NorthStar Bets is committed to the principles of responsible gaming. Members of our editorial staff and content creators have completed seminars on responsible gaming best practices conducted by the Responsible Gaming Council. For more, including Responsible Gaming resources, click here.
Offering credible, authoritative, and entertaining gaming and sports betting content is at the heart of NorthStar Bets' editorial philosophy. Accuracy, quality, trust, and transparency are the foundation upon which we approach our work.
No editorial standards can cover every eventuality in the production of content and information on multiple digital platforms. Common sense, good judgment, and the content creator’s own moral compass must be brought to bear on any set of guidelines. We should be prepared to explain publicly what we do in gathering and presenting content and information and the well-considered judgments involved in all we publish.
BETTING LINES
NorthStar Bets editorial Insiders have no influence, direct or otherwise, over the setting of odds advertised on our platforms.
ACCURACY AND CORRECTIONS
There can be no compromise with accuracy. It is the responsibility of everyone in the organization. We must make every effort to ensure the information we publish, including information from all other publications, is accurate.
Mistakes will happen. When they do, we will promptly correct our errors. Our corrections are guided by the core principles of accountability and transparency. We are accountable to our readers for the accuracy of the information we publish in stories, headlines, photos, cutlines, social media, graphics, data, videos, and any other content on all of our platforms.
We will correct errors of fact in a clear, transparent manner on the platform(s) in which the error was published, as promptly as possible. We will make clear to readers the correct information and the context and magnitude of the mistake. Published corrections do not ascribe blame within our organization.
ANONYMITY AND CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES
We should be aggressive in pressing sources in reported pieces to put information on the record and should seek independently to corroborate off-the-record information.
There are times when reporters need confidential sources to serve readers. NorthStar Bets reporters and any content creator must discuss using confidential sources with their manager, and in some cases, the organization’s most senior editorial leader. They must always reveal the source’s identity to editors and provide a compelling argument for why the source will not be named.
Senior editorial leaders have a responsibility to work with reporters and content creators to assess the credibility of all sources including confidential sources.
Once any promise is made to grant anonymity, we protect our source, only revealing their identity with that person’s permission. Confidential sources should have first-hand knowledge of the information and this must be conveyed to the reader. We should publish as much information as possible about the source — including why they sought confidentiality — without revealing their identity.
The definitions and ground rules for not naming a source must be discussed with sources.
ATTRIBUTION AND PLAGIARISM
We do not present other media’s reporting as our own or publish unattributed material from other sources. Plagiarism — the unattributed use of words or ideas from another published source — is grounds for discipline or dismissal.
We attribute and credit material to its source, including reporting obtained exclusively by other media organizations on any platform. If an article contains a significant amount of wire copy, then the agency and/or author should be credited.
Any information from social media and other digital sources such as Facebook, Twitter, or personal or corporate websites, must be verified to establish the bona fides of the sources, who should be properly credited for the information.
DIVERSITY
NorthStar Bets aims to have its content and content creators reflect the diversity of our audience. We aim for a variety of voices as contributors across platforms.
We treat men and women equally and respect diverse gender identities, including people who identify as neither male nor female.
SOCIAL MEDIA
NorthStar Bets staff and content creators are always representatives of NorthStar Bets.
Our content creators are encouraged to be themselves and find their own voices on social media, but it’s important to remember that the content they post and the way they conduct themselves can have an impact on reader trust, our brand and the company’s public standing. This is true regardless of the privacy settings on a journalist’s account, their profile description, or whether they consider an account personal.
• NorthStar Bets staff and content creators must not use social media to criticize or undermine the company, their colleagues, or the work of their colleagues.
• NorthStar Bets staff and content creators are encouraged to listen and interact respectfully with readers who engage them in productive ways.
• NorthStar Bets staff and content creators are encouraged to block or mute someone who is making threatening, abusive, or harassing comments. It is never appropriate to threaten someone or direct profanity at them.
• NorthStar Bets staff and content creators who feel threatened by someone on social media should inform their supervisor immediately.
OUTSIDE WORK BY STAFFERS
NorthStar Bets content creators are generally free to appear on radio and television, provided this is done on the employee’s own time and as long as any full-time or contract employees of NorthStar Bets are identified as an employee of the company. The department head must also be notified in advance and NorthStar Bets reserves the right to veto such appearances.
