Our Policies

Mission Statement

The Jute Journal, the independent student-run publication of the University of Dundee, operates with the following mission: to give students back their voice and hold power to account. We intend to achieve this by pursuing all news of the University, University community, and all who are affected by the University.

To deliver clear, accurate, and relevant reporting that empowers our community to make informed decisions.

Contributors cover, and readers can expect to consume, a wide range of topics including:

• Society activities, sports events, and student-led initiatives.
• SRC meetings, Court and Senate updates, and University governance.
• Strike action and policy changes affecting students.
• Dundee city news with student impact.
• Commentary on national and international issues.

The Jute Journal was founded in February 2025 during a period of institutional uncertainty, emerging from a renewed need for a traditional student newspaper.

Code of Ethics

We are committed to truth and accuracy. Without accuracy, we lack credibility, and trust. Our foundation.

We strive to be as open and accountable to readers as possible. We publish our names and contact information to encourage reader participation and feedback. When we make a mistake, we will admit it, because the only way to preserve credibility is to admit our mistakes, apologise, and take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Through clearly labelled editorials and commentaries, we add our voice to a public forum that involves and engages as many readers as possible, especially those who disagree with us.

We are dedicated to representing the community we serve. That means covering our entire community, not just the majority — it also means recruiting a diverse body of students that represent our audience.

To ensure our public image and the perception the public holds of us is safeguarded, we ensure our output is clean and unwavering in our stance on ethical decision making.

To make that stance as transparent as possible, we will always address readers’ concerns about ethics and all other content decisions.

The Jute Journal intends to uphold journalistic ethical standards, which focus on seeking truth and reporting it, minimising harm, acting independently, and being accountable.

Opinion Policy

Opinions expressed in The Jute Journal are those of the author and not the official opinion of the newspaper. Staff editorials represent the majority opinion of the newspaper and are the team’s official opinion.

Correction Requests

The Jute Journal reviews requests to correct stories on a case-by-case basis. Corrections are made when information in the story is incorrect or misrepresented.

Contact thejutejournal@dusamedia.com with correction requests and include the relevant story and specifics about the request.

Contributor Eligibility

Any student enrolled at a university in Dundee is eligible to contribute to The Jute Journal.

Students who have previously served on a student executive committee may contribute, however due to conflicts of interest they may not report on:

• Executive Committee matters
• Student Elections
• Any content that could reasonably be perceived as influencing or scrutinising the work of the exec

This ensures fairness, transparency, and editorial independence across all coverage.

Guest Columns

We welcome guest columns from writers who are not current Dundee-based students, provided their contribution aligns with our editorial values and serves our readership.

Alumni, staff, local community members, and writers from across Scotland may pitch guest columns.

Guest columns should offer informed perspectives, lived experience, or specialist insight that enriches conversation about issues relevant to Dundee and our student audience.

Guest columnists do not represent the views of The Jute Journal. All opinions expressed are those of the author alone.

Guest columnists may not:

• Endorse political candidates or parties
• Promote commercial products or services
• Use the platform for personal grievances or targeted criticism of individuals

All guest submissions are edited for clarity, accuracy, tone, and adherence to our ethical standards. Publication is at the discretion of the editorial team.

Please email pitches to thejutejournal@dusamedia.com with the subject ‘Guest Column Pitch’.

AI Policy

To protect the integrity, originality, and authenticity of student journalism, we have a strict no-use policy on the use of AI tools.

Contributors must not use AI tools for any part of the journalistic process, including but not limited to:

• Generating ideas, angles, or story concepts
• Drafting or rewriting articles, reviews, interviews, or opinion pieces
• Summarising sources, interviews, or research
• Creating or editing images, graphics, or illustrations
• Any task that replaces or supplements the contributor’s own intellectual or creative work

No AI-generated text, audio, or imagery may appear in any published content. The only permitted digital assistance is:

• Standard spellcheck and punctuation tools built into word processors
• Basic grammar correction that does not alter meaning, structure, or voice

External Publications Policy

The Jute Journal encourages contributors to gain as much journalistic experience as possible during their time in Dundee. To maintain clarity, originality, and editorial integrity, the following guidelines apply to all contributors who also write for external publications:

• Contributors must inform the Editor-in-Chief of any work they undertake for external publications, whether or not the content relates to Dundee University.
• Articles published in an external outlet cannot be republished in The Jute Journal. We do not publish previously rejected, unused, or backup material from other publications.
• Articles first published in The Jute Journal must not be republished elsewhere in their original form. If another publication expresses interest in a piece, contributors must notify the relevant editor. Substantial changes must be made before the piece appears elsewhere.
• Contributors must inform their section editor of any stories they are covering for another publication. This ensures editors do not assign overlapping stories and prevents conflicts of interest or duplicated coverage.

Unpublishing Stories

We will review requests to unpublish stories on a case-by-case basis. Examples of coverage eligible for removal include:

• Stories where information included was plagiarised or fictionalised
• An individual’s life is in danger through the published information
• Information in the story was obtained illegally or unethically

To request a retraction, email thejutejournal@dusamedia.com. Include the relevant story and details about the request.