Contributors and pseudonyms

We consider reporting pitches, first-person accounts and opinion about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Contributors may write under their own name or, by agreement with an editor, under a consistent pseudonym.

Pitch a story

Email contact@downtowneastside.org with a short description of the story, how you know the subject and what reporting or sources you can bring to it. If privacy or safety is a concern, say so in your first message. You can leave out identifying details until you have discussed how to share them with an editor.

Writing under a pseudonym

Some contributors face real privacy or safety risks if they publish under their own names. An editor verifies the contributor’s identity privately and agrees with them on what can be made public. We limit access to the real name to the editors who need it.

On new or reviewed work, we tell readers when a byline is a pseudonym. With the contributor’s agreement, we may include a short author note explaining their connection to the subject without identifying them. A contributor who later wants to use their own name can discuss that change with an editor.

Editorial review and disclosure

The same editorial standards apply to work under a pseudonym. We do not publish serious allegations against a named private person from a pseudonymous writer unless editors have independently corroborated the allegations and given the person a reasonable opportunity to respond.

Tell your editor about relevant business, property, employment, organizational or advocacy interests. A pseudonym does not remove the obligation to disclose a conflict of interest.