Guidelines for Under-18s
For participants aged 13 to 17. Read these with your parent or guardian: consent, safety rules, and how to research, write and submit stories from published sources.
Before you start
These guidelines are for participants aged 13 to 17 in the India News Grid Young Journalist Program. Please read them together with your parent or guardian. If you are 18 or older, read the Editorial Guidelines instead.
Register: consent comes first
- Read these guidelines with your parent or guardian.
- Download the Indemnity & Consent Form. Your parent or guardian completes and signs it, and you sign the contributor consent at the end.
- Click Apply Now and complete the registration page. Upload the signed form and a copy of your parent or guardian's ID there.
- The team checks the form and may call your parent or guardian to confirm.
- Once it is verified, access to the program is granted to your registered email address.
- Submit stories through Submit News or Create Article in your dashboard.
Your safety rules
These rules keep you safe while you build your portfolio. They apply to every story you submit.
Desk research only
Use official documents, government releases, data portals and reports already published by credible outlets. Do not interview anyone, in person, by phone, by email or on social media.
No event reporting in person
Do not attend events to report on them. You can still write event listings from official announcements.
Protect your identity
Never upload photos of yourself, classmates or family, and never share your phone number, home address or school in a story.
If a story idea comes close to any of these, email [email protected] before writing.
What you can write
Four types of content. Each must serve readers, not promote anyone.
News report
A recent development (usually within 7 days): who it affects, what changes and when, with official sources.
e.g. New scholarship guidelines released by a ministry
Research article / explainer
A clear question answered with data and documents, plus background and what remains unclear.
e.g. How the PM Internship Scheme works and who can apply
International news
A development abroad, researched from reliable sources, with why it matters to Indian readers.
e.g. A change in UK student visa rules
Event listing
Name, organiser, date, time, venue or link, who can attend, fees and registration, from an official announcement. No promotional language.
e.g. A free science exhibition at a public museum
Suggested focus areas
Nor any topic listed in your safety rules.
Sources, accuracy and attribution
Every fact in your story must come from a source readers can open. If you cannot link it, leave it out.
Attribution rules
- Attribute every claim to whoever made it: “the ministry said”, “according to the PLFS bulletin”.
- Facts vs claims, including government sources. Facts on the official record can be stated directly with a link: what a notification says, eligibility rules, a deadline, an official statistic. Claims about results, impact or intentions must be attributed.
- Be exact about the stage: announced, approved by Cabinet, notified, launched and implemented are different things.
- Give every number a unit, a time period and a source, and compare like with like.
Numbers: wrong vs right
No unit or period
No source
Budget vs spending
Percent vs percentage point
The figures above are illustrations, not real data.
Quoting from published sources
Every quote needs four things: the person's full name, their role, the date, and where or how they said it. Readers must be able to trace the quote, so link the source.
Right, for each kind of source
| Source | Example |
|---|---|
| Event | “We will open applications by December,” Education Minister [Name] said at the National Education Conclave at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 3 October 2026. |
| Written statement | “The portal will reopen on 15 October,” the Ministry of Education said in a statement on 4 October 2026. |
| Video or post | In a video posted on X on 1 October 2026, [Name], CEO of [Company], said the firm would hire “about 500 graduates this year”. |
| Published interview | “Most students don't know they are eligible,” Dr Meena Rao, Professor of Economics at Delhi University, said in an interview with The Hindu published on 2 October 2026. |
Translated quotes (Hindi or another language into English)
- Translate the meaning faithfully; do not add, polish or strengthen what was said.
- Say that it was translated: “…, he said in Hindi” or “(translated from Hindi)”.
- Keep the original words in your notes, with the link or timestamp of the video, and provide them if India News Grid asks.
- If you used a translation tool, check the result yourself or with someone fluent, and declare it.
When to paraphrase instead
Report in your own words, without quotation marks, when you are unsure of the exact words, the quote is long or unclear, or the translation is uncertain. Keep the same who, when and where, and do not change the meaning.
Unsure of the exact words
Long, rambling answer
Format and writing style
Every submission has a headline, a summary of up to 340 characters, and the article.
400–800 words
News reports, including international news.
Up to 1,500 words
Research articles and explainers.
Up to 1,500 words
Event listings. No summary needed.
≤ 340 characters
Two or three sentences that work on their own.
How a story is built
Headlines
- Say what happened or what the reader will learn.
- No clickbait: no “shocking”, “you won't believe”, unanswerable questions or ALL CAPS.
- Match what the sources support.
Style
- Sentences under 25 words; paragraphs of 3 sentences at most.
- Explain acronyms the first time: Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
- ₹, lakh and crore; dates as 5 October 2026.
- Neutral tone; no opinions in news, no promotional language, emojis or hashtags.
- Use 2–4 subheadings in longer stories. Proofread before submitting.
Images and credits
Every submission needs a cover image that you find and upload yourself, from a royalty-free, licence-free platform, credited to the photographer and the platform.
Worked example: a Pexels photo
- Find a relevant landscape photo on a free platform such as Pexels, Unsplash or Pixabay.
- Check the licence on the image page says it is free to use. Skip anything marked premium, paid, “Unsplash+” or “for editorial use only”.
- Download the largest landscape size and upload it as your cover.
- Add a caption and the credit: Photo: [Photographer] / [Platform].
- Paste the image page link (e.g.
pexels.com/photo/…) in the submission form so the team can check the licence.
✓ Do
- Use landscape images clearly related to the story.
- Credit every image, including those inside the article.
- Make your own charts, with the data source on the image.
- Choose images without identifiable people.
✕ Don't
- Copy from news sites, Google Images, social media or other publishers.
- Use AI-generated images presented as real photos.
- Use images with logos, brand names or text.
- Upload photos of yourself, classmates or family.
India News Grid may replace an image that does not meet these rules or does not suit the story.
Ethics, AI use and originality
AI tools: assistive use only, always declared
✓ Allowed
- Checking spelling and grammar
- Translating a source document to understand it
- Summarising a long document you have also read
- Suggesting a clearer word that you then rewrite
✕ Not allowed
- Writing or rewriting your article, headline or summary
- Supplying facts, figures, dates or sources
- Creating quotes or attributing words to anyone
- Generating images presented as real photos
Tick the AI declaration on the submission form and name the tool. Check every fact against the original source. Undeclared AI-written text is treated like plagiarism.
Conflicts of interest
- Declare any personal link: your school, college, family business, an organisation or event you are involved in.
- Never accept gifts, payment, passes or favours for coverage.
Fairness and harm
- Never publish anyone's phone number, address or private details.
- Never identify a child who is a victim, witness or accused in a legal matter.
- Mention religion, caste, gender, disability or region only when it matters to the story.
Who owns your work
You own what you write. India News Grid publishes it.
You remain the author of your articles and keep the copyright. Your parent or guardian, through the Indemnity & Consent Form, gives India News Grid (operated by BEE Enterprises) a free, worldwide and ongoing licence to format, publish, display, archive and promote your work on its website, newsletters and social media, always with your byline.
| Who | Owns |
|---|---|
| You | The copyright in your original writing |
| India News Grid | The website design, layout, logo, page structure, cover-image placement and SEO tags around your story |
| Photographers and other sources | Their images and material, used under the platform's licence and always credited |
Exclusive online
Do not publish the same or a substantially similar version anywhere else online. You may share the link and publish in print offline.
No sale or syndication
India News Grid does not sell your article to other publishers. Any reuse beyond India News Grid's own channels needs permission.
After you leave
Your published stories stay online under your byline. Your parent or guardian can ask for your byline to be shortened to initials, or for removal for a valid reason such as your safety, by emailing [email protected].
Posting frequency and inactivity
Submit at least 5 pieces every calendar month to stay active. Accounts with no submissions for 30 days are deactivated.
What counts
Genuine submissions count whether they are published, returned or declined. Copied, AI-written or blank submissions do not.
Short months
Two months in a row with fewer than 5 submissions lead to deactivation.
Certificate
At least 5 published pieces a month for six consecutive months. Deactivation resets your progress.
Exam or emergency break
You or your parent or guardian can pause your account for up to 2 months a year by emailing [email protected] before the break, with your name and the dates. Paused time does not count as inactivity.
Rejoining
Email [email protected] to request reactivation. You can rejoin once; a second deactivation within 12 months is final. Published stories stay online with your byline.
Submission, publishing check and corrections
Every submission goes through a publishing check before it goes live. It covers formatting, working links and SEO tags only: India News Grid does not fact-check, verify sources or edit the body of your article.
Common reasons a submission is returned or declined
After publication
Found an error?
Email the correction to [email protected] with the story link. The team will update the story and add a dated correction note.
Someone contacts you about your story?
Do not reply. Forward it to [email protected] and tell your parent or guardian. India News Grid decides how to respond.
Checklist before you submit
Tick each item before you press submit.
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