Social Media Terms of Service/Use

Online Community Terms of Use

You understand and agree that the Illawarra Flame has ultimate editorial control over all its online services. The Illawarra Flame may edit, remove, or exercise its discretion not to publish your contribution for legal or editorial reasons, or if the content of your post does not align with the Illawarra Flame's values.

Comments and posts on our social media accounts do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Illawarra Flame, its employees, or affiliates. The Illawarra Flame does not endorse user-posted material and is not responsible for its accuracy.

All materials posted by users must comply with the Terms of Use. The Illawarra Flame takes a zero tolerance approach regarding harassment, racial vilification, privacy breaches, contempt, and lateral violence.

In addition, users may not post any material that:

is abusive, obscene, threatening, discriminatory, defamatory, or otherwise deemed offensive;
is unlawful, fraudulent, intentionally false, misleading, or malicious;
infringes on the intellectual property rights, including copyright;
infringes on the privacy rights of others, including personal information;
is repetitive or vexatious;
is entirely off-topic or not relevant to the original content material posted by us;
advertises, contains spam, direct soliciting, or any other commercial message not posted by The Illawarra Flame; or
impersonates someone else.

When posting, please respect the views of others, the sharing of diverse opinions, and the reasonable expectation for community members to treat each other with respect and courtesy. Also, be aware that our accounts can be accessed by minors and therefore posts and contributions should be suitable for individuals of all ages.

Users who breach these Terms of Service may be blocked from contributing. The Illawarra Flame accepts no liability for any loss arising out of or in connection with users being blocked from the Illawarra Flame.

If you have concerns about inappropriate content on Illawarra Flame sites, you can alert us via the Get In Touch page.

Our Social Media Policy for Contributors

A guide for the many people who contribute to the Illawarra Flame, produced in conjunction with the Local and Independent News Association

Purpose

This policy outlines how The Illawarra Flame represents itself online and who speaks on behalf of the organisation in online spaces.

Social media presents an opportunity to promote The Illawarra Flame’s content, share information relevant to our community, inform readers of our activities and achievements, collect feedback from our audience, and drive community engagement in our news products.

It is important for all Illawarra Flame contributors to be aware that much of the information exchanged within social media networks, online or otherwise, falls within the public domain, and the line drawn between what is considered to be personal and public is not always clear. It is also important to remember that information posted on social network sites can be easily traced and can generally be accessed at any time.

This document provides guidance to staff, contributors and volunteers working with The Illawarra Flame regarding minimum standards for tone, expectations, and safety online.

Social Media Account Ownership

The ownership of all social media and other online accounts created by The Illawarra Flame remains property of The Illawarra Flame unless contractually transferred as part of the sale of business or other commercial arrangement. Employees and volunteers may be required to undertake administrative functions on behalf of The Illawarra Flame, but control of the online forum, its contacts, and its direction remains with The Illawarra Flame.

Policy

Responsibility for posting content and/or contributing to online discussions under the The Illawarra Flame brand rests with the publisher and can be delegated to other staff where required. The editor will identify and approve staff to be given posting rights to The Illawarra Flame’s social media platforms. Employees may not invite direct participation from any persons in the administration or content of our sites without written approval from the editor.

Any persons given administrative access to accounts and, therefore, capacity to post under our brand, should do so using the principles outlined below and adhere to our Online Community - Terms of Use at all times. Be conscious that you are representing a professional organisation, and behavioural expectations are equal to engagement in the workplace.

Social media sites are moderated at least once per day. Any posts that contradict our Terms of Use should be removed and appropriate action taken to prevent repeat offences where appropriate. Responsibility for this task rests with The Illawarra Flame editor and social media support staff. Responses to questions and comments will depend on daily capacity.

Should a PR or security crisis emerge through our social media platforms, employees must immediately notify the editor, who will be responsible for identifying an appropriate response relevant to the scope of the crisis and will communicate those actions internally.

Principles

When posting or contributing to online discussions under the The Illawarra Flame brand, the following principles will be upheld:

Protection – at all times posts and online interaction should protect the The Illawarra Flame brand and values, the privacy of our sources and information, any internal company information (including posts relating to your employment), and yourself as an individual. Our people and our community are our priority, so our online spaces need to be safe for all participants and for our business;
Be transparent and honest about who you are – no posting under pseudonyms, false questions on our sites, or spying on our competitors. Ensure relevant attributions are noted for text, video, and image production. We are proud to represent The Illawarra Flame and seek to maintain audience trust in all of our online activities. This includes transparency of commercial postings, noted as paid partnerships to promote reader awareness;
Obey the law – including copyright, defamation, and intellectual property laws;
When in doubt, do not post – we want to maintain a friendly and professional tone in our online spaces. If you’re worried something might not meet those objectives or our company values, leave it out. Play nice online;
Be conscious of mixing your business and personal lives – don’t post your holiday photos to the The Illawarra Flame site, or your personal opinions. Also, be wary that the views you express online in your own name reflect on The Illawarra Flame due to our public affiliation. As such, do not post content in any online space that conflicts with our company values (eg. hate speech, discrimination, vitriol, harassment). Respectful disagreement and reasonable criticism are acceptable, bullying and racism are not; and
Share great stories – that’s what we’re here to do. You are welcome to share The Illawarra Flame content in a positive and attributed manner through your own networks.

Related policies: Editorial policy