About Disobedient Margins
We work in spaces where certainty fades and curiosity becomes a form of dissent. Disobedient Margins is an independent publication that explores how science, ethics, and power intersect, and why genuine inquiry often requires saying no.
We start with a simple belief: evidence is never neutral. To understand the world, we must pay attention not only to what is measured and published but also to what is left out, silenced, or excluded.
Our work spans multiple disciplines and borders, from public health to philosophy, from regulatory paperwork to lived experience, and from the laboratory to the streets. We use documents, data, and in-depth conversations with people affected by policy to challenge orthodoxy, viewing doubt not as a flaw but as a method. Every piece — essay, investigation, or conversation — aims to reveal what official truths often conceal.
Thinking freely means refusing to follow easy obedience. Precise and careful journalism embodies this refusal. We aren't trying to disrupt the center, but to remind it that what it considers the periphery also has thoughts, measures, and breath — and keeps receipts.
What we cover
Harm reduction and nicotine policy — WHO/FCTC initiatives, national crackdowns, taxation, product standards.
Public health and governance — from hospital corridors to EU committees; cooperation, collapse, and reform.
Science and meta-science — science communication, methods, retractions, impact-driven distortions, and how evidence is created.
Law, regulation, and geopolitics — decrees, courts, trade, and the politics of prohibition.
Consumers and markets — real-world use and risk perception, pricing dynamics and tax pass-through, advertising and retail practices, product design and safety, and the informal economy.
Technology, platforms, and surveillance — algorithms, disinformation, and the political economy of attention.
Inequality and the Global South — class, region, gender; who is protected and who isn't.
Environment & exposure — air quality, “chemical intimacies,” and contested risks.
Culture & memory — past, present, and future; narrative and field notes from underrepresented places.
Method
Documents and records; Freedom of Information (FOI) requests; firsthand accounts and confidential sources (including whistleblowers); in-depth interviews; data analysis; and thorough verification. We corroborate claims with documents or at least two independent sources whenever possible.
We secure sources via protected channels, honor on- and off-the-record discussions, and anonymize details when needed for safety.
We prefer evidence over slogans and meaningful questions over quick outrage. When we make mistakes, we admit and correct them.
Collaborations
We collaborate on projects that highlight documents, data, and lived experiences at the edges and make them clear and readable.
What we collaborate on:
Co-reporting investigations and in-depth features, whether co-bylined or not.
Data and FOI projects (dataset sharing, audits, methods review).
Field notes and dispatches from underreported regions.
Interviews and conversations that advance the debate.
Visual storytelling (photo essays, maps, explanatory graphics).
Selected translations (EN/ES/PT) for cross-border audiences when editorially appropriate.
How to Pitch (Email Subject: PITCH — Title — Region/Beat)
Include, in up to six bullets:
Thesis & why now (100–150 words)
Access & evidence you already have (documents, data, sources)
Reporting plan & risks (ethics/safety considerations)
Format & length (investigation, reported essay, field note)
Disclosures (conflicts, funding, affiliations)
Partnerships & co-publishing
We welcome collaborations with newsrooms, researchers, and public-interest organizations. Any partnership must respect full editorial independence: we do not publish undisclosed sponsored content, nor do we accept partners’ prior review of material beyond factual verification.
Licensing
Unless specified otherwise, all original editorial content on this site is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, adapted, or translated without prior written permission.
Readers and partners are encouraged to share our work by linking to the original articles and quoting brief excerpts with proper credit. Any full reprints, translations, or adaptations require explicit permission, except for non-commercial academic use as outlined below.
Academic Use
We explicitly permit non-commercial academic use of our articles for teaching and research. This includes:
quoting extended excerpts,
reproducing full articles in course packs, classroom materials, and virtual learning environments,
using in scholarly publications and theses.
As long as you:
credit this publication,
provide a link to the original article when possible,
and clearly indicate any edits, cuts, or translations.
This permission for academic use does not extend to advocacy campaigns, institutional marketing, or policy lobbying materials, which still require our prior written consent.
Syndication and Reprints
For syndication requests, include “Syndication” in the subject line.
We may approve non-academic reprints of certain articles if:
The piece is reproduced in its entirety without edits or cuts.
The original title, byline, and publication credit are maintained, and
A direct link to the original article on our site is provided.
Any adaptations, translations, headline changes, or use of our work in campaigns, advocacy, or institutional communication require our prior written consent. Academic use for teaching and research is addressed separately under the policy above and does not need individual permission, provided those conditions are met.
Corrections & transparency
We record corrections and methodological notes whenever material changes occur. Protecting sources and ensuring reader safety are our top priorities.
Every article published here is originally written in Portuguese. We then translate it into English and Spanish using AI tools, followed by human editing to ensure nuance, accuracy, and faithfulness to the author’s voice. The ideas and reporting are entirely our own.
This website wouldn't have been possible without Grammarly's support and use.
Subscribe & contact
Subscriptions are free, and you can opt out at any time. This is for readers who value complexity over slogans and evidence over noise.
Contact: jctj.rs@gmail.com / direccion@thevapingtoday.com
Image & illustration credits
Images are credited to their original authors. When authorship isn't specified, visuals were created with FX/AI tools and then curated or edited in-house by C3PRESS or The Vaping Today's Kramber Designs for editorial use. We work with partners like George Ríos and are open to new collaborations. Any missing credits will be updated when notified.
Written and edited by Claudio Teixeira.
