Develop new products, services, features, and functionality
• Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service, to provide you with updates and other information relating to the webste, and for marketing and promotional purposes
• Send you emails
• Find and prevent fraud

Log Files

The Ottawan follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. All hosting companies do this and a part of hosting services' analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users' movement on the website, and gathering demographic information. Our Privacy Policy was created with the help of the Privacy Policy Generator and the Privacy Policy Template.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Like any other website, The Ottawan uses 'cookies'. These cookies are used to store information including visitors' preferences, and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users' experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors' browser type and/or other information.

Advertising Partners Privacy Policies

You may consult this list to find the Privacy Policy for each of the advertising partners of The Ottawan.

Third-party ad servers or ad networks uses technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on The Ottawan, which are sent directly to users' browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit.

Note that The Ottawan has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

Third Party Privacy Policies

The Ottawan's Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options. You may find a complete list of these Privacy Policies and their links here: Privacy Policy Links.

You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers' respective websites. What Are Cookies?

CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information)

Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to:

Request that a business that collects a consumer's personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers.

Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected.

Request that a business that sells a consumer's personal data, not sell the consumer's personal data.

If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

GDPR Data Protection Rights

We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following:

The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service.

The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete.

The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.

The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

Children's Information

Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity.

The Ottawan does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.