To Our Valued Readers, Supporters, and Partners,
We believe that transparency is essential, and we want to address a recent matter that has come to our attention regarding an image used in one of our articles. It is with sincerity and humility that we offer this letter of retraction.
In our pursuit of delivering informative and engaging content, we occasionally encounter challenges that require us to take a step back, reflect, and make amends. Such is the case with an article titled "World Athletics Council bans transgender women from competing in female events" published on 3/23/23 which featured an image that was represented by PA Images.
We regret to inform you that, in this instance, we made an oversight that resulted in the use of the image without the proper authorization. We want to emphasize that this was never our intent, and we genuinely meant no harm with our actions. However, we understand the importance of respecting intellectual property rights and adhering to ethical content usage practices.
Upon discovering this oversight, we took immediate action to rectify the situation:
1. Public Apology: We issued a public apology on our website, acknowledging our mistake and expressing our commitment to learning from this experience. We believe that accountability is fundamental, and we want to make it clear that our actions were unintentional.
2. Image Removal: To address the issue promptly, we removed the imagery in question from the article and all associated media accessible from our website.
3. Open Communication: We have been in active communication with PicRights, acting on behalf of PA Images, to resolve this matter amicably and in compliance with copyright and licensing requirements.
4. Commitment to Compliance: Looking forward, we pledge to uphold strict adherence to copyright and licensing requirements when using any content, including images. We are implementing proactive measures to ensure that such oversights do not recur.
While we have made significant efforts to rectify this situation, we understand that there may be concerns and questions. We want to assure you that we are fully committed to reaching a resolution that is fair to all parties involved, particularly to PA Images and PicRights.
Although we are unable to meet the requested compensation of R768.00 at this time due to our financial constraints, we are eager to engage in discussions to find alternative ways to make amends. We appreciate your understanding in this regard.
Our mission is to deliver informative, engaging, and ethical content to our readers, and we take this mission seriously. We thank you for your continued support and trust in us. We are confident that we will emerge from this situation as a more informed and responsible entity, and we remain dedicated to delivering content that upholds the highest ethical standards.
Once again, we extend our apologies to PA Images and PicRights for any inconvenience this situation may have caused, and we look forward to resolving it in a manner that reflects our commitment to ethical content usage.
Sincerely,
Mbazima Thomason
Business Owner
HMR News Updates
+27 66 427 6676
