Roles and permissions
RBAC permission matrix for Owner, Admin, Editor, Author, and Viewer roles.
Roles and permissions
IANews uses role-based access control (RBAC) with five roles. Each role grants a specific set of permissions, and every team member is assigned exactly one role.
Permission matrix
| Permission | Owner | Admin | Editor | Author | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View articles | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| View trends | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Follow trends | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create articles | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edit own articles | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edit all articles | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Publish articles | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Manage briefs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Manage alerts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Manage team | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Manage sites | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Manage billing | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Delete organization | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Role descriptions
Owner
Full control over the entire organization, including billing, subscription management, and the ability to delete the organization. There is exactly one Owner per organization -- the person who created the account. Ownership can be transferred to another Admin from the team settings.
Admin
Full operational control over the organization except billing. Admins can invite and remove team members, create and configure sites, and manage all content. This is the right role for a managing editor or operations lead who should not have access to payment details.
Editor
Content creation and management. Editors can create, edit, and publish articles across all sites. They can manage briefs, set up alerts, and work with trends. Editors cannot manage team membership or site-level settings.
Author
Creates and edits their own articles only. Authors can draft articles and use the AI editor, but they cannot publish, edit other people's work, or manage briefs and alerts. This role is designed for contributors who submit drafts for editorial review.
Viewer
Read-only access. Viewers can browse articles, explore trends, follow trends, and view reports, but they cannot create or modify any content. Useful for stakeholders who need visibility without editing privileges.
Assign the Editor role to most of your team members. It provides full content access -- creating, editing, and publishing articles -- without the overhead of admin responsibilities like managing team membership or site configuration.
Changing roles
Only the Owner and Admin roles can change another member's role. To change a role:
- Navigate to Settings → Team.
- Click on the member whose role you want to change.
- Select the new role from the dropdown.
- Click Save.
Role changes take effect immediately.
An Owner cannot demote themselves unless they first transfer ownership to another Admin. This prevents accidental lockout from billing and organization management.
Authentication methods
All roles use the same authentication system:
- OAuth -- Sign in with Google or Apple
- Email and password -- Traditional credentials with email verification
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) -- Optional 2FA for additional security, configurable per user from their profile settings
What's next?
- Manage your team -- Invite members and manage the team roster
- Real-time collaboration -- How roles work during collaborative editing
- Manage sites -- Site-level access and configuration