Editorial Guidelines

1. Introduction

IndigenousX Pty Ltd (IX, we, us, our) is a platform created by founder and Director, Luke Pearson, in 2012 during a period where the national dialogue was characterised by a consistent lack of awareness, understanding and respect for Indigenous people.

Our vision was to create a platform for Indigenous people to share their knowledge, opinions and experiences with a wide audience of interested people both within the Indigenous community and outside of it.

We are well apprised of the social justice opportunity this platform presents, along with the cultural responsibility and as such, great care is given to selecting content which will fulfil the editorial intent for this platform.

2. Editorial Intent

The editorial intent for this platform is:

• to raise awareness of issues affecting Indigenous people;
• to provide the opportunity for Indigenous people to share their stories and voices;
• to connect the Indigenous community through sharing stories; and
  to educate the non-Indigenous community through the sharing of Indigenous voices, ideas and opinions on all areas of Indigenous Affairs, race relations and politics in this country.

The content must satisfy one or all of the items set out in this clause 2 in order to be eligible to be published on the platform.

3. Cultural Protocols

IX is aware that it has a significant Indigenous readership, according, it is of the utmost importance to follow cultural protocols in publishing content.

We believe that there is no greater exercise of cultural sensitivity than to have Indigenous people being the author of their own stories and opinions within the cultural protocols we are taught. In addition, we note that different clans have different protocols and accordingly, we observe the following additional protocols to the above Editorial Intent when publishing content.

1. Accessing Indigenous land
   Permission is required to access Indigenous lands and communities, particularly if you do not belong to the country you are entering, and intend to record and capture images of sites, cultural objects and ceremonies. All authors for IX are required to observe proper protocol by seeking a meeting with the elders of the relevant community to seek permission to be on country, seek permission to observe and record and advise the purpose of such observance and recording.
2. Language, naming and references
   The use of language, names and references need to be in a culturally appropriate manner with permission sought from the subject, ie. when interviewing an Indigenous person that will be the subject of an article, they should be asked how they wish to be referred to. Where possible, when using the Indigenous word or name, the spelling used should be the local dialect’s spelling of the word being used.
3. Sorry Business
   Sorry Business varies in different communities and regions. There is often sensitivity to seeing and hearing the name, image or voice of Indigenous people who have died. The naming and depiction of recently deceased people is often prohibited under customary law and the mourning period may last for weeks, months or years. There may also be a preferred way of referring to the deceased person. IX and authors who contribute to the platform are mindful to observe local Sorry Business protocols to ensure all respect is shown to the deceased and the community that they belong to.

IX is aware that most reliable source for advice on local community practice and how to refer to the deceased person is the family of the deceased, or the elders of the deceased’s Indigenous community and will make respectful contact in advance of any publishing of content in respect of the deceased.

4. Accuracy and Integrity

IX is a platform that is intended to educate and raise the voices of Indigenous people and as such, this creates a social justice opportunity. Whilst this platform takes every precaution to ensure content is accurate and fairly conveyed, we do not profess to be objective or impartial – we are a platform determined to raise awareness of issues affecting Indigenous people to ensure greater awareness in the non-Indigenous community.

5. Corrections and Clarifications

While IX does require fact checking and referencing in content, there are occasions where there may be oversights or factual errors that may be missed during the editorial process and if there is an issue or error that is brought to our attention informally or through our complaint process, IX works to rectify any issues requiring correction or clarification in a timely manner.

Where an error is significant, IX Director and Founder reserves the right to publish a clarification statement which will be circulated on social media platforms in addition to the IX platform.

6. Privacy

IX recognises the importance of protecting the privacy and the rights of individuals in relation to their personal information. At all times, IX collects and uses personal information only to the extent permitted at law under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the National Privacy Principles and the IX Privacy Policy.