Editorial Bulletin

ILLUMINATION Does NOT Publish Content with Defamation, Discrimination, and Hate Speech.

Publishing policy and inclusion guidance for ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications

Serving over 74,000+ readers on Medium daily with contributions by 25,000+ writers, contrary to allegations, ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications do not publish everything. We have a clear publishing policy supporting our comprehensive scope spanning over 100 topics.

Let me explain.

At ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications (IIP), like many other publications on Medium, we sometimes receive controversial pieces. There are some pieces we can publish, but others we can’t. Writers and readers may want to know how we decide what to do.

Decisions for controversial content are never easy. The editors and I need to balance the desire of the author to get published and the readers’ desire to read quality content on one side of the equation. On the other side, we need to protect the readers from inflammatory articles.

First, we have to judge all articles according to Medium’s rules. If an article breaks those rules, then simply, it will be rejected with a brief explanation by editors.

Needless to say, about banning plagiarized materials, we don’t publish hate speech, defamation, or discriminating claims of any kind mentioned in Medium publishing policies. So, for example, we don’t publish material that is racist, homophobic, culturally discriminating, or against any other minority groups and communities.

But if that’s not an issue, then there is not always an easy answer. So what we do is to reach a consensus, including all the volunteer editors. That’s the best way to arrive at a decision in our team.

However, sometimes reaching a consensus is not easy to do. There are cases where it’s not such a clear-cut decision. And sometimes, there are extreme opinions on both sides of the question.

What we try to do here is to eliminate politics and egos from getting in the way of honest discussion. Because if we don’t, the conversation can sometimes become overheated. When that happens, sometimes it’s only the loudest voices that get heard. I don’t want this to happen.

Therefore, we develop clear publishing policies and guidelines that are transparent to all stakeholders, including editors, writers, and readers. We have a special process to handle exceptions.

Like in all walks of life, mistakes happen. But if we have made a mistake in publishing an inflammatory article, we correct it as fast as possible. As an owner and publisher, I am ultimately responsible for everything that goes out to the public. I accept that responsibility and will, with humility, apologize for occasional mistakes. This is what it requires from the leadership of publications the size of the ILLUMINATION.

We all know that mistakes will happen in every aspect of the working world. We view these mistakes as unfortunate, but they are learning experiences. Our goal is not to make the same mistake twice by leveraging our policies, processes, procedures, and common sense.

Running six publications is not easy, but mostly, everything runs smoothly every day. Since we now have thousands of followers on all our publications, we are gratified to know that we please our readers. That is always the first consideration here at ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications.

We continue supporting our valued contributors with agility and care. I am grateful that almost one-third of Medium writers are contributing to my publications. This is a remarkable achievement for IIP in such a short time. Each one of these writers is unique and valuable to our mission.

I want to conclude my post by sharing our policy on publishing controversial pieces. Please comment.

Policy statement

Regarding content that propagandizes or fosters the continuation of stereotypes based on race or creed or gender beyond what Medium guidelines may deem to be hate speech, the editors of ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications (IIP) will reject any work that is written primarily to demonize or diminishing the value of another group of people. We will not tolerate such speech whether blatant or implied — whether couched as fact or opinion. We believe that our message of inclusiveness is furthered by erring on the side of excluding a piece that some but not all may find to be hate-filled. The editors of IIP are all from a diverse background of people, and though we occasionally disagree, we recognize we are all human, regardless of our cultural history. Having an argument against a governmental or philosophical policy is appreciated when discussed in a thoughtful and respectful manner but we have zero tolerance for content that targets a specific group, gender, or creed. Unsubstantiated claims or attempts to make broad assumptions against an entire culture will not be tolerated.

Thanks to Stuart Englander and Marcus for their input in formulating policy.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

Here is a well-articulated story written by Michael Burg, MD (Satire Sommelier) highlighting the role of a platform to stop hate speech with an example of anti-Semitism, which started skyrocketing on Twitter.

I updated our conduct guidelines with an addendum to this policy statement.

Please also review our updates on photo handling and plagiarism policies.

Guiding Articles for Beginners on Medium

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Sample Health Improvement Articles for New Readers

Besides aiming to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and writing about neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine, one of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.

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Disclaimer: Please note that my posts do not include professional or health advice. I document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.

I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on metabolic, cellular, mitochondrial, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.

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