CityBeat’s Instagram Collaboration Policy
Purpose: This policy governs use of Instagram’s “Collaboration” feature, which co-authors a post and displays it on both accounts. Because that feature signals a partnership to audiences, its use carries editorial implications that require editorial judgment.
Core Principle Instagram collaborations are reserved for actual collaborative work — joint reporting, co-produced content, or formal institutional partnerships. Being a source, subject, or interview subject in a story does not qualify.
Permitted uses
- Joint reporting projects with other news organizations (e.g., a data story with Ohio Capital Journal or Kentucky Lantern)
- Co-produced content with a partner organization where both parties contributed to the work
- Formal sponsorship or event partnerships, clearly labeled as such and kept separate from editorial content
Not permitted
- Collaborating on a post with a person or organization who was a subject, source, or interviewee in a story we produced
- Using the collaboration feature as a reach or engagement tactic for editorial content
- Any collaboration that could imply shared editorial control over a story we own
Why this matters: Instagram’s collaboration feature displays the post on both accounts and signals a co-equal relationship to anyone who sees it. Using it with a story subject — even a friendly or popular one — implies we worked with them rather than about them. That distinction is foundational to editorial independence.
