East Post follows a standard operating procedure while dealing with freelancers who contribute content to the publication.
Assignment editor
When East Post’s editorial team selects a freelance journalist’s pitch, an assignment editor will be assigned to that freelance journalist, who will be the single point of contact during the entire tenure of the project.
The assignment editor will maintain clear and consistent communications about the commissioned work, including but not limited to sensitive reporting issues, deadlines, source protection, publication timing, types of images and/or video, and previously negotiated reimbursable expenses. Such communication may also include discussions on physical and digital safety when the freelancer journalist and the editor agree they are necessary.
The assignment editor will provide support, which the freelance journalist may require in completing the project and ensure that the story is submitted within the agreed deadline and published accordingly.
Written contract
The terms and conditions for any accepted submission will be outlined in a written contract, negotiated by the freelancer and East Post and executed by both parties. The contract will include the subject of the commissioned work, the deadline, approximate length (if applicable), the intellectual property rights granted to East Post, and payment terms, including but not limited to the amount, any kill-fee terms, and the payment dates/cycle.
Intellectual property rights
Any freelance journalist’s grant of intellectual property rights in a contract is quite important. East Post acknowledges this and negotiates a freelance journalist’s grant of intellectual property rights in the contract with utmost diligence.
While commissioning the story, East Post’s assignment editor will ensure that the freelancer journalist does not infringe any copyrights, especially when using photographs, videos or other intellectual properties without prior permission.
East Post will provide credit to its freelance journalists for the content that they produce. In the case of sensible reporting, it also grants them the freedom to publish the work under the house’s name.
Editing
East Post reserves the exclusive right to further edit the freelance journalist’s proof-checked and copy-edited work while ensuring such editing does not alter the story’s meaning or findings.
Source protection
East Post prefers to attribute information directly to its source as a responsible media house. Sometimes, however, the only way an important story can be told is by relying on the accounts of individuals who would face serious repercussions if their identities were revealed.
East Post realises the importance of such anonymous sources in certain stories, especially those that attract significant risks to the whistle-blower’s safety. It is committed to protecting such vulnerable sources from any form of retaliation.
In such cases, East Post’s editorial team collaborates with its freelance journalists (and even with staff reporters for in-house stories) to ensure that the decision to grant anonymity is justified and that any reported facts are corroborated.
East Post strives to provide its readers with as many details as possible to contextualise and establish the credibility of anonymously-sourced information without compromising the source.
Payment of fees
East Post ensures that the payment for the stories and the kill fees match the type, complexity and length of the project worked on by the freelance journalist. Before finalising the draft of an agreement, East Post’s editorial team will negotiate the financial terms with the freelance journalist, and the negotiated amount shall be mentioned in the agreement.
If a freelance journalist continues contributing more stories to East Post, either new arrangements can be made for each story, or a separate annexure can be added to the existing contract per the assignment’s bespoke requirements.
Confidentiality
East Post expects that the freelance journalist will not submit the story to other entities. Moreover, East Post will not deliberately assign any such assignment pitched by a freelance journalist to any of its staff reporters, special correspondents or other freelance journalists.
However, in certain cases, depending upon the topic or nature of stories, it may be possible that a similar assignment can also be commissioned from another freelancer if that proposal is based on information that is not demonstrably public and involved substantial original research by the other freelancer journalist, conceived independently by them, without prompting from the editors.
Both parties understand that the pitch submission does not create a confidential, fiduciary, or other relationship.
Travel and risk coverage support
Before commissioning a story, the assignment editor and the freelancer journalist will discuss whether the assignment involves travel to and/or reporting in a dangerous location, conflict zone, or other location where the freelancer journalist could be exposed to the possibility of harm.
East Post may conduct a risk assessment study depending on the nature of the risk. East Post may provide additional expertise in evaluating such risks for the freelancer journalist; however, it is acknowledged that the freelancer’s experience in such conflict zones is a significant factor in commissioning such “risky” work.
East Post will provide press credentials indicating the freelancer’s contractual affiliation with the organisation when appropriate and necessary.
Equipment and expenses
East Post may or may not pay for the travelling expenses and other miscellaneous expenses incurred by the freelance journalist during the assignment unless such terms are mentioned in the agreement.
Moreover, if the freelance journalist has not sought any equipment support/expenses from East Post while submitting the pitch to complete the project, no such expenses or support shall be provided by East Post. It’s considered that while submitting the pitch, the freelance journalist is aware of the requirements of equipment or travel expenses and is able to use their means for the same.