Accuracy and verification
We distinguish verified facts from claims, estimates, interpretation and unanswered questions. Significant allegations require adequate sourcing and an opportunity for meaningful response. Anonymous sourcing must be justified and independently assessed.
Originality and attribution
Reporting must provide meaningful original work, transparent attribution for external material and proper rights clearance. Rewriting another publisher's story does not automatically make the material original or licensable.
Investigative fairness
Investigations should begin with specific questions rather than predetermined conclusions. The evidence record must include relevant information that challenges the working hypothesis, not just material that confirms it.
Independence and conflicts
Editorial judgment should not be sold to sponsors, advertisers or interested parties. Material conflicts that could affect reporting must be disclosed or managed.
Corrections and updates
Material errors should be corrected promptly and transparently. Substantive updates must not silently erase reporting history; the published record should make corrections understandable to readers and syndication customers.
Technology and automation
Automated systems may assist with discovery, transcription, translation, classification and drafting, but cannot substitute for evidence, rights review, editorial accountability or source verification. Generated content must never invent sources, quotations, interviews or documents.
Legal and human considerations
We assess privacy, safety, fairness, defamation risk, potential harm and public interest before publishing sensitive material. Newsworthiness does not eliminate the need for care.
Transparency to readers
News, opinion, analysis and sponsored material must be clearly distinguishable. Where uncertainty matters to the story, it must be explained rather than concealed.