Content & Image Policy

1. Content Standards

Rotterdam Publishing is committed to high-quality journalism. All submitted content should be:

• Factual and accurate: claims should be verifiable and supported by credible sources
• Original: content must be your own work, not copied or substantially derived from other sources without proper attribution
• Properly sourced: include relevant sources, references, or context for factual claims
• Newsworthy: relevant to the communities served by our partner newsrooms

2. Image Rights & Requirements

When uploading images to accompany your submissions, you must:

• Own the rights to the image (i.e., you took the photo or created the graphic), or
• Have explicit written permission from the copyright holder to use and distribute the image
• Ensure images do not infringe on any third party’s intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights
• Provide accurate captions and credit information where applicable

Do not submit stock images, images from other news outlets, or images found on the internet unless you have a valid license or permission for editorial use and redistribution.

3. Licensing Terms

By submitting content and images to Rotterdam Publishing, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to:

• Publish and display your content across our network of partner newsrooms
• Resize, crop, or reformat images as needed for publication
• Include your content in social media posts promoting published stories

This license is non-exclusive — you retain full ownership and are free to publish your content anywhere else at any time.

4. What Happens to Your Content

Once you submit a story:

• Our editorial team reviews it for accuracy, quality, and relevance
• We may suggest edits or request additional information before publication
• Accepted stories are published on one or more partner newsroom sites
• Not all submissions will be published — editorial decisions are final

5. Prohibited Content

The following types of content are not permitted on the Platform:

• Hate speech, discrimination, or incitement to violence
• Copyright-infringing material (text, images, or other media you do not have rights to use)
• Deliberately false, fabricated, or misleading information
• Content that violates the privacy of individuals without legitimate public interest
• Spam, promotional content, or advertising
• Explicit sexual content or gratuitous violence without journalistic purpose
• Content that violates any applicable law or regulation

6. Content Removal

Content may be removed from the Platform or partner sites if:

• It is found to violate this Content Policy
• A valid copyright or intellectual property claim is made against it
• The author requests removal (note: content already published on partner sites is subject to those sites’ editorial policies)
• It is required by law or court order

To request content removal, contact us at legal@rotterdampublishing.com.

7. Author Attribution

All published stories include a byline crediting the original author. Your name as provided in your account profile will be used for attribution. If you write under a pen name or require specific attribution, please indicate this in your submission or contact our editorial team.

8. Contact

If you have questions about this Content & Image Policy, please contact us at legal@rotterdampublishing.com.