Article 1       

General

Cursor is TU/e’s independent journalistic medium. The journalism of Cursor focuses on the ins and outs of the institution, education policies, campus and student life and scientific and technological developments. Background stories, analyses and interviews provide knowledge and insights on these topics. Columns and opinion articles help shape or refine our readers’ opinions. Cursor's target audience is the entire TU/e community. Cursor also serves as a practical guide for students, especially new ones.

Cursor serves its target audience, which include students, support staff and scientific staff. Cursor is not a public relations vehicle for the university, nor is it a promotion platform for any partial or particular interest.

The editorial board oversees the implementation of and compliance with the editorial aspects of this editorial charter. Financial, HR and organizational aspects of Cursor are under the responsibility of the (operational) publisher.

Article 2

The publisher

1. The TU/e Executive Board is publisher of all Cursor publications, both online and in print. Responsibilities for editorial content and management of Cursor lie with the editorial staff of Cursor.
2. The Executive Board endorses the editorial charter, and respects and guarantees the independent position of the editorial staff.
3. The publisher ensures the operation of Cursor and facilitates the editorial staff operationally and financially. The budget is reasonably sufficient to carry out the editorial work.
4. Publishing responsibility has been delegated by the Executive Board to the director of the Communication Expertise Center (CEC) for organizational, financial and human resources matters.
5. The editorial board is charged with the supervision of the  journalistic conduct.

Article 3

The editorial staff

1. The editorial staff ensures that:
   1. Cursor serves as an independent and topical journalistic platform by and for the entire TU/e community;
   2. Reporting and freedom of information gathering are carried out according to the journalistic principles as described in the "Guidelines for Journalism."
   3. Publications on Cursor aim to inform employees and students about events and developments that the editorial staff consider newsworthy and relevant to TU/e;
   4. Cursor is publicly accessible so that both the TU/e community and other/external interested parties can consult Cursor at any time;
   5. Cursor performs its journalistic task without outside influence or interference;
   6. Cursor periodically analyzes the appreciation and use of its journalism. The editor-in-chief shares the results with the editorial staff and editorial board, and takes these into account in Cursor’seditorial policy.
2. Organization and way of working of editorial staff  
   1. The editorial staff are managed by an editor-in-chief;
   2. Members of the editorial team are appointed by the director of the CEC, at the recommendation of the editor-in-chief;
   3. The editorial staff seek to establish truth and apply the generally accepted journalistic principles, such as impartiality, objectivity, fairness, freedom of information gathering, verification of sources and facts, taking into account arguments of all parties involved and other principles as described in the "Guidelines for Journalism";
   4. Regarding organizational, personnel and financial matters the editorial staff follow TU/e guidelines.
3. The tasks of the editor-in-chief
   1. The editor-in-chief is responsible for the day-to-day operations and general management of the editorial staff, the editorial agenda, and the quality and due diligence of Cursor’s journalism;
   2. The editor-in-chief is ultimately responsible for all Cursor publications and accountable for these both externally and internally;
   3. The editor-in-chief describes in the editorial formula the principles, objectives, distribution and design of Cursor, as well as the organization and implementation thereof. This is described in an annual operational plan for implementing Cursor's editorial tasks;
   4. The editorial staff are involved in establishing the editorial formula;
   5. The editor-in-chief prepares an annual operating budget within the limits of the budget made available by the publisher to the editorial staff;
   6. The editorial board may approach editorial staff to gain insights and an understanding of the editor-in-chief's performance; 
   7. The editor-in-chief is accountable to the CEC director for the operational policies (organization, finance, HR) pursued;
   8. The editor-in-chief formulates concrete objectives (KPI's) for Cursor each year, which are discussed in advance with the publisher and the editorial board. The KPI's are endorsed by the publisher and editorial board and relate to:
      1. Reach: the part of the TU/e community that accesses Cursor through the website and social media. This refers to the reach within all sections of the TU/e community, such as students and employees, both Dutch and international;
      2. Evaluation: the evaluation score given on average by members of the TU/e community to Cursor. This score is measured annually in a survey.

If goals are not met, the editor-in-chief establishes an improvement plan.

1. Appointment and dismissal of the editor-in-chief
   1. The editor-in-chief is appointed following a job application process that involves the publisher, editorial board and editorial staff. Together they establish a job profile and form a job application committee in which the publisher, editorial board and editorial staff have an equal number of representatives. The committee operates by consensus;
   2. For the annual evaluation of the editor-in-chief, the director of the CEC will seek the advice of the chair of the editorial board. Either party may request that the chair of the editorial board be present at the evaluation interview or meeting;
   3. The dismissal of the editor-in-chief will be by the recommendation of, or consent of a majority of at least 75 percent of, the editorial board - and only if there is a basis for dismissal under Dutch labor law.
2. Editorial staff
   1. Cursor’s editorial staff are employed by TU/e and are appointed or dismissed by the director of CEC, at the recommendation of the editor-in-chief;
   2. Choices or decisions regarding matters of appointment, promotion and professional career of editorial staff are made at the recommendation of the editor-in-chief;
   3. In the event of journalistic disputes with the editor-in-chief, members of the editorial staff can turn to the editorial board.

Article 4

The editorial board

1. The editorial board is charged with overseeing the journalistic activities of the editorial staff in accordance with the editorial charter.
2. The editorial board acts as a sounding board for the editor-in-chief and can give solicited and unsolicited advice on editorial policy.  
3. The editorial board meets four times a year for regular consultations. The editor-in-chief attends these meetings and is responsible for the official support of the editorial board and recording minutes of the meeting.
4. The editor-in-chief reports at least once a year to the editorial board on the editorial policy pursued.
5. The editorial board represents Cursor in disputes concerning journalistic independence with the Executive Board and the director of CEC.
6. If there is a difference of opinion between the editorial staff and the editorial board, the former will have the opportunity to explain the editorial viewpoint to the editorial board.
7. Regarding publications, the editorial board makes a ruling in disputes between editorial staff and third parties (see Article 5) and only reviews disputed articles in retrospect.
8. Members of the editorial board are appointed by the Executive Board based on profiles disclosed in advance, on the recommendation of the incumbent editorial board and after obtaining the consent of the editor-in-chief and the University Council.
9. Members of the Editorial Board are appointed for two years and may be reappointed once for a further term of up to two years.
10. The editorial board consists of at least seven members. The members of the editorial board choose - because of independent position within TU/e - one of the external experts as their chair. The editorial board comprises:
    1. Two or more TU/e professors/researchers;
    2. Two or more TU/e support staff members;
    3. One or more TU/e students;
    4. Two or more journalism experts from outside TU/e, at least one of whom has managerial editorial experience.
11. Each member has one vote at the editorial board meeting. All agenda items - with the exception of the editor-in-chief's dismissal, see Article 3.4.f - are decided by a majority of the votes cast. In the event of an equal number of votes for and against, the chair has the deciding vote. 
12. The chair of the editorial board leads the meetings of the editorial board, facilitates discussion, secures the broadest possible support within the editorial board for the policies pursued, and is the contact person for both the editor-in-chief and the publisher.
13. Internal board members who leave the university shall resign from the editorial board no later than three months after their departure. The vacancy will be filled after a new member is recruited by the editorial board.
14. The meetings of the editorial board are open to the public, unless the chair of the editorial board or the editor-in-chief decide otherwise, on justifiable grounds.
15. The chair of the editorial board and the publisher contact each other as often as they see fit.
16. The chair and members of the University Council, members of the Executive Board, the Secretary of the university, the directors and deans of departments, and the director and staff of CEC cannot become members of the editorial board.

Article 5

Complaints Procedure

1. A complaint about a publication or the conduct of Cursor should be submitted to the editor-in-chief by mail within three months.
2. The editor-in-chief aims to resolve complaints within two weeks of their submission. In case this proves impossible for valid reasons, this period can be extended by up to three weeks. In the case of factual inaccuracies, the solution may consist of posting a rectification or supplement to the publication in question.
3. If the editor-in-chief does not resolve a complaint within two weeks, she/he will notify the chair of the editorial board.
4. If the complainant is not satisfied with the editor-in-chief's resolution of the complaint, the complainant may present his complaint to the chair of the editorial board within five months. The chair will hear the complainant and discuss the complaint with at least two other members of the editorial board. They will examine the issue and come to a binding decision. The chair will report the ruling to the editor-in-chief and the complainant.
5. The editorial board thus has a function similar to that of the Press Council, using the "Guidelines for Journalism."
6. Names and photographs of interviewees and other sources are not, in principle, removed from the archive.

Article 6

Final provision

1. The editor-in-chief is responsible for preparing amendments to the editorial charter. She/he will submit a proposal to amend the editorial charter to the editorial board for its opinion.
2. The proposed amendment as approved by the editorial board will be sent to the University Council for approval.
3. The Executive Board will then adopt the editorial charter. An amendment takes effect the day after it is adopted.

Adopted by the Executive Board.