About Us and Posting Commentaries and Comments

What is ePluribus Media?
What are the different ePluribus Media sites?
When did ePluribus Media get started?
What does ePluribus Media hope to achieve?
What does ePluribus Media offer that mainstream media does not?
What does ePluribus Media investigate?
Who decides what to publish on the ePluribus
Community site?
What are Stories, Commentaries and Comments?
How do I post Commentaries and Comments?
Rules and Guidelines for Commentaries and Comments
What are Ratings?
How do Ratings work?
Are Commentaries or Comments ever deleted?
HTML Rules for Commentaries and Comments
Do I need an account?
How do I log in?Should I log out?
How do I access the Citizen Journalist Toolbox?
What's a Citizen Journalist?
What are the other permanent forums?
What are trolls?
What are Hidden Comments?
Where does ePluribus Media funding come from?
How can I contribute?

What is ePluribus Media?

We are chartered as a 501(c)(4) corporation.

Our mission statement:

ePluribus Media is a cooperative of citizen volunteers dedicated to researching
issues of common concern and encouraging the highest standards of ethics and journalism.

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What are the different ePluribus Media sites?

There are four websites related to the ePluribus Media organization.

ePluribus Media
(www.epluribusmedia.org) hosts ePluribus Media published stories, much like a weekly news magazine. Stories posted there are the product of the ePluribus Media researchers, writers, fact checkers and other volunteers. Only these stories are considered ePluribus Media work.

ePluribus Media Community
(scoop.epluribusmedia.org) is scoop-powered site providing open forums for community discussion about propaganda, citizen journalism, ethics in journalism -and other topics of concern. If you are reading this, you are on the Community site. What you post on this site is considered your own personal work, not ePluribus Media's. However, as a community, we strive to further responsible research, writing, and journalism standards and encourage all posters to adhere to these tenets. See the Toolbox and the Citizen Journalism sections for examples and more information.

ePluribus Media Investigates
(www.epluribusinvestigates.org) is a drupal-powered site, limited to vetted volunteer researchers, who do the investigative work that is the backbone of ePluribus Media reporting. If you would like to become part of the investigative community, email us at membership@epluribusmedia.org.

ePluribus Media Timelines (timelines.epluribusmedia.org) is dadabik based site for searchable timelines on various research topics -- incidents related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in veterans/soldiers, hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Plamegate -- where only fact checked and sourced events are displayed within the timelines, ensuring the credibility and accuracy of the data. If you have data to add to the timelines, email it to timelines@epluribusmedia.org.

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When did ePluribus Media get started?

The concept took form on Jan. 26, 2005.

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What does ePluribus Media hope to achieve?

We are "dedicated to researching and exposing truth and encouraging the highest standards of ethics and journalism." Our goal is to shine a light on government propaganda and restore the dignity and integrity of the free press, the lifeblood of democracy in America. Our objective is to enhance the vitality and effectiveness of the American news media, an institution vital to the future of this nation.

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What does ePluribus Media offer that mainstream media does not?

The news media is one of the most important institutions of any democracy. Yet, Americans feel inadequately served by our news media. Among the disaffected, according to Journalism.org's Annual Report on American Journalism, many feel that the credibility of the American news media has declined precipitously. In addition, millions of Americans —75 million, according to a recent PEW Foundation study — have turned to the Internet for important news and information.

ePluribus Media formally endorsed and adopted the Committee of Concerned Journalists’ Statement of Shared Purpose and Citizens' Bill of Rights, which express the highest standards of ethical journalism. The first sentences of the Shared Statement of Purpose capture our position:

"Journalism's first obligation is to the truth. Democracy depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context."

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What does ePluribus Media investigate?

ePluribus Media’s researchers focus on government propaganda or seeming anomales disseminated by our news media. If you are interested in learning more about our investigations, apply for vetted membership in our research community by emailing:
membership@epluribusmedia.org.

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Who decides what to publish on the ePluribus Community site?

You do. We do. Our members do. Any registered member may "publish" or post commentaries and comments in designated content areas. ePluribus Media’s editors and guest columnists publish in the "center column" but well-written researched commentaries may also be promoted to center column status.

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What are Stories, Commentaries and Comments?

Every main post on the ePluribusMedia Community site is considered a story by Scoop. There are several categories of stories which have specific sections. Stories can be found in the Commentaries, Ethics, Daily News, Open Forum, Public Notice and Citizen Journalism sections. You can tell which section a story is tagged for by the item tag on the fold line. Most users can post to commentaries, but not to the Front Page or sections.

A commentary is an essay. It can be a brief report of facts or events; it can also be a lengthier proposition, analysis, or a personal essay.

A comment is response posted after a commentary. Your comment can expand on the commentary's theme, add to the topic's knowledge base, or simply be a means to add your two cents.

Commentaries and comments that are well-reasoned, researched and documented are most appreciated and engender the highest ratings. Comments that enhance, elaborate on, or otherwise advance the discussion prompted by the commentary generally inspire higher ratings. Comments that seem intended solely to inflame readers or to divert or stymie discussion are least appreciated and engender the lowest ratings.

Commentaries and comments that violate rights to privacy by revealing personal information of subjects without said subject’s permission (such as his or her residential street address and social security number) will be deleted. Repeat offenders, on the second offense, will be banned.

Commentaries and comments that abuse copyrights – by directly quoting more than "fair use" portions of copyrighted content from other sites - will also be deleted.

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How do I post Commentaries and Comments?

To create a commentary, click on New Commentary Entry
in the Menu —on the right side of the Home Page —and follow directions.
Note that you must preview your commentary before you can post it. You can also update a commentary after it’s been posted.

Many members compose their commentaries first as a word processing document and then cut-and-paste the text. Using this two-step approach gives you the opportunity to think through your idea, revise your writing, and make sure you haven’t infringed on copyright or revealed personal information.

To respond to a commentary, click the Post a Comment link directly
below the commentary and follow the directions. You can use the Preview button to check to see how your response will look once posted. Check our basic HTML tips for how-tos if you'd like to add emphasis or an image to your comment.

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Rules and Guidelines for Posting Commentaries and Comments

ePluribus Media Community is a self-governing site, with five simple "rules"
for posting:

1. Never post personal information
   Do not post email addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, military IDs, or
   addresses of ANYONE (unless of course, you have his or her permission and so specify in
   the post)
2. Never post anything that you do not want in the public domain.
   If you have a lead or helpful information for the investigative volunteers, post it on the www.epmresearch.org site or email it to the Research team through the Send a Lead link in the site menu.
3. Avoid "below the belt" personal attacks on other posters
4. Prevent flame wars
   Flamewars (insult hurling matches) consume our oxygen and our energy and should be avoided. Spirited debate, on the other hand, hones our arguments, sharpens our reasoning, and tests our logic.
5. Avoid abusing copyrights
   When copying material from other sites or publications, link to the original instead of copying the entire original article. The most common forms of abuse are (1) quoting more than "fair use" portions of copyrighted content and (2) omitting proper citation of original authors. See Luaptifer's excellent commentary on plagiarizing: Citizen Journalism Priority: Avoiding Plagiarism in Research and Writing. The community as a whole can encourage better research and journalism practices by conscientously embracing citizen journalism behaviours. Fair use is approximately 250 words directly quoted from the original.

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What are Ratings?

ePluribus Media members "empower" comments by rating them. You can rate a comment by selecting a number from the ratings drop down directly beneath a comment and to the left of the Rate All button.

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How do Ratings work?

We urge every member to rate comments. If you feel a comment is wholly without merit and intended solely to inflame, insult or otherwise stymie the free flow of discourse, feel free to call a troll a troll. To "troll rate" a
comment, give it a "1" if you are a member or a "0" if you have earned Truster User status.

Ratings Guide:
0 Hide comment, Obvious Troll
1 Awful, Inflammatory
2 Poor, but not intentionally inflammatory
3 Contributes, substantially, to the discussion
4 Good
5 Outstanding, Distinguished for its clarity, wit or wisdom

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Are Commentaries or Comments ever deleted?

Commentaries and comments which are wholly inflammatory, violate privacy by divulging inappropriate information, or violate copyright law or principles of plagiarism are subject to deletion. Unfortunately, if a commentary is deleted, all comments associated with that commentary are also deleted.

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HTML Rules for Commentaries and Comments

All commentaries and comments at ePluribus Media can be submitted in Auto Format.
Auto Format converts simple HTML instructions

1. Titles
   HTML cannot be used in titles
2. Text options
   Text options include bold and italic.
   To make This Text Bold, type <b>This Text Bold</b>
   
   To make This Text Italic, type <i>This Text Italic</i>
3. Text boxes
   To make a copy block like this:

   to contain brief "fair use" quotes cited

   type this:
   

   <blockquote>…to contain brief "fair use" quotes cited …</blockquote>

   
   
   NOTE: For those viewing this site using Internet Explorer(IE) browsers, the blockquote tag creates havoc when used, after an introductory sentence, in the intro block of a commentary. Blockquotes work just fine, however, in the body of commentaries and in comments.

   There are three possible solutions to the problem with blockquote in the introductory block of a commentary:

   1. Don't use blockquotes in the introductory block
   2. If you use them in the introductory block, don't precede the blockquote with text or content
   3. Use < div class="blockquote" > (without the spaces) and a < /div > at the end of the content you want boxed.
      The downside of the div class tag is that an rss feed may not pick it up correctly... but not sure that's a problem we are anticipating anytime soon.

4. Embedding a link
   To link a word or phrase to a web site, you may use HTML or let Scoop do it for you.
   To embed a link with HTML so that the words News by the People
   link to ePluribusMedia.org, type:

   <a href="http://www.ePluribusMedia.org/"> News by the People</a>
   

   Or, to let Scoop link this word or phrase to a web site, type:
   

   [News by the People http://www.epluribusmedia.org]

5. Embedding an original image or photo>
   ePluribus Media does not host images or photos. Before you embed an original image or photo, you must load your photo on a host server, either your own or one of the free image hosting sites such as imageshack. Once you’ve uploaded your image or photo to a host site, you can display it in your Commentary or Comment. To display the image below:
   
   type:
   

   <img src="http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7738/sampleimg9bh.jpg">
   

   The basic syntax is:

   <img src="http://xxx/zz.zzz">
   

   Where xxx stands for the directory and path name of where your image is located and zz.zzz stands for the name of your image, such as:
   http://www.imageshack.com/bob/cat.gif

6. Downscaling a large image
   Images and photos take up substantial space and bandwidth to display. The larger the images, the more space and bandwidth they hog. Large images and photos alter the page layout, crowding other commentaries and comments. If you have access to a graphics program, you can reduce the actual pixel (and thus file) size of the graphic. Anywhere between 300 to 500 pixels in width is a nice file and display size, reducing the bandwidth needed to display the image.

   You can also downscale large images so they do not disrupt the site, but they will take the same amount of bandwidth to load as the actual file isn't any smaller. It just displays smaller.

   • To downscale a large image, limit the width. Width is measured in pixels.
   • A typical "head shot" photo works best at 150 pixels wide.
   • A typical horizontal picture works great at 250 pixels wide.

   To downsize an image, you can add the pixel dimensions to the html. As an example, to downsize an image to "head shot" photo size, type:

   <img width="150" src="http://xxx./zz.zzz>

   Where xxx stands for the url where the image is hosted and zz.zzz stands for the name of the image.

7. Linking a downsized image or photo to its original source (and size)
   When you embed a downsized image or photo, link to the original source. For example, to make a reduced image link to its original so that viewers who chose to see it "full size" can do so, type:

   <a href= "http://xxx/zz.gif"></a>
   <img width="400" src="http://xxx/zz.gif"> <br>
   <a href= "http://xxx/zz.gif">Click to enlarge</a>

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Do I need an account?

You can read the commentaries and comments on ePluribusMedia Community without a user account. However, to post, recommend and rate, you will need to register by creating an account.
Look in the Menu box on the right-hand side of your screen. To register, click on Register. Enter your preferred screen name and a verifiable email address. We will notify you if your screen name is available, and we will provide you with a password that you can change once you log on.
As a member, you can access your own page (but no one else’s). You can also access the Citizen Journalist Toolbox. You can post comments in all content areas and you can submit commentaries.

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How do I log in?

Enter your screen name and password in the box on the right-hand side of your
screen labeled "Log In."

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Should I log out?

It’s up to you. Occasionally, difficulties downloading certain pages or
general sluggishness on the site can be rectified by logging out and then logging
back in again.

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How do I access the Citizen Journalist Toolbox?

Only registered members of ePluribus Media may access the Citizen Journalist Toolbox by clicking on Toolbox in the Members' Menu. Almost all the links, modules, object lessons and information contained in the Citizen Journalist Toolbox are readily available for free online elsewhere.

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What’s a Citizen Journalist?

Let’s start with Citizen Journalism. Google "What is Citizen Journalism?" and the Google wizards conjure up a Wikipedia definition we can’t top:

…also known as "participatory journalism,"is the act of citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information, by Shayne Bowman and Chris Willis. They say, "The intent of this participation is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires."

Please read Wikipedia’s entire definition, and allow us to direct your attention to its closing paragraph:>

Civic journalism refocuses the mission of the news media. According to Edward M. Fouhy of the Pew Center for Civic Journalism, "It is an effort to reconnect with the real concerns that viewers and readers have about the things in their lives they care most about -- not in a way that panders to them, but in a way that treats them as citizens with the responsibilities of self-government, rather than as consumers to whom goods and services are sold. It takes the traditional five w's of journalism -- who, what, when, where, why -- and expands them -- to ask why is this story important to me and to the community in which I live?"

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What are the other permanent forums?

There are several permanent discussion forums listed on the left side of the site, where you can join on-going discussions about ethics in journalism, citizen journalism itself, or even the latest to hit the newsdesk or blogs. The Open Forum link is a permanent open thread where you can post other comments of interest to you and the community.

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What are trolls?

Trolls are defined as a poster who deliberately harasses and disrupts the community.
The poster's comments are made for the sole purpose of stirring up strife.

What are Hidden Comments?

Hidden Comments are comments which engendered sufficient "0" and "1" ratings to cause their disappearance.

Where does ePluribus Media funding come from?

So far, our funding comes from private contributions. Soon, funds will be generated
from product sales, publication sales, private and foundation venture funding and transparent business and consulting services.

How can I contribute?

You can contribute to ePluribus Media by clicking the donate link here
or on our home page.

You can send us a lead or tip about an investigation by emailing us atleads@epluribusmedia.org.

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