At Veritas Europaea, trust is our only true currency. As an independent, slow-journalism publication, we ask our readers to invest their time and their money into our work. In return, we owe you absolute clarity regarding the ethical standards that govern our reporting, analysis, and operations.
This Ethics Policy outlines the personal and organizational standards of behavior expected at Veritas Europaea, operated by Jan Bostl.
1. Conflicts of Interest
We believe that our primary allegiance must always be to the truth and to our readers. To maintain this allegiance, we actively avoid any situations that could create a conflict of interest, or the appearance of one.
- Financial Disclosures: The editor and publisher of Veritas Europaea will not hold direct financial investments (such as individual stocks) in specific companies or industries that are central to our ongoing coverage. Broad-based mutual funds or index funds are permitted.
- Political Independence: Veritas Europaea is strictly non-partisan. We do not endorse political candidates, parties, or campaigns. The editor will not make financial contributions to political campaigns or participate in political activism that could compromise the publication’s perceived objectivity.
- Gifts and Favors: We do not accept gifts, free travel, meals, or accommodations from sources, political entities, or corporations in exchange for coverage. Any travel required for reporting is funded directly by Veritas Europaea.
2. Sourcing and Attribution
Our “slow journalism” model relies heavily on deep research and verifiable facts. We hold our sourcing to the highest academic and journalistic standards.
- Primary Sources: We prioritize primary documents—original legislation, raw economic data, and direct transcripts—over secondary summaries. Whenever possible, we provide direct links so readers can evaluate the source material themselves.
- Plagiarism and Fabrication: We have a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism and fabrication. Borrowing another writer’s structure, analysis, or phrasing without clear and prominent attribution is strictly prohibited.
- Anonymous Sourcing: We strongly prefer sources to go on the record. We will only grant anonymity if a source faces genuine risk (legal, professional, or physical) by speaking out, and only if the information they provide is vital, verifiable, and unavailable elsewhere. When anonymous sources are used, we will explain to our readers why anonymity was granted.
3. Financial and Editorial Independence
We maintain a strict, impenetrable wall between our revenue streams and our editorial decisions.
- Reader-Supported Mission: Our primary funding comes from our €2/month reader subscriptions. We answer to our readers, not to corporate boards.
- Automated Advertising: We utilize automated programmatic advertising (Google AdSense) to support our operational costs. We have no direct contact with these advertisers, and they have zero influence over what topics we choose to cover or how we analyze them. We do not publish sponsored content or native advertising under any circumstances.
4. Fairness, Nuance, and Tone
We respect our readers’ intelligence. We do not write to algorithmically trigger outrage or flatter preexisting biases.
- Rejecting Polarization: We cover European and global affairs with the understanding that geopolitical and macroeconomic issues are inherently complex. We do not reduce intricate situations to simplistic “good versus evil” narratives.
- Right of Reply: If our analysis contains significant criticism of an individual or organization, we make a good-faith effort to allow them to respond or provide their perspective before publication.
5. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
As the media landscape evolves, we believe in radical transparency regarding the use of technology in our workflow.
- AI in Research and Formatting: We may use AI tools to assist with background research, translate non-English source material, analyze large datasets, or perform basic proofreading.
- Human Authorship: Artificial Intelligence is never used to write the final prose, generate opinions, or form the core analysis of our articles. Every piece published on Veritas Europaea is conceptualized, vetted, and written entirely by a human.