Editorial Policy

This page sets out how Divine Media 24 decides what to publish and how we handle the things that go wrong. It applies to everyone who writes for us.

Accuracy comes first

We check a claim before we print it. Where we cannot confirm something, we say so in the story rather than implying more certainty than we have. Speed is never a reason to publish something we are not sure of.

If a story relies on a single source, the story says so.

Sources

We name our sources wherever we can, because a named source can be weighed by the reader and an unnamed one cannot. We grant anonymity only where there is a real risk to someone and the information is genuinely in the public interest, and we explain in the story why a source is unnamed.

We do not pay for information.

Where our material comes from

Some of what we publish is our own reporting. Some comes from news agencies and official statements, and where that is the case the story says so. We do not take another publication's work and present it as ours.

Photographs are either ours, licensed, or used with permission, and they are credited.

Fairness

If we report a serious allegation about a person or an organisation, we approach them for a response before publishing, and we carry that response in the story. If they decline or do not reply in time, we say that too.

Keeping opinion separate from reporting

News reports set out what happened. Opinion and analysis are clearly labelled as such and carry the writer's name. A reader should never have to guess which one they are reading.

Advertising

Advertising is labelled. Advertisers have no say in what we cover or how we cover it, and no advertiser sees a story before it is published. Any sponsored material is marked as sponsored.

Conflicts of interest

Anyone who writes for us declares an interest that a reader might reasonably think affects their reporting, and does not cover a subject they have a personal stake in.

Artificial intelligence

We do not publish stories written by a machine and passed off as reporting. Where software helps with a task such as transcribing an interview or checking spelling, a person is still responsible for every word that appears, and that person's name is on it.

Updates and corrections

A story that develops is updated, and the update is dated. A story that was wrong is corrected openly. Our Corrections Policy explains exactly how.

Questions

If you think we have fallen short of any of this, write to admin@divinemedia24.com.