Editorial policy

The New Voice of Ukraine is a part of nv.ua – an independent news outlet.

Our mission is to foster individual and economic liberty, and the establishment in Ukraine of the rule of law,and of social and cultural diversity.

Our goal is to keep our audience informed of all they ought to know in a veracious, accurate, balanced and timely manner, covering Ukraine’s politics, business, technology, lifestyle and sports.

Beyond reporting on current affairs, our editorial staff provides a platform to a carefully curated group of authors, whose opinions we deem to be valuable to our readers.

As a business, NV is not affiliated with any political parties, forces or movements. In our editorial activity we are guided solely by the value any given topic has to our readers and subscribers.

NV.ua adapts and publishes materials produced by the NV Magazine and NV Radio, with whom we share common values, mission and journalism ethics.

We recognize no subject to be taboo or otherwise off-limits.

Neither NV’s proprietors nor the management of our publisher Media-DK, exert any editorial control over NV.ua. NV routinely investigates and reports on politicians, oligarchs and corrupt officials; no individual, political party, business or state agency is beyond our scrutiny.

NV’s team recognizes the difference between journalism and activism, our mission and values notwithstanding. While we strive to treat all parties involved in the stories we report on equally fairly, our employees are free to openly voice their opinions in op-eds as well as in the blog and expert opinion sections.

II.1. Integrity and Veracity

Our journalists and editors make every effort to ensure that we publish nothing but verified, factual and authentic information.

Both the factual statements and value judgements we publish rely on clearly spelled out sources. Sources of our own are favored, since our employees can vouch for their authenticity.

NV also uses – fully credited via hyperlinks – materials published by reputable media outlets, whom we deem trustworthy. Before NV can use any news coming from Russian media or outlets tainted by questionable practices such as native advertising or fake news, it must first be independently verified by our editorial staff.

We exercise caution and intense scrutiny when dealing with press releases coming from state agencies, political parties and businesses, contextualizing and verifying them through additional sources. After all, a press release on its own is hardly news.

NV appropriately scrutinizes social media sources: we check the authenticity of related social media accounts, look for potential conflicts of interest and moral hazards, establish their affiliations – political or otherwise, and make sure images and videos were not unduly manipulated.

When reporting on various poll results, NV carefully and clearly provides the following metadata: name of the organization that ran the poll, on whose behalf the poll was done, geographical and chronological scope of it, demographical makeup and the number of participants, the exact wording of questions and response options presented, and the poll’s error margin. In some circumstances we also contextualize the poll by outlining what might have swayed the participants’ opinions, one way or another.

There are no anonymously-published materials on NV.ua – we specify the name of authors and/or editors responsible for the accuracy of any given piece, without exception.

All else being equal, we tend to favor news coming from primary sources.

II.2. Responsiveness

NV publishes news as soon as possible, without sacrificing authenticity and accuracy. Under exceptional circumstances, news of significant impact and public interest are published in a barebones “facts only” format, to be fleshed out and contextualized later.

II.3. Accuracy

NV takes special care in being accurate with quotes, given names, titles and quantifiers. Superlatives like “foremost”, “the best”, “the largest” are always used with supporting justification. We always provide the proper, original context for quotes, opinions and facts.

II.4. Fairness and impartiality

NV pledges to reflect diverse viewpoints; to straightforwardly address sensitive subjects and hot-button issues; to never conceal, omit or otherwise manipulate facts; to publish the widest possible spectrum of opinions, regardless of their political, corporate or public origin.

Materials covering controversial subjects always include diverging positions and opinions. If a published piece does not initially include input from one of the involved parties, our editors will make sure to find a way to properly present it later. NV informs our audience if any of relevant parties were contacted, but refused to engage and provide a comment.

We do not use the cover of impartiality and even-handedness to peddle ideas that subvert our civil liberties, seek to undermine Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, or promote any kind of violence or discrimination. Fairness and balance do not mean that we are to give equal treatment to an aggressor and their victims, or to terrorists and the police.

NV relies on expert opinion to provide analysis of current events, turning to verifiably competent and credible people for this purpose. We always publish appropriate disclaimers when an expert we consulted has a potential conflict of interest related to the subject of any given piece.

No political or commercial interest group can get preferential treatment in how we cover their affairs. The same principle applies to NV’s stakeholders – our subscribers, advertisers, investors and proprietors.

II.5. Comprehensiveness

NV take pride in ensuring that whatever we report on is fully contextualized, supported by exhaustive background information, and clearly answers the fundamental questions of “who, what, when, where and why.” Even our breaking news pieces always include relevant explainers and further reading suggestions on the subject at hand.

II.6. Separation of fact and opinion

We plainly delineate facts and opinions as distinctly separate, further distinguishing between our trusted experts weighing in, and comments by our staff.

In service of seizing the attention of our readers, we do employ metaphors and the occasional wordplay in the titles of materials published on our website. But that does not mean that we would ever report news under manipulative or opinion-based titles.

II.7. Sourcing and anonymity

Both fact- and opinion-based materials published by NV include their source – usually the primary one.

If a particular subject is of significant public interest, or if revealing the source would jeopardize their life, health or livelihood, or in cases where a trustworthy source has a long-standing relationship with NV, we may cite the source on the grounds of anonymity.

NV pledges to protect the identity of the anonymous sources we do cite.

An anonymous source can never be the only one on which we would base our publication – anything they provide us will have to be independently verified.

NV does not give any kind of preferential treatment in how we may cover the affairs of even our most valuable and trusted sources.

II.8. Interview and quote approval

We are in full compliance with Ukrainian copyright law. NV extends the courtesy of final edit and approval to individuals who have given our journalists an interview or a quote, pending some conditions.

Any such edits are rejected if they significantly alter the meaning of the interview or quote, distort, or exclude substantial parts of the text. We do not allow for our interviews to be censored. In case an interview or quote is refused final approval, NV reserves the right to paraphrase and report on its substance anyway. In accordance with international standards of journalism, and being guided by the primacy of public interest, NV also reserves the right to publish in full any interviews we were given, approved or not.

III.1. Corrections

NV strives to keep our audience informed in a timely manner. Any factual errors that might slip by are immediately corrected by either our editors or the story’s author.

Materials that had any kind of errors in them corrected have subtitles that reflect that – by saying “Corrected”, “Clarified” or “Updated.”

Our journalists and editorial staff welcome tips alerting us to mistakes and errors in our reporting. Such tips can be submitted using our contact details found on the corresponding page, or via NV’s Facebook page.

III.2. Retraction

NV may retract a published story, on the rarest of occasions when a piece falls short of our rigorous standards. We make every effort to avoid ever having to resort to such a drastic measure, and always explain our reasons for doing so.

NV does not retract or remove stories just because someone might not like them.

III.3. The right to refute

Parents of minors, individuals and organizations that were covered in a piece published by NV have the right to refute, if they feel they have been covered inaccurately. Aggrieved parties should send us a letter or an email exhaustively explaining their position. The letter has to clearly specify the following: which published material of ours is alleged to be inaccurate, specific inaccuracies in question, and the corrections that are being suggested. Letters of this kind need to have appropriate credentials, while emails need to be certified with a digital signature.

NV does not accept requests for refutations via phone calls or texts.

We make the ultimate decision to publish a refutation after a thorough investigation of claims made by the aggrieved party, and in communication with them. NV reserves the right to refuse a rebuttal request, with proper justification.

NV declines to publish refutations on the following grounds:

Verifiably inaccurate information.

Contradicting any court decisions.

Incitement to violent seizures of power.

Undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Stoking up of religious or ethnic unrest.

Propaganda of violence and brutality.

Proliferation of pornography.

Propaganda of behalf of the international aggressor and of their proxy forces.

Totalitarian and imperialist propaganda.

Unlawful intrusion upon private lives of individuals.

Revealing the identity of underage criminals, without proper authorization.

III.4. The right for rebuttal

NV may extend the opportunity for a rebuttal, in cases where a story is accurate, but causes reputational damage to an individual or an organization.

Our editorial staff decides on how exactly any given rebuttal is to be published. Without directly contradicting our work, rebuttals can expand on the body of facts, opinions and circumstances that our audience might consider relevant. We invariably notify the rebuttal’s author about how and when their text is to be published.

When using third-party audiovisual content, NV strictly adheres to both Ukrainian copyright law and stipulations of the author or copyright holder. Without an explicit permission, we can also conceivable use fully-credited third-party content under some circumstances:

Short quotes, provided they are relevant to the story and are needed to properly contextualize it (e.g., press reviews).

Republishing of visual content depicting events that unfolded publicly, within a relevant and reasonable scope.

Quoting and republishing of content produced by other media, strictly following the guidelines provided by them.

V.1. Coverage of private affairs

While we respect individual privacy and reputation, NV reserves the right to investigate and report on the lives of public officials and individuals of significant public interest. Public interest prevails over privacy considerations in such cases.

V.2. Coverage of minors

It is with great caution that NV covers events concerning children.

We protect the identities of underage individuals that are involved in criminal activity or violent events.

NV does not pay or otherwise recompense minors or their parents for information on the lives of children.

When publishing stories concerning children, we do not sacrifice accuracy, truth or comprehensiveness in the name of expediency.

V.3. Disturbing and graphic imagery

We try to avoid exposing minors to graphic imagery containing depictions of dead bodies and detached body parts. Considerations of public interest mean that sometimes we do publish stories that contain graphic visuals; those stories are clearly marked as being suited to ages of 18+ and are prefaced with appropriate content and trigger warnings.

NV does not publish depictions of suicide.

V.4. Presumption of innocence

NV treats suspects as innocent until proven guilty: they are never referred to as criminals until after they have been tried, convicted and sentenced in a court of law

We exercise caution around using law enforcement agencies (police, SBU security service, Prosecutor General’s office, etc.) as sources for our reporting, presenting their statements as matters of not fact, but opinion.

V.5. Conflict of interest disclaimers

Our journalists and editors make all effort to avoid ever compromising their impartiality: our staff do not participate in political life, and do not use their professional status for personal gain. Our editorial staff insulate our journalists from external pressure and attempts to exert undue influence on our coverage.

NV expects its employees to refuse gifts worth more than $50 from individuals and organizations that could ever be subjects of our coverage or serve as sources for our stories.

Any journalist who may have a conflict of interest related to their work, is required to notify their supervisor accordingly; corresponding disclaimers may have to be included in the published story.

NV does not object to our journalists participating in various press tours at the organizer’s invitation and expense, but it remains up to us to determine all aspects of covering such events afterwards, including whether to cover them at all.

Those of our stories that mention or involve any of the investors and/or owners of Media-DK Publishing invariably contain appropriate disclaimers.

Across the entirety of NV and our parent company, Media-DK Publishing, our day-to-day operations and content produced reflect the policy of zero tolerance towards any kind of discrimination.

VI.1. Discrimination-free content

Diversity and plurality of points of view are crucial pillars of our work.

NV presents a level playing field for voices hailing from all races, ethnicities, generations, genders, religions and social classes.

We consider any of the following absolutely unacceptable:

Derogatory speech that aims to insult on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or some other attribute.

Producing content that seeks to incite hatred against individuals or groups of people, based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or some other attribute.

Propagation of negative notions about groups of people, that are based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or some other attribute, including gender stereotypes.

Inaccurate or inappropriate characterization of people based on their gender, physical attributes or marital status.

VI.2. Anti-discrimination and gender equality policies at our workplace

We have zero tolerance towards any kind of sexual harassment, including sexist remarks aimed at both men and women.

NV eschews all kinds of gender-based discrimination, offering equal rights and opportunities to all our employees.

Our employees enjoy flexible working hours, enabling both women and men to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Equal work means equal pay for both women and men at NV; none of our employees are discriminated against on the basis of ethnic, religious, gender or other attributes.

We hold our employees responsible for upholding these principles and adhering to our anti-discrimination and gender equality policies.

The journalistic standards and values outlined on this page apply to official NV social media pages and accounts as well – we treat our posts there just as the news we publish on our website.

NV’s management does not interfere with private social media accounts of our employees. However, we expect our staff to remain civil and reasonable in their social media presence, in order to avoid jeopardizing impartiality and credibility of NV as an organization.

NV keeps track of all possible lines of communication with our audience, absorbing and internalizing the feedback and suggestions they provide.

Every story of ours includes forms for leaving comments, reporting errors and contacting our editorial staff.

An author’s name doubles as a link to their complete profile, containing all their published work, social media accounts and a feedback form.

Here are the contacts of our executive staff.

We welcome our audience to offer us their opinions, suggestions, complaints, expertise, sources – anything that could help us improve our coverage – and participate in polls on our website, discuss our stories on social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouТube.

NV pioneered digital content subscriptions in Ukrainian media, with more than 14,000 subscribers choosing to pay us a premium for quality journalism. We routinely survey our subscribers, looking for ways to increase the value of our product.

In its relations with advertisers, NV strictly follows the whole body of Ukrainian law that governs advertising, marketing and sponsorships.

We do not engage in native advertising or publish unmarked sponsored content. Every piece of content that was paid for by an individual or an organization is clearly and appropriately marked, and is separate from our regular content.

The footer of our website outlines the various ways we mark sponsored content:

Blue background – corporate PR and marketing, partnership deals.

Green background – political advertising.

Sponsored content on our social media and mailers are marked exactly the same as on our website.

Some of our revenue comes from lead generation – publishing product reviews in the Shopping section, that contain links to retailers that sell those products. Such reviews contain disclaimers about NV receiving a percentage of sales of covered products.

Some of the sections of our website are sponsored by our partners; these sponsorships are clearly marked in the section’s header (example).

This list of types of sponsored content on NV’s website may change over time, in accordance with the trends and general development of media marketing practices.

Sponsored content published on our website is either wholly supplied by the advertiser or is developed under their guidelines. Accordingly, advertisers are responsible for the content of such pieces; they are not subject to the principles, guidelines and values of journalism that NV adheres to. NV might refuse to publish advertiser content that contains unverifiable claims and accusations against individuals or organizations.

We reserve the right to refuse to publish sponsored content that conflicts with NV’s mission or values. The executive staff and management of Media-DK Publishing respect our editorial independence and do not unduly interfere with our operations.

X.1. Ownership structure

Here you can find details about Media-DK Publishing, the proprietor of NV.

NV reserves the right to decline to divulge commercial details related to our various divisions and brands under the NV umbrella.

Media-DK Publishing is a for-profit commercial venture. As our proprietor, Media-DK recognizes that credible and impartial journalism is necessary for both a successful media business and the development of civil society and rule of law, and therefore does not infringe upon NV’s editorial independence.

In managing NV (including the website, NV Magazine and NV Radio), our proprietor deals with financial, commercial and marketing matters exclusively.

X.2. Financial structure

Media-DK Publishing relies on investment from its owners, as well as on self-generated income.

NV’s website is self-sufficient, relying of the following revenue streams: banner ads, sponsored content, partnership deals, clearly marked PR pieces, digital subscriptions (paywall), clearly marked lead generation, and YouTube and Facebook monetization (instant articles). NV applies for and makes use of grants to cover subjects that do not run contrary to our mission and values, but grants remain an insignificant part of our business model.

Vitaly Sych – NV project editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief of NV Magazine, e-mail: VSych@nv.ua

Olena Viter – CEO, Media-DK Publishing, e-mail: EViter@nv.ua

Oleg Lysenko – project lead, NV.ua, e-mail: OLysenko@nv.ua

Yulia McGuffie – editor-in-chief, NV.ua, e-mail: YMcGuffie@nv.ua

Oleksiy Tarasov – editor-in-chief, NV Radio, e-mail: ATarasov@nv.ua

Vitalina Prihodko – Op-ed editor, e-mail: VPrihodko@nv.ua

Oleg Ivantsov – editor-in-chief, NV Business, e-mail: OIvantsov@nv.ua

Oleksiy Bondarev – editor of Tech, Cars, Health and Gambling sections, e-mail: ABondarev@nv.ua

Andriy Syniavskiy – editor of the Sports section, e-mail: ASyniavskiy@nv.ua

Mariya Kabaciy – editor of the Art section, e-mail: mkabaciy@nv.ua

Vlada Barsukov – editor of the Lifestyle section, e-mail: VBarsukova@nv.ua

Kiera Borysikhina – editor of the shopping section, e-mail: kborysikhina@nv.ua

Maxim Gryvachevskyi – NV Podcast lead, e-mail: MGryvachevskyi@nv.ua

Marichka Naboka – social and emerging media lead, e-mail: MNaboka@nv.ua

Marina Mayevska – SEO lead, e-mail: MMayevska@nv.ua

Serhiy Chumachenko – NV Radio tech support, e-mail: SChumachenko@nv.ua

Svitlana Kostyuk – NV advertising director, e-mail: SKostyuk@nv.ua

Media-DK Publishing’s legal address is Kyrillivska st., 86 (enter from Nakhimova st., 12), 04080, Kyiv, Ukraine. Our actual address is Nakhimova st., 12, 04080, Kyiv, Ukraine.

Here are the contacts of our division heads, management and other departments.