Nagrik exists to serve citizens with truthful news. While commercial advertising enables us to compensate ground reporters and maintain free public access, we maintain an uncompromising barrier between commercial sponsors and editorial investigations.
1. Commercial Purpose & Platform Sustainability
Nagrik displays digital advertisements to support operating costs, cloud media hosting, and direct compensation to ground citizen stringers across hundreds of Indian districts. Advertising revenue allows us to keep local news 100% free and open to all citizens without restrictive paywalls.
2. Absolute Editorial Independence Firewall
Our editorial integrity is not for sale:
- Zero Editorial Control: Advertisers and sponsors have no voice, review rights, or veto power over news investigations, headlines, or story selection.
- No Paid Suppression: We will never suppress, tone down, or remove critical reporting regarding a business or municipal contractor in exchange for advertising spend.
- Staff Independence: Editorial desk reporters do not sell advertising, and advertising sales representatives have no say in the newsroom.
3. Mandatory Labeling of Sponsored Content
Advertising must never masquerade as independent journalism:
Any article or video published on behalf of a paying sponsor is clearly tagged with a persistent badge in both Hindi and English.
Banner and in-feed commercial placements are framed and labeled distinctly from editorial news cards.
4. Prohibited Advertising Categories
We strictly reject advertising campaigns promoting the following:
- Tobacco products, cigarettes, pan masala, and related surrogate ads.
- Unregulated betting, gambling apps, online rummy/poker involving cash wagering, and binary options scams.
- Get-rich-quick schemes, illegal multi-level marketing (MLM), unlicensed financial investments, or predatory lending apps.
- Counterfeit pharmaceuticals, miracle medical cures, or unproven medical remedies.
- Hate speech, weapon sales, explosive materials, or sexually explicit services.
5. Programmatic Ads & Google AdMob / UMP Consent
Our mobile application integrates with Google AdMob utilizing the official User Messaging Platform (UMP) SDK. This allows mobile readers to customize or withdraw ad consent at any time via App Settings → Ad Privacy Choices.
Programmatic ad networks must comply with Google Play Developer policies and Indian privacy regulations under the DPDP Act 2023.
6. Misleading Ads & Reader Complaints
If you encounter an advertisement that appears deceptive, offensive, or fraudulent on Nagrik, please report it immediately to our advertising compliance desk at wizzlingsupport@gmail.com. We will investigate and block offending ad units across our inventory within 24 hours.