Editorial Policy
The Wombat Post is a publication of the Daylesford and District Community News Association (DDCNA) Inc. The intent of the publication is to provide the local community with a forum for distributing news and information about community activities in the Daylesford and Hepburn district.
The purpose of The Wombat Post is to
- inform the community of news and events that contribute to community building and community well-being,
- report on matters of public interest and support informed community participation in local decision-making,
- promote a positive image of Daylesford and its community,
- contribute to the historical record, and
- provide a medium for advertising activities, clubs, associations, services and trades offered to the community.
The Editorial Team is composed entirely of volunteers. Our Team is committed to producing a quality publication which reflects events, activities and interests within our community. The Editorial Team is committed to honesty, fairness and independence.
Articles published under the byline of the editorial committee reflect decisions made, and content approved, by the committee as a whole. Collective authorship carries collective responsibility: the committee, and ultimately the publisher, the DDCNA, stand behind what is published. This follows the long-standing practice of publications whose editorials and institutional journalism are unsigned — the position taken belongs to the publication, and the publication is accountable for it. Where an article represents an individual contributor’s own reporting, analysis or opinion, it is published under that contributor’s name.
Editorial members have an ongoing duty to declare conflicts of interest in relation to any articles which are considered for publication.
Contributions
The Wombat Post accepts contributions from local members of the Daylesford and Hepburn community and from community groups and associations within the district. Contributions to The Wombat Post should be specifically relevant to the Daylesford and Hepburn community. Acceptable contributions include but are not limited to:
- Stories about news and events in Daylesford and Hepburn and in the wider community that have relevance or are likely to be of interest to members of the Daylesford and Hepburn community;
- Stories about local sports persons or teams or stories about sporting and recreational events which take place in the Daylesford and Hepburn area;
- Stories about local residents, including obituaries;
- Creative works by local authors, poets, artists and performers including prose, poetry, photography, photographs of art works, audio recordings, music videos, videos or photographs of dance or theatre performances; or
- Stories about state, national or international events which have specific relevance to Daylesford and Hepburn.
Submissions should be readable, coherent and checked for spelling and grammar.
Opinion pieces, including letters, should be accurate and not misleading. Highly offensive, discriminatory or defamatory content is not permitted.
Letters for publication should not normally exceed 400 words.
Contributor names will be published with articles unless authors specifically request that their name be withheld. Contact details of submitting authors will not be published.
Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Editorial Team or the DDCNA.
Right of reply
Where published content refers adversely to a person or other entity, they will be offered a right of reply. Replies are subject to the same standards as all other contributions, including the requirements of accuracy and fairness and the word limit for letters, and may be edited for length, clarity and legal considerations. Accepted replies will be published in a timely manner, normally in the next edition following acceptance.
Corrections
The Wombat Post is committed to accuracy. Significant errors of fact will be corrected promptly once identified, and corrections will be noted on the relevant article.
Editorial discretion
The Editorial Team reserves the right to refuse any article, letter or advertising and to edit contributions for length, clarity and legal considerations.
Concerns and complaints
Concerns or complaints about publications in The Wombat Post should be directed in writing to the Editorial Committee, or to the Secretary of the DDCNA. Complaints will be considered by the committee and a response provided in a timely manner.