Rules for publishing contributions

The Říčany Town Council approved on 4. 7. 2019 at its meeting Rules for publishing contributions in the municipal newsletter The Courier.

Article 1

Introductory provisions

1) The town of Říčany publishes through the Media and Communication Service (MAKS), o.p.s. the bulletin of the town and the municipal authority Říčanský kurýr (hereinafter referred to as the “bulletin”), which is registered with the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic under e. č. MK ČR E 12692.

2) The newsletter is published as a monthly and distributed free of charge to all households in Říčany, Pacov, Strašín, Kuří, Jažlovice and Voděrádky (hereinafter referred to as “the town”).

3) The purpose of the newsletter is to provide residents with objective information regarding political, social, economic, cultural and other events in the city.

4) The publication of the newsletter is governed by Act No. 46/2000 Coll., on the rights and obligations in the publication of periodical press and on the amendment of some other acts (Press Act), as amended; the publication of advertisements is specified in Act No. 40/1995 Coll., on the regulation of advertising and on the amendment and supplementation of Act No. 468/1991 Coll., on the operation of radio and television broadcasting, as amended.

Article 2

Thematic focus and content of the newsletter

1) The newsletter publishes in particular:

Information about the activities of the local and state administration (Information from the Town Hall), information about security (Municipal Police and Firefighters), contributions about planned events and activities of municipal organizations and institutions, and information about the activities of civic or interest associations (Environment and Health, Schools and Kindergartens, Senior Citizens, Sport, Culture, etc.), opinions of members of the Říčany Town Council and contributions of individuals and legal entities concerning events in the town.

2) Contributions published in the newsletter are not honored. Unsolicited materials will not be returned.

3) There is no legal right to publish the submitted contribution in the newsletter.

4) All entries must comply with Act No. 101/2000 Coll., on the Protection of Personal Data and on Amendments to Certain Acts, as amended.

Article 3

Newsletter Editorial Board

1) The editorial board is responsible for the organisation of the newsletter.

2) The Editorial Board is usually composed of five members, but the number of members may change according to the decision of the Říčany Town Council, which appoints and dismisses the members.

3) A member of the editorial board is always a city employee serving as the city’s spokesperson and chair of the media committee. The chairman ensures the external communication of the editorial board, coordinates the editorial work towards balanced, objective and truthful reporting of the monthly

4) The Editorial Board in particular:

It proposes the thematic content and graphic layout of the newsletter, decides on the inclusion of contributions, except for the section “Information from the town hall”, which is decided by the press spokesperson after discussion with the mayor, discusses complaints, suggestions and proposals regarding the content and graphic layout of the newsletter, proposes deadlines and publication dates of the newsletter, checks the content of the newsletter in pre-press form and with regard to the detection and elimination of minor errors.

5) The Editorial Board meets as needed, but at least once a month. The Editorial Board is convened by the Chairman of the Editorial Board, who takes the minutes of the meeting.

6) In the case of disputed issues, the decision of the Editorial Board is governed by a vote and requires the consent of a supermajority of the Editorial Board members present.

7) The Editorial Board separates news from commentary in the newsletter.

8) The Editorial Board has the right to place the contribution in an appropriate section and to ensure the graphic design of the contributions. The Editorial Board has the right to decide not to include a contribution in the monthly magazine, especially if the contribution is not included in the magazine. because of its quality, false content or the spread of various types of intolerance.

Article 4

Contributions from city councillors

1) In each issue of the newsletter, a press space is provided for the publication of contributions by individual members of the City Council expressing their views on the City.

2) A representative who wishes to present his/her views and opinions in the newsletter shall submit his/her contribution no later than the closing date of the current issue in which it is to be published. The closing date is always indicated in the cover of the previous issue.

3) Texts are to be delivered in electronic form to the following e-mail address: zc.ynacir@ryruk.ytxet. The author of the contribution and the name of the electoral party, movement or association for which the councillor stood for election must be indicated.

4) The maximum length of a contribution to one edition of the newsletter is set at 2000 characters (including spaces).

Article 5

Other external contributions

For other external contributions:

1) We publish papers that are submitted by the deadline, which is always indicated in the cover of the previous issue. If their scope exceeds the possibilities of a given issue, the Editorial Board decides on their inclusion.

2) Texts can only be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address: zc.ynacir@ryruk.ytxet.

4) The author must put his/her full name or the full names of co-authors under the paper. The name must also be included with the photo. In order to verify the authorship of the paper, contact details (address, e-mail and phone number) are required. Failure to provide contact information is grounds for non-issuance of the grant. The contact information is used only for the needs of the editorial office and the specific edition and will not be further processed or provided to third parties.

5) The maximum length of submissions is 2000 characters (including spaces). In the case of overlapping text, the article may be shortened or the editorial board may decide to publish the text only on the city’s website.

6) Regular external contributors are guaranteed space in the print media as follows: Kindergartens 2000 characters, elementary schools 4000 characters, secondary schools 4000 characters, security forces 4000 characters, sports clubs up to 250 members 2000 characters, sports clubs over 250 members 4000 characters, Říčany Museum 4000 characters and events programme, KC Swan 4000 characters and events programme, civic associations, non-profit organisations and clubs 2000 characters and student council 4000 characters.

7) For all contributions with a limited scope, the Editorial Board may grant an exception in case of a legitimate request from the author. The decision to grant an exemption must be stated in the minutes of the Editorial Board meeting, including a brief justification.

8) Images and graphic material included in the paper must meet print quality, for photographs this means a minimum resolution of 300 dpi at 1 : 1. In the case of multiple photographs submitted without preference or specified order, the Editorial Board will decide on the selection of the accompanying photograph or photographs. The author must be credited by full name for all pictorial and graphic material to be published in the newsletter.

Article 6

Rights and restrictions on the release of all contributions

1) Anonymous posts and posts whose content is contrary to good manners will not be printed.

2) The newsletter will not publish articles that discriminate against citizens on the basis of race or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion or belief.

3) In addition, posts concerning disputes between citizens and legal entities that are not related to municipal issues will not be published.

4) Continuing or repetitive submissions on a single topic will not be printed. The only exceptions are editorial articles and requested contributions, which may be longer and may also be published in continuation.

5) In the event that a contribution touches the honour, dignity, privacy or reputation of a natural person or the reputation of a legal entity, the Editorial Board shall give the person concerned the opportunity to comment in order to ensure balance and objectivity.

6) The response must be limited to statements that set the record straight or supplement incomplete or otherwise misleading statements. The response must be proportionate to the scope of the contested communication. A person is only entitled to have the answer published once.

7) If the author of a contribution uses information taken from another periodical or other source protected by copyright and does not secure the author’s consent in advance or does not indicate the source of such information, he/she is personally liable for any legal consequences. Upon request, the author must prove that he/she has the copyright to all parts of the contribution or image.

8) The publication of the image and the visual record of the contributions is possible in an appropriate manner for press or similar reporting (Section 89 of Act No. 89/2012 Coll., the Civil Code). Publication of a clearly identifiable image is only possible with written consent, in the case of a minor with the consent of a legal guardian. Written consent must be provided by the author of the contribution together with the contribution (compliance with EU Regulation 2016/679, the so-called GDPR).

9) The above rules for publishing contributions in the city newsletter Kurýr also apply to the electronic version of the Kurýr at www.kuryr-ricany.cz, with the exception of limitations on the scope of individual contributions, the print quality of images and graphics, and the number of possible responses.

Article 7

Final provisions

These rules were approved by the Říčany Town Council on 4. 7. 2019 and come into force on the date of their approval.