Editorial Policy

1. Our Editorial Mission

Our publication is committed to providing accurate, independent, fair, and insightful news, analysis, and commentary on Africa and the wider world.

We aim to inform public debate, amplify diverse perspectives, highlight underreported issues, and promote a deeper understanding of political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental developments.

We believe journalism should serve the public interest, respect human dignity, hold power accountable, and provide readers with reliable information they can use to make informed decisions.

Our editorial decisions are guided by accuracy, independence, fairness, transparency, accountability, and respect for the rights of others.

2. Editorial Independence

Our editorial decisions are made independently and are guided by journalistic merit, public interest, relevance, and accuracy.

Advertisers, sponsors, donors, political parties, governments, businesses, contributors, and other external parties must not improperly influence our editorial coverage.

• Editorial content is kept distinct from advertising, sponsorship, and paid promotional material.
• Sponsored content and paid partnerships will be clearly identified.
• We do not offer favourable coverage in exchange for payment, gifts, political support, or other benefits.
• Contributors must disclose financial, professional, political, personal, or other interests that could reasonably affect their work.
• Editorial staff and contributors must not accept inducements intended to influence coverage.
• We reserve the right to determine which stories we publish, how they are presented, and when corrections or updates are necessary.

Where we publish commentary or opinion, it will be presented in a manner that allows readers to distinguish it from independently reported news.

3. Accuracy and Fact-Checking

Accuracy is central to our journalism. We take reasonable steps to verify information before publication and to minimise factual errors.

Our verification process may include:

• Checking claims against reliable primary sources, including official documents, court records, legislation, research papers, public datasets, and direct statements.
• Consulting multiple independent sources for significant or disputed claims where practicable.
• Confirming names, dates, locations, statistics, quotations, titles, and relevant contextual details.
• Contacting individuals or organisations for comment when reporting serious allegations about them.
• Reviewing photographs, videos, documents, and digital material for authenticity and context.
• Clearly distinguishing verified facts from allegations, estimates, interpretations, and opinions.

Official statements are not automatically treated as established facts. Claims from governments, political actors, companies, campaign groups, and other interested parties will be assessed in context.

When information cannot be independently confirmed, we will make that limitation clear where it is material to the story.

We do not knowingly publish fabricated information, invented quotations, false statistics, or misleading representations of evidence.

4. Sources and Attribution

We seek to identify the sources of our information clearly so readers can assess the evidence behind our reporting.

Contributors should attribute quotations, research findings, statistics, documents, photographs, and other material to their original sources wherever possible.

We prioritise sources with relevant expertise, direct knowledge, reliable records, and a demonstrable basis for their claims.

Anonymous sources may be used when the information is important to the public interest and cannot reasonably be obtained on the record. Their identity must be known to the responsible editor wherever practicable, and the reasons for granting anonymity should be assessed before publication.

We will not invent sources or misrepresent a source’s identity, expertise, or statements. We will also take reasonable precautions to protect confidential sources whose safety or lawful interests could be threatened by disclosure.

5. Fairness, Balance, and the Right to Respond

We strive to report fairly and provide relevant context, particularly when coverage involves disputed claims, public controversy, allegations of wrongdoing, or competing political positions.

Fairness does not require giving every claim equal weight. We assess information according to its evidence, credibility, significance, and relevance.

When publishing serious allegations against an identifiable person or organisation, we will seek their response before publication where reasonably practicable. If a response cannot be obtained, the article may explain the steps taken and any relevant limitations.

Responses will be represented accurately and in context. We will not deliberately omit material information in a way that creates a misleading impression.

We welcome legitimate criticism and diverse perspectives, including views that challenge our reporting or editorial positions.

6. Corrections, Clarifications, and Updates

We recognise that errors can occur and are committed to correcting significant inaccuracies promptly and transparently.

Readers, contributors, and affected individuals are encouraged to notify us of suspected errors, providing links, relevant passages, supporting evidence, and any proposed correction.

When an error is confirmed, we will:

• Correct the inaccurate information as promptly as reasonably possible.
• Amend the relevant article or content.
• Add a correction or clarification note when the error is material and readers should be informed.
• Update headlines, captions, summaries, and social media posts where necessary to prevent the error from continuing to circulate.
• Distinguish factual corrections from routine updates or changes in circumstances.

We will not silently alter a significant factual error when transparency requires an explanation. Minor spelling, punctuation, and formatting changes may be made without a correction note if they do not affect meaning.

Requests to remove accurate reporting will be considered individually and will not automatically result in removal. We will assess relevant evidence, privacy and safety concerns, legal obligations, and the public interest.

7. Conflicts of Interest

Our credibility depends on readers being able to trust that our reporting is not improperly influenced by personal or financial interests.

Contributors must disclose any relevant relationship or interest that could affect, or reasonably appear to affect, their work. This includes employment, consultancy, financial investments, gifts, political involvement, personal relationships, and other material connections.

Editors will assess disclosures and may require additional transparency, reassignment, independent review, or other appropriate safeguards.

We do not permit undisclosed conflicts of interest to determine editorial outcomes.

8. Political Coverage and Election Reporting

We cover political developments, elections, public institutions, and political movements in the public interest.

Our political reporting seeks to provide accurate information about policies, decisions, campaign promises, public statements, voting processes, and the conduct of political actors.

We do not knowingly publish manipulated election information, fabricated results, misleading voting instructions, or unverified allegations of electoral fraud as established facts.

Opinion and analysis may evaluate political parties, candidates, governments, and public policies, but must be supported by relevant evidence and clearly identified as commentary where appropriate.

We apply the same core verification and ethical standards regardless of the country, political party, government, or movement involved.

9. Human Rights, Conflict, and Vulnerable Communities

We recognise the importance of reporting on conflict, discrimination, violence, displacement, abuse, and other sensitive issues responsibly.

Our coverage aims to inform readers without unnecessarily endangering individuals or exploiting human suffering.

We will take particular care when reporting on children, survivors of sexual violence, refugees, displaced people, victims of crime, and individuals at risk of retaliation.

We will consider informed consent, privacy, dignity, safety, and the potential consequences of identifying individuals or publishing sensitive details.

Graphic images and descriptions will be assessed according to their public-interest value, relevance, and potential harm. We will avoid sensationalism and unnecessary exposure to distressing material.

We reject hate speech, dehumanisation, and discriminatory treatment based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or other protected or vulnerable characteristics.

10. Privacy and Personal Information

We respect the privacy and dignity of individuals while recognising that public-interest journalism may sometimes require reporting on private conduct or information.

Before publishing personal information, we consider its relevance, reliability, sensitivity, and the potential harm disclosure could cause.

Private information will not be published merely because it is available online. We assess whether publication is justified by a legitimate public interest and whether the information can be reported in a less intrusive way.

We take particular care with personal addresses, contact details, medical information, information about children, and details that could expose sources or vulnerable individuals to harm.

11. Plagiarism, Copyright, and Attribution

We require original work and proper attribution.

Contributors must not present another person’s writing, reporting, research, images, or ideas as their own. Material taken from other sources must be appropriately attributed, quoted, linked, licensed, or used with permission where required.

We respect intellectual property rights and will investigate credible allegations of plagiarism, unauthorised use, or misleading attribution.

Where necessary, we may correct attribution, remove material, seek permission, or take other appropriate action.

12. Artificial Intelligence and Digital Verification

We may permit responsible use of artificial intelligence and other digital tools for tasks such as transcription, translation assistance, research organisation, and proofreading.

However, these tools do not replace editorial judgement, source verification, or contributor accountability.

• AI-generated factual claims and references must be independently verified.
• Contributors must not invent interviews, quotations, sources, documents, or research findings using AI.
• Substantial AI assistance must be disclosed to the editor.
• AI-generated or materially altered images and audiovisual material must be clearly identified where their nature could mislead readers.
• Digital photographs, videos, and documents may be checked for provenance, manipulation, misleading context, or other signs of inauthenticity.

We will not knowingly publish synthetic or manipulated material as genuine evidence of a real event.

13. Sponsored Content and Advertising

Advertising and commercial partnerships must not compromise editorial integrity.

Paid articles, advertorials, sponsored features, affiliate content, and other commercial material will be labelled clearly enough for readers to distinguish them from independent editorial content.

Advertisers and sponsors do not have an automatic right to determine news coverage, suppress legitimate reporting, or require favourable editorial treatment.

Where a commercial relationship is relevant to a story, we will disclose it as appropriate.

14. Contributors and Guest Authors

We welcome contributions from journalists, researchers, academics, subject specialists, independent writers, and members of the public with relevant knowledge or perspectives.

All submissions are subject to editorial review. Publication is not guaranteed, and acceptance of a submission does not remove the contributor’s responsibility to provide accurate information and comply with our editorial standards.

Contributors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest, respect confidentiality agreements, verify their claims, and obtain necessary permissions for submitted material.

Editors may request revisions, supporting evidence, additional context, or a response from an individual or organisation discussed in a submission.

We reserve the right to decline, edit, update, or remove content where justified by accuracy, ethical, legal, safety, or editorial considerations.

15. Complaints and Editorial Accountability

We take credible complaints about accuracy, fairness, attribution, privacy, and ethical conduct seriously.

Complaints should identify the article or content in question, explain the concern, and provide supporting information where possible.

The editorial team will assess complaints fairly and take appropriate action, which may include requesting further information, reviewing source material, publishing a correction, adding a clarification, updating an article, or explaining why a requested change is not warranted.

We do not guarantee that every complaint will result in a change, but we aim to handle legitimate concerns professionally and transparently.

16. Legal and Ethical Responsibilities

We seek to comply with applicable laws and respect relevant professional standards governing journalism, privacy, copyright, defamation, and the protection of vulnerable individuals.

Where legal risks arise, we may seek appropriate professional advice before publication or in response to a complaint.

Legal compliance does not replace our ethical responsibilities. We aim to act in the public interest while minimising avoidable harm and respecting the rights and dignity of individuals.

17. Review of This Policy

This policy may be reviewed periodically to reflect changes in journalism, technology, applicable law, and our editorial practices.

Any revisions will aim to strengthen accuracy, independence, transparency, accountability, and public trust.

Our commitment remains to publish journalism that is responsible, informative, fair, and worthy of our readers’ confidence.

Editorial commitment: We believe that credible journalism depends on evidence, independence, accountability, and respect for the public. We will continue to work towards these principles in our coverage of Africa and the wider world.