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The goal of the Dots Press collective is to be the voice of common sense in a world that is severely lacking in it. We are able to do this because we are guided by the following principles:

  • We listen to everyone, talk to everyone, and correctly reflect the views of all sides (including those we may consider enemies of our country).
  • We are accurate and unbiased; we treat all our heroes equally critically, yet respectfully. We do not confuse journalism with political and social activism. We have our own positions and points of view (because we are human beings), but they do not affect the way we make our texts. We watch out for conflicts of interest and, if necessary, point them out directly.
  • We write about people, not abstract phenomena (organizations, reforms, companies, trends).
  • We bring practical value.
  • We treat all events, companies, and people with the same skepticism. This applies both to people we personally dislike and to those we admire.
  • We seek the recognition and respect of readers in the first place, and only secondarily from friends, relatives, and colleagues. The main thing about our reader: he or she is educated and intelligent. New smart or old smart. "Smart" to us means this: he doesn't like populism or populists. He loves personal freedoms. He doesn't count on handouts from the state. He understands that the rich are not necessarily thieves, that an open economy is a good thing. Our reader does not necessarily know the intricacies of the political process, he may not remember the Orange Revolution, but he always wants to know "how it all began. He is, above all, interested in people, their characters and their motives.
  • We keep an even and respectful tone, without harsh emotions. We can be ironic. We don't get angry, we don't mock, we don't shout anything. We have no party affiliation. We are not for the right-wingers or for the left-wingers. Not for patriots and not for national traitors. Not for reformers and not for reactionaries. Not for zrada and not for a victory. We are for facts, logic and common sense.

In an ideal world, a Dots Press journalist would not join a party, go to pickets, write proclamations or wage holy wars against politicians or businessmen who displease him. Unlike activists, journalists do not have the right to act in ways that might give the reader the impression that they are biased in any conflict.

In life, of course, it doesn't work that way. Here journalists are forced to go to free speech rallies and participate in Equality Marches. Sometimes journalists rush into holy wars at the behest of their souls - for example, by minus FIFA's Facebook page.

It's important to remember that our actions judge a publication's reputation, even if they are our private actions - on our personal social networks or in real life. That is why Dots Press journalists do not participate in mass actions or join movements that contradict the mission and spirit of the publication. A Dots Press journalist, for example, can report on the Equality March. He can go to the Equality March privately, with a placard. But under no circumstances can he go to smash the Equality March.

We watch for conflicts of interest. For example, if a Dots Press journalist went to the Equality March to advocate for LGBT rights, he cannot report on the march. If a journalist is anti-market in his personal beliefs, he cannot write about economics and business. If he is an orthodox believer, he cannot write about same-sex marriage. If his best friend is involved in some controversy, he probably can't write about that controversy--or with explicit conflict-of-interest clauses.

Keeping track of conflicts of interest, reporting them to the editor and, if necessary, explicitly mentioning them in stories is a direct responsibility of the Dots Press journalist.

On the Internet, it is impossible to separate the workspace from the personal. Anything a Dots Press journalist writes in his or her personal account will be perceived by the reader as a Dots Press position. Even if the post states, in capital letters, that it is his, the journalist's, personal opinion.

This is why our editorial standards apply to our personal accounts as well. We watch out for conflicts of interest. We do not get into altercations with newsmakers, readers and colleagues. We avoid citing anonymous sources. We check dates, events, numbers, names and titles. Most importantly, do not get personal. Under no circumstances.

We back up any assertions, conclusions, and assessments with facts and figures, or with expert opinions. We choose experts who are competent and independent. Circumstances that could affect the objectivity of the expert, we specify in the material (for example, if he was an employee of the company whose work he is commenting on).

We give a voice to all concerned parties to any event or conflict. We must do everything in our power to ensure that all key participants in the event give us a comment, even if they do not want to and avoid the conversation. The wording "didn't respond to the letter," "couldn't be reached," "refused to talk" is defeatist (we are not trusted).

We avoid any connections, monetary or non-monetary, that might affect our objectivity or even give that impression. We are cautious about corporate hospitality. We do not decline invitations to musical, theatrical, sporting or other events, but we do not regularly accept such gifts from the same company or person. We do not visit restaurants at the expense of companies or our sources. We do not travel anywhere at someone else's expense. Exceptions are possible, but rarely and with caveats (for example, we are not allowed to make commitments to those who pay for the trip).

We check everything, including what people tell us about themselves. If our hero describes himself as a "repeat winner of international competitions," we check that, too. To reconcile facts, names, figures, companies and organizations, that's what a reporter must do first.

We correct any factual errors that we find ourselves or that our reader points out. We don't fend off such a reader; on the contrary, we clarify details, double-check, correct, and be sure to thank them-even if the reader is not very polite to us. Importantly, we don't bicker with readers on the Internet, even if we're a hundred percent sure we're right.

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Best regards,

The DotsPress.com Team