Contributor Standards — Daily Reality NG
Contributor Standards — Daily Reality NG
The complete editorial standards, content requirements, submission process, quality gates, and non-negotiable rules for every external contributor who wishes to publish on Daily Reality NG. This document defines what we publish, what we reject, and what we expect from every writer who carries the Daily Reality NG byline.
📋 Table of Contents
- Who We Are — Publication Identity and Mission
- Who Can Contribute — Eligibility Requirements
- Accepted Topics — What We Publish and What We Don't
- Content Standards — The 10 Non-Negotiable Rules
- Formatting and Structural Requirements
- Source Standards — How We Verify Facts
- AI Content Policy — Our Strict Position
- Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Rules
- Sponsored Content — Separation from Editorial
- The Submission Process — Step by Step
- Review Timeline and What to Expect
- Compensation and Contributor Benefits
- Rights, Copyright, and Republication
- Corrections and Updates Policy
- Violations — What Gets You Permanently Removed
- Contact the Editorial Team
🏛️ Who We Are — Publication Identity and Mission
Daily Reality NG is an independent Nigerian digital publication based in Warri, Delta State, founded on October 26, 2025 by Samson Ese. We are a research-backed editorial platform covering Nigerian fintech, business regulation, agricultural economics, health systems, digital banking, consumer rights, corporate law, and the practical financial realities that shape everyday Nigerian life.
We are not a content mill. We are not a blogging platform. We are not an SEO content farm. We are an identifiable Nigerian publication with editorial standards, transparent sourcing, and a specific mission: to be the most trusted independently-researched information source for Nigerians navigating the financial, regulatory, and practical systems that govern their lives.
📌 Our Editorial Mission in Plain Language
Everything published on Daily Reality NG must be something that a thoughtful Nigerian professional would read, trust, and use to make a better decision. If a piece of content would not serve that standard — it does not get published here, regardless of who wrote it.
This standard applies equally to the founding editorial team, to commissioned pieces, and to external contributors. There is no separate tier of quality for contributors. There is one tier: publication-grade editorial content that serves the Nigerian reader first.
👤 Who Can Contribute — Eligibility Requirements
Daily Reality NG accepts contributions from qualified individuals with demonstrable, verifiable expertise in their proposed subject area. We define "qualified" specifically — not by academic credentials alone, but by documented real-world experience that a Nigerian reader would recognise as credible.
Nigerian Professionals with Sector Experience
Fintech operators, bank employees, accountants, lawyers, agronomists, healthcare practitioners, CBN-regulated institution staff, CAC-registered business owners, and similar professionals with direct sector knowledge.
Researchers and Academics
University lecturers, researchers at Nigerian institutions, think tank analysts, and postgraduate students with published or verifiable research in relevant topic areas. Affiliation must be disclosed.
Experienced Journalists and Investigative Writers
Working journalists with bylines at recognised Nigerian or international publications, with a portfolio that demonstrates the depth and verification standards we require.
Community Experts with Documented Experience
Entrepreneurs, farmers, community health workers, market participants, and practitioners whose lived, documented experience in a specific field gives them genuine expertise a reader cannot find in textbooks.
Anonymous Contributors
Daily Reality NG does not publish anonymous content. Every contributor must be identified by their real name, professional title, and a verifiable professional presence (LinkedIn, institutional page, or portfolio).
General Writers Without Topic Expertise
Generalist content writers who are skilled at writing but do not have verifiable experience in the proposed topic are not eligible for contribution. We require expertise, not writing ability alone.
📑 Accepted Topics — What We Publish and What We Don't
✅ Topics We Accept and Prioritise
- Nigerian fintech regulation and CBN policy (PSBs, MFBs, PSSP licensing, DEON)
- Digital banking, mobile money, and payment systems in Nigeria
- POS business economics, agency banking, and CBN compliance
- CAC registration, company formation, and business compliance in Nigeria
- Nigerian tax system — FIRS, LIRS, WHT, VAT, Capital Gains
- Agricultural economics — fertilizer, farmer financing, value chain analysis
- NHIA health insurance, HMO system, and Nigerian health financing
- Consumer rights — FCCPC, CBN consumer protection, tenant rights
- Nigerian corporate law — CAMA, directors' duties, contracts
- Entrepreneurship realities — capital, market, regulation, survival economics
- Nigerian economy — NBS data, CBN monetary policy, fiscal analysis
- Food security, agricultural policy, and farming input economics
- Community economic realities — Warri, Delta State, Niger Delta, cross-national
- Digital skills, freelancing, and remote work economics for Nigerians
- Cybersecurity, data privacy (NDPA), and digital safety in Nigeria
❌ Topics We Do Not Accept
- Celebrity news, entertainment gossip, or pop culture content
- Generic "Top 10 tips" content without Nigerian-specific depth
- Crypto promotional content or undisclosed token promotions
- Weight loss, beauty, or lifestyle content without a Nigerian health angle
- Relationship advice without documented psychological or sociological grounding
- Sports match reporting or fan commentary
- Political campaigning or content promoting specific candidates
- Hate speech, tribalism, religious intolerance, or discriminatory content
- Content that violates NDPA or exposes private individual information
- Plagiarised or substantially AI-generated content (see AI policy)
- Promotional content for specific financial products without full disclosure
- Health misinformation or unproven medical claims
- Content recycled from other publications without original value-add
- Listicles designed purely for traffic without substantive editorial value
📐 Content Standards — The 10 Non-Negotiable Rules
These ten rules are not preferences. Every single one applies to every contribution. A piece that violates any one of these rules will be rejected in editorial review regardless of its other qualities.
Nigerian Specificity is Mandatory
Every article must contain specific Nigerian context — Nigerian laws, Nigerian institutions, Nigerian data, Nigerian prices, Nigerian examples. Generic international content adapted for Nigeria by adding "in Nigeria" to headings is rejected. The specificity must be structural, not cosmetic.
Every Factual Claim Needs a Named Source
There are no sourceless statistics in Daily Reality NG content. Every number, every percentage, every regulatory statement must be attributed to a named, linkable source. "According to industry experts" is not a source. A named expert, a specific report with a publication date, or an official regulatory document is a source.
Minimum 5 Verified External Sources
All long-form contributions (2,500+ words) must include a minimum of five independently verified external sources. Sources must be primary or authoritative — official government portals, regulatory publications, peer-reviewed research, or credible journalism. All source URLs must be active and verified at the time of submission.
No Broken Links — All URLs Must Be Verified
Every external URL included in a contribution must be live and pointing to the correct source at time of submission. Broken links, links that redirect to irrelevant content, or links to paywalled content without disclosed access method will result in the entire submission being returned for correction before any editorial review begins.
Original Analysis — Not Rewrites
Daily Reality NG does not republish what already exists. A contribution must add original analysis, original data synthesis, original expert insight, or original Nigerian-specific context that is not available in existing coverage. Substantially rewriting another publication's article is not original contribution. Provide something the reader cannot find elsewhere.
Human Editorial Voice — Not AI Patterns
Content must be written in a genuine human editorial voice. AI writing patterns — generic preambles, hollow transition phrases, vague authority statements, repetitive sentence structures, and information depth that could apply to any country — will be identified and will result in rejection. We test for this systematically before review.
E-E-A-T Compliance — Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust
Every contribution must demonstrate the author's genuine experience or expertise. This means: personal experience stated clearly when relevant, credentials disclosed, professional context given, and limitations acknowledged honestly. Contributors should not write outside their documented expertise. An IT professional should not author healthcare policy analysis without disclosed collaboration with a healthcare expert.
No Promotional Content Disguised as Editorial
Content that serves primarily to promote a product, service, company, or organisation — including the contributor's own — without full disclosure and labelling as sponsored content is a category one violation. It results in immediate rejection, permanent removal from the contributor network, and disclosure to the editorial record. There is zero tolerance for this practice.
Accuracy Above All — Corrections Are Required
If you discover an error in content you have submitted — whether before or after publication — you are required to notify the editorial team immediately. A culture of accuracy means proactive error correction, not cover-up. Contributors who conceal known errors or resist corrections forfeit their contributor status permanently.
First Publication Rights — No Simultaneous Submissions
All submissions must be original, unpublished work offered for first publication by Daily Reality NG. Simultaneous submission of the same piece to multiple publications is not permitted. Content already published elsewhere — even on the contributor's own blog — requires disclosure and will be evaluated case by case. Undisclosed prior publication is grounds for removal.
🖊️ Formatting and Structural Requirements
These requirements exist to ensure submitted content can be processed efficiently by our editorial team without requiring structural rebuilds. Content that arrives in formats that ignore these requirements will be returned before editorial review begins.
📄 Submission Format Requirements
- File format: Google Docs (shareable link with editing access) or Microsoft Word (.docx). No PDFs, no plain text files, no WhatsApp messages, no email body text.
- Heading structure: Use proper H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections. Do not use bold text in place of headings. Do not write a 3,000-word article as a single block of text.
- Source citation format: Inline hyperlinks at the point of citation. For each factual claim: link the source text directly to the URL. Do not use footnotes. Do not list all sources at the end without inline linking.
- Word count compliance: Long-form articles: 2,500 words minimum / 8,000 words maximum. Opinion columns: 800–1,500 words. News analysis: 600–1,200 words. Pillar guides: 4,000–8,000 words.
- Tables: Include data tables where comparative information is presented. Do not present comparative data in bullet points when a table would be clearer.
- Images: Do not embed images in the submission document. Instead, list suggested images with proposed caption text and source attribution. We source all images from Pexels or licensed sources.
- Language standard: Nigerian Standard English. British spelling conventions (colour, not color; organise, not organize). No excessive Pidgin English in formal analytical content — Pidgin may be used in community-focused content where appropriate and natural.
📝 Mandatory Submission Inclusions
Every submission must include the following as a cover sheet at the start of the document:
- Full name — as it will appear on the published byline
- Professional title — current role and organisation
- Area of expertise — specific to the topic submitted
- Contributor bio — 80 to 120 words, third person, no promotional language
- Headshot photo — minimum 400×400 pixels, JPG or PNG, professional quality
- Professional URL — LinkedIn profile, institutional page, or professional portfolio
- Conflict of interest declaration — explicit statement that no undisclosed conflict exists, or full disclosure of any conflict
- AI use declaration — explicit statement of whether any AI tools were used in any part of research, drafting, or editing
- First publication declaration — confirmation this content has not been previously published and is not simultaneously submitted elsewhere
🔎 Source Standards — How We Verify Facts
Daily Reality NG's editorial reputation is built on verified, primary-source journalism. Source quality is the single most important determinant of whether a contribution passes editorial review. A brilliantly written piece with weak sources will be rejected before a less-polished piece with excellent primary-source documentation.
Tier 1 Sources — Highest Credibility (Required)
- Official Nigerian government portals (CBN, FIRS, CAC, NBS, NAFDAC, NHIA, NMDPRA, NDPC)
- Peer-reviewed academic journals and research papers (PMC, JSTOR, Taylor & Francis, Sage)
- Primary regulatory documents — Acts, Circulars, Guidelines published by regulatory bodies
- Official UN, World Bank, IMF, and AU statistical databases with Nigeria-specific data
- Company official statements, press releases, and audited annual reports
Tier 2 Sources — Credible (Acceptable)
- Established Nigerian news publications — Nairametrics, Punch, Guardian Nigeria, BusinessDay, ThisDay, Daily Post, Channels
- International news organisations — Reuters, AP, AFP, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Al Jazeera
- Industry associations and professional body publications — ICAN, NBA, NMA, PCN
- Think tanks and research organisations — Nextier Advisory, SBM Intelligence, Stears
- Named expert interviews — with the expert's full name, title, and institution
Sources That Are Not Acceptable
- Anonymous social media posts, WhatsApp broadcasts, or unverified Twitter/X threads
- Wikipedia as a primary source (it may be used to find cited sources, not as a citation itself)
- Unlinked statistics — any percentage or number without a named, linkable source
- "According to industry experts" without naming the experts
- Other content aggregators citing the same original source (cite the original, not the aggregator)
- Personal opinion presented as statistical fact
- Competitor publications as authoritative sources without independent verification
🤖 AI Content Policy — Our Strict Position
This policy exists for a specific reason: Daily Reality NG's editorial value is built on human expertise, genuine Nigerian experience, and original insight that cannot be replicated by AI language models. Our readers trust Daily Reality NG because the content comes from people who have actually worked in the sectors they write about, navigated the systems they explain, and have professional accountability for what they publish.
AI-generated content — regardless of how well-written it appears — does not carry that accountability. It does not carry verified experience. It cannot be held responsible for errors. It dilutes the editorial trust we have built with our readership. We therefore have zero tolerance for it as a primary content source.
⚠️ Specific AI Policy Rules
- AI as primary author: Using AI to generate the article text and submitting it as your work is fraud. It is treated as plagiarism under our contributor standards and results in permanent removal from the network.
- AI for research: Using AI to identify sources or generate research questions is permitted, but the contributor is responsible for independently verifying every fact the AI surfaces. AI hallucinations in sourcing are the contributor's responsibility.
- AI for editing assistance: Using AI tools to improve grammar, clarity, or flow in content you have genuinely written is permitted but must be disclosed in the AI use declaration on the submission cover sheet.
- AI for structural suggestions: Using AI to suggest structure or headings for content you have written is permitted with disclosure.
- Detection: We test all submissions systematically. We do not disclose our detection methodology. Do not test whether we will detect AI content — assume we will.
⚖️ Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Rules
A conflict of interest exists whenever a contributor has a personal, professional, or financial relationship with any company, organisation, product, or individual that could influence — or could reasonably be perceived to influence — the editorial content of their contribution. The existence of a conflict is not automatically disqualifying. The failure to disclose one is.
🔔 What Must Be Disclosed
- Employment by, consultancy for, or board membership of any organisation mentioned in the article
- Financial investment (shares, equity, debt) in any company mentioned or compared in the article
- Personal or family relationships with individuals named or quoted in the article
- Receipt of speaking fees, grants, research funding, or gifts from organisations mentioned
- Membership of advocacy groups, trade associations, or lobby organisations relevant to the topic
- Prior writing or PR work for organisations mentioned in the article
- Business partnerships or revenue-sharing arrangements with organisations referenced
💼 Sponsored Content — Strict Separation from Editorial
Daily Reality NG operates a complete separation between editorial content and sponsored or commercially supported content. This separation is not advisory — it is a structural publishing principle that protects our readers and our editorial reputation.
✅ Permitted Sponsored Content
- Clearly labelled "Sponsored Content" or "Promoted Content" in headline
- Sponsoring organisation fully identified at top and bottom of content
- Meets all factual accuracy standards — no deceptive claims
- Submitted through official advertising channel, not editorial channel
- Does not contain false comparisons with competitor products
- No health claims without evidence base
- Reviewed by editorial team for compliance before publication
❌ Prohibited Sponsored Practices
- Promotional content submitted as organic editorial contribution
- Undisclosed financial relationships between contributor and named organisations
- Native advertising designed to be indistinguishable from editorial
- Affiliate link insertion without contributor status disclosure
- Review content that does not disclose free product or service receipt
- Fake comparison articles where the "winner" is a paying client
- Any content where the publication's independence has been traded for payment
📬 The Submission Process — Step by Step
Read this entire page before submitting. Submissions from contributors who clearly have not read these standards (missing cover sheet, wrong format, no source links, AI-generated content) are returned without editorial review. Your submission email should reference specific sections of this standards document to confirm you have read it.
For long-form contributions (2,500+ words), we recommend submitting a pitch before writing the full article. A pitch is a 200–300 word summary of your proposed article: the core argument, the Nigerian angle, the primary sources you plan to use, and your qualification to write it. Pitch approval does not guarantee acceptance of the completed article, but it prevents wasted effort on pieces that do not fit our editorial calendar.
Complete the article according to these standards. Prepare your cover sheet with all required declarations (conflict of interest, AI use, first publication). Have your headshot photo ready (400×400 minimum). Write your bio (80–120 words, third person). Verify every external link is live and pointing to the correct source. Do a final check against the 10 content standards listed in this document.
Send your submission to dailyrealityng@gmail.com with the subject line: Contributor Submission — [Your Article Title]. Attach or link your Google Doc. Include your cover sheet within the document. Do not send the article as an email body — attach or link the document. For Google Docs, ensure the sharing permissions allow editing access by the recipient.
You will receive an automated or manual acknowledgement of receipt within 2 business days. This acknowledgement confirms we have received your submission — it does not indicate editorial acceptance or review status. If you do not receive acknowledgement within 3 business days, send a follow-up email with the original submission attached or linked again.
Your submission enters our editorial review queue. The review process includes: (a) format compliance check; (b) source verification; (c) fact checking of primary claims; (d) conflict of interest review; (e) AI content check; and (f) editorial quality assessment. You will be contacted if we need additional information or clarification during this process.
You will receive one of three outcomes: (1) Acceptance — with a confirmed publication date; (2) Acceptance with Revisions — specific editorial changes required before publication, with a deadline for revision; or (3) Rejection — with a specific reason given. We do not issue vague "not a fit" rejections. If we reject a submission, we tell you exactly which standards it failed to meet.
Before publication, you will be sent a final version for review. You have 48 hours to flag any errors introduced during editorial processing. After 48 hours without response, the article is published as-is. Minor editorial changes — copy editing, formatting, link checks — do not require contributor re-approval. Substantive content changes do.
⏰ Review Timeline and What to Expect
📅 Standard Review Timeline
- Pitch review: 5–7 business days from receipt
- Initial submission review (format, sources, compliance): 5–7 business days from confirmed receipt
- Full editorial review (fact-checking, quality assessment): 10–14 business days from confirmed receipt
- Revision turnaround after editorial feedback: Contributor has 5 business days to return revisions
- Pre-publication review by contributor: 48 hours
- Publication timeline after acceptance: 3–10 business days depending on editorial calendar
Do not follow up before 7 business days have elapsed. Premature follow-ups do not accelerate review — they add to editorial workload. If your deadline is urgent, disclose this at the time of submission and we will confirm whether we can accommodate it.
💰 Compensation and Contributor Benefits
Daily Reality NG currently operates a non-payment contribution model. We are transparent about this and do not obscure it with vague "exposure" promises. Here is exactly what contributors receive:
Verified Author Byline
Your full name, professional title, and bio published on every article you contribute. This byline is indexed by Google and associated with your professional identity in search results.
Contributor Profile Page
A dedicated contributor profile page listing all your published contributions, accessible from every article you write. Builds your publication portfolio and Google Author entity.
Do-Follow Author Link
One do-follow backlink to your professional website, LinkedIn profile, or portfolio in your contributor bio. This is genuine SEO value — Daily Reality NG is a growing indexed Nigerian publication.
Editorial Association and Publication Credit
Being published in a research-backed Nigerian editorial publication with transparent sourcing standards is a credibility signal for professionals, researchers, and consultants building Nigerian sector authority.
Future Paid Commissions
As Daily Reality NG grows, paid editorial commissions will be offered to established contributors who have demonstrated consistent quality. Existing contributors will be prioritised for paid opportunities.
Sponsored Content Opportunities
Established contributors may be matched with relevant advertiser-funded content opportunities at agreed rates. These are always fully disclosed as sponsored content and never presented as organic editorial.
© Rights, Copyright, and Republication
📝 Copyright Position — Clear and Simple
- Contributors retain copyright to their original work. Daily Reality NG does not claim ownership of content contributed by external writers.
- Publication licence: By submitting, contributors grant Daily Reality NG a non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to publish, host, archive, and promote the content across the publication's channels — including the website, newsletter, and social media.
- Republication by contributor: Contributors may republish their own work elsewhere after 90 days from the Daily Reality NG publication date. Any republication must include a canonical attribution: "First published on Daily Reality NG at [URL]" — visible within the republished article, not just in metadata.
- Granting exclusive rights to another publisher: If a contributor wishes to grant exclusive rights to another publisher for content already published on Daily Reality NG, they must notify our editorial team in writing and allow us to add a redirect or canonical tag to manage the SEO implications. This requires written consent from Daily Reality NG editorial.
- Derivative works: Daily Reality NG may reference, quote, or link to published contributor content in its own analysis pieces, newsletters, and social media content. Contributors waive the right to object to such use provided it is accurately attributed.
🔄 Corrections and Updates Policy
Daily Reality NG maintains a public corrections and update policy. When a factual error is identified in any published content — whether by the editorial team, the contributor, a reader, or any third party — it is corrected transparently, promptly, and with a dated correction notice appended to the article. We do not quietly edit errors. We correct them openly.
✅ Contributor Corrections Obligations
- If you identify a factual error in your published contribution — notify us immediately at dailyrealityng@gmail.com with subject line: Correction Request — [Article Title].
- Include the specific error, the correct information, and the source that supports the correction.
- Corrections to factual claims are published within 48 hours of confirmation.
- Editorial additions or updates that add new information without correcting an error are published as "Updated" sections with a dated update notice.
- Contributors who report their own errors promptly are not penalised — this is expected behaviour that reflects editorial professionalism.
- Contributors who conceal known errors, resist corrections, or dispute corrections without providing counter-evidence lose their contributor status.
🚫 Violations — What Results in Permanent Removal
The following violations result in immediate, permanent removal from the Daily Reality NG contributor network, removal of all previously published content, and documentation of the violation in editorial records. There are no second chances for category one violations.
- Submitting AI-generated content as original human-authored work — This is fraud against our editorial process and our readers.
- Undisclosed promotional content submitted as editorial — Any paid or commercially motivated content submitted without full disclosure.
- Plagiarism — Submitting another person's work as your own, whether from a Nigerian or international publication.
- Undisclosed conflict of interest that influences published content — Particularly undisclosed financial relationships with organisations reviewed or recommended in the article.
- Deliberately fabricating or falsifying sources — Including inventing statistics, falsifying quotes, or creating non-existent source attributions.
- Publishing content that violates Nigerian law — Including defamation, breach of the NDPA, EFCC-reportable financial fraud facilitation, and similar.
- Impersonation — Submitting under a false identity or falsely claiming credentials you do not hold.
📧 Contact the Editorial Team
Email: dailyrealityng@gmail.com
Subject format for submissions: Contributor Submission — [Your Article Title]
Subject format for pitches: Contributor Pitch — [Proposed Article Title]
Subject format for corrections: Correction Request — [Published Article Title]
Subject format for standards questions: Contributor Standards Question — [Topic]
WhatsApp (editorial enquiries only — not submissions): +234 902 408 9907
Response time: 2–5 business days for general enquiries. 5–7 business days for submission review status.
Do not send submissions via WhatsApp or social media. Email is the only accepted submission channel. Documents sent via WhatsApp will not be reviewed.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions — Contributor Standards
Samson Ese
I built Daily Reality NG around a single principle: Nigerian readers deserve the same standard of independently-researched, transparently-sourced editorial journalism that readers of premium international publications take for granted. These contributor standards are not bureaucracy — they are the infrastructure of trust that makes our editorial reputation worth contributing to. If you have the expertise and the commitment to these standards, we want to hear from you.
Every contributor who publishes under the Daily Reality NG name carries part of our editorial credibility with their byline. We protect that credibility with the standards on this page. Correspondingly, we protect your credibility by maintaining standards that mean something in Nigerian professional circles. — SE, May 21, 2026
Ready to Contribute? Start Here.
If you have read these standards in full and have a contribution that meets them — we want to hear from you. Send your pitch or full submission to our editorial team. Or explore our existing content to understand the editorial standard we maintain.
📧 Submit a Contribution ✍️ Write for UsContributor Standards | Last Updated: May 21, 2026 | Maintained by Editorial Team
Questions: dailyrealityng@gmail.com
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