The label "Editorial Use" is decided by Adobe or by the Photographer upon uploading the photo?

[Gentle.Cam]

When I search for some photos in Adobe Stock, I see some photos are marked as "Editorial Use". I was wondering if this was decided by Adobe or the photographer.

For example "Trump Tower" pictures are mostly labeled as "Editorial". Does that mean if I take a picture of Trump Tower I won't need a property release and it will simply be approved and marked as Editorial?

Any feedback is appreciated

Thank you

[RALPH_L]

No. Only certain select photographers are allowed to upload "editorial use" photos. Some photos were transfered over from merges with other agencies. You will always need an IP release.

[Gentle.Cam]

What are the criteria to be a select photographer? Would it be enough to be working for a newspaper as a photo journalist?

[Nancy OShea]

Are you a card-carrying Associated Press or Reuter's photographer with photos on their websites?

[Gentle.Cam]

Nope. I thought Adobe has lifted that restriction being limited to these two news outlets. 

[Nancy OShea]

I used those two as examples.  Nobody knows for sure who Adobe Stock sources their Editorial Content from.  Sorry.

[Nancy OShea]

Editorial Use Only submissions are by invitation only, usually from trusted partners and news agencies.

Regular contributors must submit content that is legally free & clear for commercial use.

Unless you have signed property & model releases, don't submit.

[davidre]

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/illustrative-editorial-content.html

[Nancy OShea]

It's important to note that Illustrative Editorial images (Coke, Mercedes, Ikea) is not the same as Editorial Content (war photos).

[davidre]

Both are shown with the "Editorial use only" restriction.

[Nancy OShea]

Both are for journalistic purposes in terms of licensing.  However Contributors must understand the difference between Illustrative Editorial and Editorial Content.

[Abambo · Accepted solution]

Editorial use do not need releases, but are limited to specific applications (like a news entry, a journalistic blog etc).

Editorial pictures of newsworthy events were sourced from select news agencies, but that feed has been closed.

The second type of editorial use pictures are (as @Gentle.Cam points out correctly) so-called "Illustrative Editorial" pictures. In a short, those are pictures with visible protected brands in (but no people, even not with a release, if I understand the conditions correctly). For being able to contribute such pictures, you need to have a lifetime number of sales of 100 or more. If you have less than that number, you may get accepted to contribute, if you have "elsewhere" numerous illustrative editorial quality pictures that Adobe can check out.

So, if you have a picture of a business or equipment, and you are allowed to submit illustrative editorial content, you can, during the submission process, tick the corresponding check-box. The picture still needs to meet the quality requirements, but there is no release needed.