Ethics policy

Accuracy comes first

We report what we can verify. Names, titles, numbers, dates and quotes are checked before publication. If we are not sure, we say what we do not know or we wait.

Fairness

People and organizations we report on critically get a real chance to respond before the story runs, and their response is included. We do not present one side of a dispute as the whole of it.

Independence

Contributors do not cover people, businesses or organizations they have a personal or financial stake in. If a connection is unavoidable, it is disclosed in the story. We do not accept gifts, payment or favors in exchange for coverage, and advertisers and supporters have no say over what we report.

News and opinion

News stories report; they do not argue. Opinion pieces, letters and columns are labelled as opinion and carry the writer’s name. Their views are the writer’s own.

Sources

We name our sources whenever we can, because readers deserve to know where information comes from. We grant anonymity only when a source faces real risk and the information matters to the public, and only with an editor’s agreement. When we promise confidentiality, we keep it.

Care for the people in our stories

We take particular care with children, with people who are grieving, and with people accused but not convicted of crimes. We do not name victims of sexual violence without their consent, and we generally do not name minors accused of crimes.

Photos, video and quotes

Images are not staged or altered in a way that changes what they show. Quotes are what the person said. Material from elsewhere is credited.

Artificial intelligence

Reporting, quotes and facts in our stories come from people. Software tools may help with tasks such as transcription or spell-checking, but a contributor and an editor are responsible for every word we publish.

When we get it wrong

We correct errors promptly and visibly. See our corrections policy.

Questions or concerns about how we applied this policy? Contact the editor.