How to publish a column in Mosaic: every step

Columnist is the external-author workspace for the Mosaic network. A person who is not a newsroom employee can use it to publish their own column directly in a selected publication. An editor does not approve every individual text: the network owner approves the author once, and subsequent publication goes through automated checks.

1. Registration

At columnist.mib.news, create an account with an email address and password. The account is connected to Chaklun Passport, the network's shared sign-in. From the author's point of view, registration and the following screens form one continuous flow.

2. Confirm your email

A confirmation message is sent after registration. Open it and use the confirmation button or link. The account setup is not complete until the email address is verified.

Return to Columnist and sign in with the same credentials. If you later want to delete the account, that is done through Chaklun Passport; there is no separate account-deletion button in the columnist dashboard.

4. Complete the author profile

Add your byline, what you write about, a short biography, photograph and language. The byline may be a pseudonym and does not have to match the account name, but columns cannot be anonymous. The profile photo is stored through Passport and can be cropped and scaled during upload.

The profile language is only the default. Each new column can use a different language.

5. One-time author approval

The network owner manually approves a new author once. This protects publications from spam and automated registrations; it is not editorial approval of each future article. Because approval is manual, no exact waiting time is promised.

While waiting, prepare your profile, first topic, draft and a cover image whose rights you understand.

6. Create a new column

After approval, start a new article. First choose the language, then one of the publications available for that language. Each publication has a short description, so you can choose by subject and audience. One specific text is published in only one publication.

Then set the headline and section. Language, publication, headline and section can be changed in the editor before publication.

7. Cover and photographs

A cover image is mandatory. The author declares the rights to it, so you should know the source before uploading. Suitable options include your own photograph, an image used with the creator's permission or an image under an appropriate licence. An image found through search is not automatically free to use.

You may also add photographs inside the article. Use captions so readers understand what the image shows and how it should be identified.

8. Text editor

Write or paste the article in the editor. External addresses must not appear in the body: the platform removes them and can leave a sentence broken. Name sources in words instead. The minimum length is 120 words.

9. Checks before publication

The system checks eight conditions: minimum length, required cover, selected section, a daily limit of three columns, no external addresses, no duplicate of your earlier column, language matching the publication and no direct advertising. A mismatch between topic and section produces a warning but does not block publication.

These checks do not edit style, fact-check the article or argue with the author's opinion.

10. Press “Publish”

Once the author has been approved, there is no manual editorial waiting stage. If the checks pass, the column is published. The service sends email notifications at important stages, including approval, publication and removal.

11. What the published result looks like

The column appears as an ordinary article in the chosen publication, with its masthead, layout, date and section. An author card appears below the text. The publication also creates an author page that collects that person's articles, and the author appears in the general author list.

A published column can later be opened in the same editor, changed and saved. Length, language and address checks apply again. The author can remove the article in one click; the public page closes while the record remains in the author's dashboard.

First-publication checklist

email is confirmed;
profile is complete;
author approval has been granted;
correct language is selected;
publication matches the topic;
section is selected;
article contains at least 120 words;
cover is uploaded and image rights are clear;
there are no external addresses;
the article does not advertise a product, company or service.

Columnist is available at columnist.mib.news.

FAQ

Does every column need editor approval?

No. After the one-time author approval, an editor does not make a separate decision on every text. Automated platform checks apply instead.

How many columns can I publish?

Up to three per author per day. That is a technical limit, not a recommendation to write three articles every day.

Can I write in different languages?

Yes. Language is selected separately for each column. The article must match the language of the selected publication.

Can I edit a column that is already published?

Yes. Open it in the same editor, make the changes and save. The automated checks apply again.

Reading is half of it. The other half is a column with your name on it, in a real publication.

Start writing

All guides in the handbook

How to publish a column in a Mosaic publication