Publishing PolicyAbout Publishing Policy
Bringing accountability to publishing through transparent, self-defined standards.
Our Mission
Every publisher—from major newsrooms to independent bloggers—makes implicit promises to their audience about how they create and verify content. Publishing Policy makes those promises explicit.
We believe that when publishers clearly define their standards, two things happen: audiences can make informed decisions about what to trust, and publishers hold themselves accountable to their own stated values.
Our tool guides organizations through defining their publishing identity, editorial commitments, and accountability framework—then generates a clear, shareable policy document.
The Malpublish Concept
“Malpublish” /mal-PUB-lish/ (verb)
To publish in a manner that constitutes malpractice.
Term coined March 2023 by Roarke Clinton. Full definition at malpublish.org
As malpublish.org explains, “Malpublishing is the cause of misinformation. There would be no misinformation without publishing malpractice.” The term combines the prefix “mal-” (meaning bad or wrongful) with “publish,” following patterns like malpractice and malfunction.
Unlike universal ethics codes that try to apply the same rules to everyone, malpublishing is personal. A tabloid and an academic journal have different standards—and that's fine. What matters is that each organization clearly states its own standards and lives up to them.
When you create a policy through our tool, we automatically generate malpublishing definitions based on your specific commitments. If you commit to two-source verification, then publishing without it is malpublishing for you.
How It Works
Define Your Identity
Tell us who you are, who you serve, and your publishing mission. Select from 31 sector templates across 7 categories.
State Your Commitments
Choose your standards for sourcing, accuracy, transparency, and independence. Be honest—these become your accountability framework.
Set Your Accountability
Define how you handle corrections, receive feedback, and review your practices.
Get Your Policy
We generate your policy document with personalized malpublishing definitions. Share it publicly or keep it internal—your choice.
Who It's For
Publishing Policy serves any organization or individual that publishes content and wants to be transparent about their standards:
Media & Journalism
Newsrooms, podcasts, newsletters
Academic & Research
Journals, universities, think tanks
Government & Public
Agencies, municipalities, libraries
Corporate & Professional
PR, internal comms, associations
Platform & Technology
Social platforms, forums, AI content
Nonprofit & Advocacy
Foundations, advocacy orgs
Get In Touch
Have questions, feedback, or want to learn more about Publishing Policy?
stopmalpublishing@gmail.com