Need an article before deadline? Or looking to publish something outside your area of expertise? A good number of news outlets offer up their stories under Creative Commons licences, meaning other publishers, editors, and independent journalists can republish their reporting at no financial or legal cost (but with a number of conditions).

Usually, news outlets do this to amplify their underreported or specialised knowledge to a wider audience. But before hitting copy and paste, it's important to know where the information comes from, why it's been made publicly available, and how you can (and cannot) use it.

Most outlets require you to attribute the original author and publication, preserve hyperlinks, avoid editing (no derivatives) or directly monetising the content (non-commercial, such as paywalling), and sometimes notify the newsroom or use their tracking tools.

However, requirements and permissions can vary, especially for images, translations, and commercial contexts — so always check individual republishing guidelines within this guide thoroughly before using any content.

Overview: An academic-based news and research publication covering a cross-section of topics such as science, health, climate change, politics, economics, media, history, arts, and culture. Founded in Australia, the UK edition is one of 10 global editions operating within The Conversational International Network.

Republishing guide: Republishing guidelines — all articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives licence.

Business model: UK charity; supported by university memberships and reader donations, and a long list of founding and partnering universities, research councils, philanthropic foundations and strategic, media and tech partners.

Motivation for open content: To make academic expertise accessible to the public, broaden the impact of research, and foster informed public debate.

Contact information: uk-republish@theconversation.com

An example of republishing content:

Overview: An independent, non-profit newsroom reporting on humanitarian crises, conflict, and global development through a network of more than 200 local and international contributors and a core staff of experienced editors.

Republishing guide: Republishing guidelines — only articles marked with a "republish article" note are available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No derivatives 4.0 International licence.

Business model: Non-profit, independent newsroom funded from a mix of governments, philanthropic foundations and reader memberships, with no more than 25 per cent of overall budget coming from a single donor or financial contribution. Annual reports disclosed publicly.

Motivation for open content: To extend the reach and impact of independent reporting on humanitarian crises and inform global audiences.

Contact information: syndication@thenewhumanitarian.org

Overview: An international community of writers, translators, and human rights activists reporting on citizen media, digital rights, and underrepresented stories from around the world in dozens of languages.

Republishing guide: Republishing guidelines — unless otherwise stated, content can be republished and adapted under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, an older version of the Attribution 4.0 licence.

Business model: Non-profit, independent media organisation funded by a mix of philanthropic foundations, institutional grants, and reader donations. Funding sources and fundraising ethics are disclosed publicly.

Motivation for open content: To foster global understanding and collaboration by making grassroots reporting and diverse perspectives widely accessible and shareable.

Contact information: Contact page

Overview: A UK-based, international independent media platform publishing news, analysis, and opinion on democracy, human rights, and social justice.

Republishing guide: Republishing guidelines — most content is under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International licence. (depending on profit status of the republishing organisation)

Business model: Non-profit and foundation-owned. Supported by reader donations and grants from various other trusts and foundations.

Motivation for open content: To promote transparency, democracy, and informed debate worldwide.

Contact information: info@opendemocracy.net

This article is free to read, sign up today

Already have an account? Sign in

Why media were able to report the identities of Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor and Peter Mandelson as they were arrested

Access does not equal change: Why diversity schemes are failing minority ethnic journalists

30 English-language news outlets in Europe to follow

© journalism.co.uk