Editorial Policy

Accuracy

Our first obligation is to be accurate. Every claim of fact published in the paper should be verifiable. Reporters check names, titles, numbers and dates before filing. Editors do the same before publication. Where a fact cannot be verified to our satisfaction, it is not published.

Independence

Our journalism is independent of political parties, government bodies, commercial sponsors and the personal interests of our staff. Reporters do not accept gifts, favours or paid travel from sources or institutions they cover. Conflicts of interest are disclosed to the editor and, where relevant, to readers.

Sourcing

We prefer named sources. When a source must be granted anonymity to speak freely, we tell readers why and characterise the source as precisely as the situation allows. We do not publish anonymous attacks on identifiable individuals.

News and opinion

News reporting and opinion are separate functions of the paper. Columns, editorials, and letters are clearly labelled and presented apart from news pages. Reporters do not write opinion on subjects they cover.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we correct it openly and promptly. See our corrections policy for details.

Generative AI

We do not publish news copy written by generative AI systems. AI tools may be used internally for research, transcription or summarisation, but the words readers see are written and edited by named human journalists.