Policies

The Vanderbilt Hustler’s policies regarding comment sections, anonymity, content, photo use, advertisements, corrections and updates are as follows:

Comment sections policy

The Hustler welcomes and encourages readers to engage with content and express opinions through the comment sections on our website and social media platforms. The Hustler reserves the right to block users or remove comments that contain vulgarity, hate speech, inaccurate information and/or personal attacks, or those that appear to be spam, commercial promotion or impersonation, including those submitted using a fabricated or unverified email or display name. The comment sections are moderated by our Editor-in-Chief, Barrie Barto, and our Social Media Director, Alysa Suleiman. You can reach them at [email protected] and [email protected].

Anonymity policy

The Hustler anonymity policy for sources and authors follows the AP standard for anonymity, and requests for anonymity will only be granted if they fall under this standard. The Hustler reserves the right to grant anonymity on a case-by-case basis. A request for anonymity does not guarantee anonymity. The identity of anonymous individuals must be known to the editor of the section in which their quotes or writing will appear and our Editor-in-Chief, Barrie Barto.

Requests for anonymity that have been granted historically include but are not limited to those related to FERPA, HIPPA and Title IX regulations, members of the LGBTQ+ community whose gender/sexual identity is revealed but who are not out and individuals who would face legal, academic or professional repercussions for having their name attached to a piece.

Content policy

Vanderbilt Student Communications (VSC) does not allow the removal of content, including but not limited to author and source names, parts of articles or quotes, articles, and photos, from online archives of its divisions once it has been published in any format. For more information on this policy, please reference VSC’s Bylaws. If you have any questions, please email our Editor-in-Chief, Barrie Barto, at [email protected].

The Hustler reserves the right to determine its content to align with its mission, goals and audience. The focus of and information included in our articles is ultimately our journalistic decision. We welcome pitches from the community.

Photo use policy

The Vanderbilt Hustler does not allow staff members to release photos taken on assignment for The Hustler other than those published in coverage. Anyone wishing to use Hustler photographs that have been published in Hustler coverage for non-Hustler uses must gain permission from the individual photographer via contract before doing so. After gaining permission and signing a usage contract, users of Hustler photographs for non-Hustler purposes must credit both the photographer and The Hustler when using the photos, ideally in the following format: “Photo by [PHOTOGRAPHER]/The Vanderbilt Hustler” or the format outlined in the agreed upon contract. Failure to uphold this policy will bar users from gaining permission to use published Hustler photos for non-Hustler uses in the future and could lead to punitive action by the photographer as outlined in the contract.

The Vanderbilt Hustler does not publish advertisements of any kind except for occasional promotions for other VSC organizations. The only guest posts that are permitted are guest editorials and Letters to the Editor, which must be written by individual(s) affiliated with the Vanderbilt community.

Corrections and updates

Occasionally, corrections and updates will be made to pieces that contain either inaccurate or misrepresented information or for which additional, relevant information has been obtained post-publication, respectively. The Hustler works to minimize errors in publication and to issue corrections promptly. Corrected articles can be viewed here. If you are aware of an error in Hustler content, please contact our Editor-in-Chief, Barrie Barto, at [email protected].