Contents

Euractiv Network & agency bylines

At Euractiv, most content is produced by named journalists in Brussels, Paris, Berlin or the wider Euractiv Network. The author’s name is always placed between the headline and the text of the articles.

When an article of the network is published on one of the three websites, the source of the latter is always mentioned on its top and bottom, and translated by a member of the team in Brussels. 

Additionally, Euractiv often works with agency bylines. In this case, the mention : “Euractiv with -name of the agency- is mentioned. The agencies / news publishers currently used are the following: 

  • Reuters, England. Founded 170 years ago, Reuters is a global news agency in England that reaches billions of people everyday. Learn more about Reuters.

  • Telex, Hungary. Telex is a free and independent Hungarian news portal. Its journalists cover a wide range of topics from Budapest, where the headquarters of the media are based. Learn more about Telex. 

  • AFP, France. The Agence France Press is a French leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives. Learn more about the AFP. 

Ethics Policy

Euractiv content is produced in full impartiality, without favouring the political views of any national or international institution, government, political party or pressure group.

This obligation of independence dictates the conduct of all journalists, editors and staff members participating in preparing editorial content, from news-gathering to publication.

At a time of growing and sometimes justified public suspicion about the impartiality, accuracy and integrity of the media, Euractiv and its staff maintain the highest ethical standards to ensure continued reader confidence in our content. Euractiv expects of all its contributing writers full compliance with the Declaration of Duties of a Journalist available in English & German.

Euractiv’s editor-in-chief acts as the guardian of the media’s editorial independence and impartiality and is the guarantor of its editorial policy, including strict observation of this charter and respect for the principles of honesty and pluralism of information.

Any reader can contact Euractiv about its independent treatment of news and demand a right of reply.

Euractiv takes seriously the need to avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Anyone in a professional relationship with Euractiv must disclose a potential unavoidable conflict.

Furthermore, journalists are asked to:

  • Refuse gifts (financial or in-kind), favours, and special treatment, that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility.
  • Avoid party-political activity and/or campaigning for a political party.
  • Be wary of sources offering information for favours or money; do not pay for access to news. Identify content provided by outside sources, whether paid or not.
  • Deny favoured treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage. Journalists should refer any attempt to make contact to the Commercial team of Euractiv, who can be reached on advocacylab@euractiv.com.

AI Policy

Euractiv follows AI policy framework from Mediahuis.  

Diverse voices

For a European media, inclusivity is of ever-greater importance. EU policies can vary in their effects on different communities and being aware of these differences will only strengthen Euractiv’s content. Bringing each perspective into the light has its own intrinsic value, but it also contributes to better policy-making, a more representative democracy, and greater understanding of one another on the diverse continent that is Europe.

The readership of Euractiv comes from all over Europe, and beyond. The top countries for readership are consistently Belgium, the UK, Germany, France, and the US.

Our policy coverage tends to be of most interest to those directly involved in a given policy field or who find it relates to their professional life while our pan-European news coverage has a broader appeal. In both cases, Euractiv’s content is accessible to all which democratises access to insight on EU policy.

Our European newsroom strives to include each perspective around any given policy debate, and to try and portray some of those audiences who are often less represented politically, e.g. young people, rural communities. Our mission is to serve all Europeans and so we are constantly looking to improve in this area and increase the number of people in Europe who feel represented in our news and policy coverage, and who find that it resonates with them.

If you think there are gaps in our coverage, whether topics not raised or perspectives not represented, do not hesitate to get in touch as your feedback is very helpful in identifying and resolving blindspots. There are full contact details below but you can also send an email to digital@euractiv.com.

Verification standards

Euractiv is committed to accuracy in all its content and being factually correct both as a value in its own right and because accuracy and accessibility are absolutely vital for coverage of EU policy to be of use to the reader. Claims made are interrogated and not left published without context. Stories encompass multiple perspectives and corroboration from different sources in order to flush out the truth. Where possible Euractiv goes back to primary rather than secondary sources and links are provided within the article.

There are additional steps Euractiv takes to verify facts as well as to encourage and make corrections.

Every article published by Euractiv is checked by at least two editors, sometimes multiple times.

The standard verification procedure is as follows:

  1. Articles are first checked by the hub editor, who fact-checks the article using their policy expertise.
  2. A second check is carried out by an editor for structure, grammar and style, along with additional fact verification.
  3. For anything the second-round editors are unsure of, they flag to the author and the hub editor. In parallel, they seek to find the same information in another credible source.
  4. In some cases, a third editor will review before publication. When there are many or significant changes to an article, it will be given back to the author or the hub editor for a final check.

Unnamed sources

Using an unnamed source is rare and reporters do not grant “off the record” interviews. However, confidentiality must sometimes be applied in order to protect the source. The journalist will by default name their sources unless explicitly asked not to do so. When such a request is made the journalist consults with an Editor that confidentiality makes sense to apply. In parallel, they also attempt to find alternative sources that are willing to go on the record.

The only justifications Euractiv will consider for protecting the identity of a source are:

  • The publication of important facts is only possible if the identity of the source is protected, and there is no alternative source that can be relied upon.
  • Revealing the source’s identity will significantly endanger or harm them and so we have a duty to protect them.

The decision to withhold the source is always checked with the Editor and where possible the claims made by the unnamed source will be corroborated with further, referenced, evidence.

When a source is unnamed Euractiv endeavours to use descriptions in absence of a name when discussing sources (e.g.  an official within the Albanian ministry of health).

Types of interviews

Ahead of any interview with a source, the journalist must clarify the type of interview being conducted, so they can give informed consent to it taking place. There are three types of interview conducted by journalists for Euractiv, adopting the approach taken by the Associated Press:

  • On the record. The information can be used with no caveats, quoting the source by name.
  • Off the record. The information cannot be used for publication. Background. The information can be published but only under conditions negotiated with the source. Generally, the sources do not want their names published but will agree to a description of their position. Reporters should object vigorously when a source wants to brief a group of reporters on background and try to persuade the source to put the briefing on the record.
  • Deep background. The information can be used but without attribution. The source does not want to be identified in any way, even on condition of anonymity.

In general, information obtained under any of these circumstances can be pursued with other sources to be placed on the record.

Corrections

Though every article published on Euractiv is reviewed twice before publication, even the best news coverage can contain errors or require further clarification.

Any reader can propose a correction on the content of any article via several channels:

When a mistake is identified, or in cases where the right of reply is granted, an editor will look at the original and double check if it is appropriate to amend it.

When approved, at the top of the text, a section is created to state that a change was made. For example, “Updated with comments from/Updated to correct a mistake relating to ***” and then the addition or correction is made in the text. If it is a significant mistake, we would ask the article be republished on social media to give it the same visibility as the original. We also collect significant corrections on a separate page, so as to be transparent.

References Policy

At Euractiv, we write policy articles predominantly. These can be quite technically complex in nature, and so providing references from time to time is important to allow others to cross-check the sources we use, in order for them to trust the conclusions we draw in our reporting, and to be able to draw the same conclusion for themselves if needed. Hence, references will appear at the end of an article in two cases:

  • When a source (a document, an article, a video, an audio, …) underpins a document;
  • When the source used for an article is controversial.

The types of content most likely to have References applied are investigative stories, long-form pieces, and leaks. Documents can also be cited in other stories as an efficient way to provide added value. Editors can determine which articles to add References to, failing which the Editor-in-Chief has the final say. Further considerations:

  • The uploading and referencing of a document, if not already in the public domain, must be cleared with the source to protect them from potential repercussions.
  • The uploading of documents must not breach the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This may require trimming the document to remove sensitive data and other data likely to be considered a data breach; and/or running the document through software to remove any identifiers from the document’s metadata, to protect the source.

The reference list format is the following:

  • Format for documents: Author. Title. Source work (newspaper, book, white paper, etc.), pages if relevant, date. (provide hyperlink)
  • Format for people: Name [Link to org bio or LinkedIn page], title and organisation or role (e.g., student), date of interview