In this era of uncertainty, tension and upheaval, the need for reliable journalism in which readers can have confidence, has become all-the-more important. West England Bylines – like its partner publications in other regions – has been created to meet this need.
Independent of government, political parties and corporate interests, West England Bylines is our region’s progressive, pluralist and internationalist alternative to the narrow and partisan reporting and commentary that has dominated media coverage in recent times.
Celebrating the dynamism, diversity and economic importance of our region, West England Bylines is an opportunity for citizen journalism to highlight the issues that matter, while giving voice to opinions and commentary which are too often stifled by a tightly-controlled media.
West England Bylines is a trading brand of Bylines Networks Limited, which is a partner organisation to Byline Times. Although both organisations fully support each other and collaborate where possible, it’s important to note that the companies are separate entities – financially, legally and editorially. The Bylines Network is funded entirely from reader donations, subscriptions to the Bylines Gazette and a very small amount of advertising income on some of our sites. If you would also like to support Byline Times, please visit their website.
West England Bylines is written and run by volunteers across Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Herefordshire, Bath, and Bristol, and draws together citizens from a range of political backgrounds, and some who have no particular political loyalty.
Our contributors write about what matters to them – because what matters to them matters to many or all of us. Regional, national and international issues all have a place on our pages, reflecting both our regional focus and our progressive and internationalist outlook at a time when the political leadership in our country has rarely been more in need of being held to account.
The Bylines Network’s Zero Tolerance Policy
It is the policy of Bylines Network that discrimination or bullying of any type will not be tolerated. We are committed to ensuring all contributors are safe and free from harassment and discrimination and do not act in a discriminatory way towards others. Bigotry of any kind is against our core values and it undermines the performance, success and productivity of the organisation.
All contributors will be held accountable for maintaining an environment free from discrimination of this nature and bullying of any kind. In addition, we do not accept or condone discriminatory comments or harassing remarks about or towards people within Bylines articles or social media posts based on their age, race, religion or belief, gender identity or reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, sex, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, health or disability. The same applies to any other characteristic that puts a person at risk of discrimination.
We do not accept articles, social media posts or other remarks that encourage others to behave hatefully or abusively towards any group based on the characteristics of its members.
By ‘characteristic’ we mean things that an individual cannot change, including deeply rooted aspects of personal identity or philosophical belief. This does not normally include political beliefs. We still expect contributors to behave in a civil and respectful manner towards those whose politics differ from their own, but it is acceptable to identify political beliefs that themselves encourage discrimination or harassment as being unacceptable.
Any incident in breach of these standards should be reported to: ben@bylinesnetworks.co.uk.
Making a complaint
West England Bylines is published by Bylines Networks Limited and is regulated by IMPRESS. Our complaints process can be accessed by clicking on the button below:
