FORUM POLICIES & DOCUMENTS
INFORMATION SHARING & EDITORIAL POLICY
Last update: 22/08/26
1. Purpose
Totnes Business Forum CIC (the Forum, we, us) exists to promote, connect and represent the independent businesses of Totnes and its surrounding district. Part of that role is sharing useful information — business and event promotions, local news, and matters affecting the local economy — drawn both from within our membership and from outside sources.
This policy sets out how we do that. Its purpose is to let the Forum act as a trusted sharer of information rather than a publisher that vouches for it, and to do so in a way that protects the Forum's reputation for strategic impartiality — never appearing to favour any one business, organisation or cause. The mechanisms below are designed to keep our sharing consistent, transparent and rules-based, and to place responsibility for the accuracy of information with the people who supply it.
2. Scope and definitions
This policy applies to every channel through which the Forum shares information. Those channels fall into two groups, which this policy treats differently:
Members' interactive spaces — the members' WhatsApp group and the private members' Facebook group, where members post to one another (Section 5).
Public-facing channels — our newsletter, noticeboard(s), public social media and any similar outlets through which the Forum itself shares information with a wider audience (Sections 6 to 9).
In this policy:
Forum-owned content means content the Forum writes and stands behind — our own announcements, updates and materials.
Relayed content means content originating from someone else that we pass on, attributed to its source.
Submitter means any person or organisation that supplies content for us to share on a public-facing channel.
3. Guiding principles
Every decision under this policy is guided by four principles:
We share; we do not endorse. Passing on information is not agreement with it. We take responsibility for our own content, not for the accuracy or views of content we relay.
Rules, not favourites. What we share on public channels is decided by published criteria applied consistently — not by our judgement of merit, and never by preference for one business or cause over another.
Transparency of source. Relayed content is always attributed, so readers can see where it comes from and weigh it accordingly.
Strategic neutrality. As a body that represents the whole local business community, we stay impartial. We do not campaign, take sides in disputes, or advance party-political positions.
4. Forum-owned content and relayed content
We keep a clear line between the two, both in how content is worded and in how it is presented:
Forum-owned content is written in the Forum's voice and carries our name and responsibility.
Relayed content is attributed to its source, is not presented as the Forum's own statement, and carries the disclaimer at Section 8.
Where practical, the two are visually distinguished so that a reader can always tell which is which.
5. Members' interactive spaces
The members' WhatsApp and Facebook groups are hosted on third-party platforms. Members post to one another within them; the Forum acts as group host and moderator, not as the publisher of what members post. The following applies to both groups.
5.1 Code of conduct
By joining a members' group, members agree — alongside TBF's Forum Members' Code of Conduct — to keep contributions:
civil, respectful and relevant to local business and the aims of the Forum;
lawful — nothing defamatory, discriminatory, harassing, misleading or otherwise unlawful;
free of party-political campaigning or advocacy on contested issues; and
free of attacks on, or disparagement of, named competitors or third parties.
5.2 Moderation
Posts are not pre-vetted. The directors, as group administrators, moderate reactively: content that breaches the code of conduct or is unlawful will be removed promptly once we are made aware of it, and repeat or serious breaches may result in a member being removed from the group. Members are asked to report any concerning content to the administrators.
5.3 Views expressed
Views posted by members in the groups are the members' own and do not represent the Forum. Membership of a group, and the presence of a post within it, does not imply the Forum's endorsement.
5.4 Data protection
Members are made aware, before joining, that the WhatsApp group exposes their telephone number to other members of that group. Members should join only if they are content for their number to be visible in that way. The Forum handles members' contact details in line with its Privacy Policy.
5.5 Administrator neutrality
Administrators remain facilitative and impartial. We keep the groups running smoothly and enforce the code of conduct even-handedly, but we do not take sides in disagreements between members.
6. Public-facing channels: what we share
6.1 Submission
Any local business or organisation — not only Forum members — may submit information to be shared on our public-facing channels. Submissions are made through our published route (an online form or a designated inbox). We may share what is submitted to us if it meets the criteria below.
6.2 Eligibility criteria
Every submission is assessed against the following criteria. All must be met.
Relevance — it relates to the local business economy or the Totnes-and-district business community (a business, event, offer, news item, or civic matter affecting local business).
Locality — the submitter operates in, or the content concerns, Totnes and its surrounding district, defined by economic geography rather than parish boundaries (so Dartington and the wider district qualify).
Lawful and accurate on its face — it is not defamatory, misleading, discriminatory or otherwise unlawful, and any factual claims are attributable to the submitter.
Non-political and non-campaigning — it carries no party-political content and does not advocate on contested issues (see Section 10).
Not disparaging — it does not attack or denigrate a named competitor or third party.
Complete — it is submitted through the proper route with the required details, and the rights to any images or other material are confirmed.
Warranted — the submitter confirms that the content is accurate, that they hold the necessary rights, and that they accept the submission terms at Section 9.
6.3 How we assess submissions
Approval is a compliance check against these criteria — not a judgement of merit. We ask only “does this meet the criteria?”, never “is this good, or better than another submission?” Everything that meets all seven criteria is shared. Anything that fails a criterion is declined, and the submitter is told which criterion was not met. We keep a light check before putting the Forum's name to public content, but that check does not extend to independently verifying the truth of what a submitter tells us.
6.4 Consistency and no ranking
We do not rank, rate or choose between eligible submissions, and we do not give one submitter preferential prominence over another. All eligible submissions are treated on the same basis, subject only to reasonable practical limits on volume, timing and space, which are applied even-handedly. The one transparent exception is paid sponsorship recognition: Sponsor Members' branding appears on Forum communications under TBF's Membership and Participation Policy. Sponsorship is clearly presented as sponsorship, is offered on published terms with a fixed number of places open to any eligible business, and carries no influence over what the Forum shares, how submissions are assessed under this policy, or any other editorial decision.
7. How we present relayed content
When we relay content from an external source, we:
attribute it to a named source, with a date and, where available, a link;
report rather than assert — for example “[source] has announced…” rather than stating the matter as the Forum's own fact; and
avoid adding commentary that would turn a neutral relay into an endorsement or an editorial position.
8. Disclaimer
The following notice applies wherever the Forum relays third-party content and, where practicable, appears on the relevant channels:
Information shared here from external and third-party sources is provided for the interest of the local business community. Totnes Business Forum CIC does not verify, endorse or accept responsibility for the accuracy of such information, and any views expressed are those of the source and not of the Forum. Sharing does not imply endorsement.
9. Submission terms
By submitting content for us to share on a public-facing channel, the submitter confirms that:
the content is accurate and not misleading;
the content is lawful, and is not defamatory, discriminatory or otherwise in breach of any third party's rights;
they own or have permission to use all material submitted, including any images or logos; and
they will indemnify the Forum against any claim, loss or cost arising from the content or from the Forum sharing it in good faith.
The Forum may decline, edit for length or format, or later remove any submission at its discretion, applying these terms consistently. Editing for length or format does not amount to endorsement of the content.
10. Political neutrality and causes
The Forum may share information about civic and community matters that are relevant to the local business economy — for example a town-wide event, a high-street improvement scheme, or a regulatory change affecting local businesses. It applies this even-handedly.
The Forum does not, however, campaign, take positions on contested or party-political questions, fundraise for, or advocate on behalf of individual causes. This boundary protects the Forum's standing as an impartial, strategic body that represents the whole local business community and does not favour any particular cause.
11. Complaints, corrections and takedown
Anyone may raise a concern about content we have shared — an inaccuracy, a complaint, or a rights issue — by contacting us at hello@totnesbusinessforum.co.uk. We will consider concerns promptly and, where a concern is well-founded, correct or remove the content without undue delay. Acting promptly on notice is central to how this policy limits the Forum's exposure, and complaints are handled consistently regardless of who raises them, in line with the timescales in TBF's Complaints Policy.
12. Records
For content shared on public-facing channels, we keep a record of what was submitted, by whom, and when, together with any decision to share, decline or remove it and the reason. These records let us demonstrate that we applied this policy consistently and acted as a relayer of others' content.