For too long, corporations, some businesses, and government entities have acted as if they were solely accountable to their shareholders or paymasters rather than to the public, regardless of the damage their policies inflict on communities. And, as long as they tick the right boxes, they appear confident that no one will challenge their behaviour. People Before Profit aims to ensure that everyone is responsible for their actions.
People Before Profit don’t put people before profit.
To set in motion a cycle of change, we invite you to take part in People before Profit.
This is your chance to use truth as power and let your voice be heard.
How does it work?
On our People Before Profit webpage, we’ve established a secure portal behind the Nominate an organisation red button that will allow writers, students, journalists and concerned citizens to:
- Nominate a company that deserves scrutiny,
- Raise legitimate concerns about unethical or shady business practices,
- Work with us to research and investigate those who flout the law,
- Investigate a company that appears to put profit ahead of its employees’ safety,
- Ensure accountability,
- Enhance awareness about companies that damage both members of the public and entire communities.
This dedicated portal will be opened on all the Bylines Network webpages – and promoted widely – enabling citizens anywhere in the UK to alert us to harmful, unethical, or unaccountable businesses and other organisations. Just look for our logo.
This will share intelligence that might otherwise be missed, aggregate known concerns, provide lines of investigation for future years, and create an engaged layer of citizens to champion the awards for the worst offenders.
Fill in the form – nominate now
Visit the website and fill out the nomination form to submit details of your stories, supplying backup information and evidential proof, where possible. The more information you, as a writer, can provide, the more helpful this will be.
To verify the information, we will be using two exhaustively tested AI platforms. The information will also be further analysed by one of the team. We understand that not every writer will be confident with Freedom of Information (FOI) tools or the rudiments of journalistic investigation. We will be able to help.
We ask that no one submits an AI-generated story.
We also ask you to bear in mind the basics of ethical journalism. Our team will work with you, where needed, to ensure that the story is legal, not purely gossip driven, that you get your point across, and we will support you across the process. For any concerns about privacy and confidentiality, please read our privacy policy.
What are the awards?
As suggested by our supporters for this project – Changing Ideas, a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating a more just and sustainable world – we aim to give an award to the worst offenders, as a result of your writing and stories. We can ensure the awards reflect collective civic scrutiny, participation, and lead to real-world impact.
Together, we can hold businesses and corruption accountable and create a better future for all.
It’s down to you
Please submit your stories together with your evidence. We will verify them and together we can make your story become an investigation. If you think of the strength of pooled evidence: Sir Alan Bates and the Post Office Horizon scandal, the Al-Fayed and Epstein cases, or the water companies going rogue – these were all stories where no one person felt their voice was heard.
This initiative gives us all a voice.
People Before Profit launched on Monday 11 May. You can start your submissions right away. We look forward to hearing from you.
Truth is power
Nominate an organisation that needs scrutiny
