Newsycle policies
Editorial standards and corrections
Newsycle’s editorial standard is evidence-led reporting with attribution, independence, fairness and a visible distinction between fact, allegation, analysis, opinion, advertising and synthetic material.
Effective 28 September 2026 · Edition 2026-09-28-v3
Plain-language summary
At a glance
Applies to: Newsycle editors, creators, publications and contributors
- Verify material facts, seek relevant responses and distinguish allegation from finding.
- Protect confidential sources while assessing credibility and public interest.
- Label advertising, conflicts, opinion and materially synthetic media.
- Correct established material errors promptly and preserve an accountable revision record.
This summary aids navigation. The numbered sections below are the operative text and must be read with any policy linked at the point of use.
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1. Accuracy, evidence and attribution
Prefer original records, direct evidence and named sources where safe. Verify dates, names, numbers, units, images, quotations and context. Corroborate serious or consequential claims and explain material uncertainty.
Do not invent events, identities, quotations, sources or evidence. Attribute material derived from another source and respect its rights and access conditions. A headline, thumbnail and social summary must not materially overstate the underlying report.
2. Fairness and the right to respond
Seek a relevant response before publishing a serious adverse allegation where practical, provide enough detail for a meaningful response and represent the response fairly. Urgency or inability to obtain a response should be stated when material.
Distinguish an allegation, charge, finding, conviction, acquittal and appeal. Do not imply guilt from a refusal to comment. Avoid unnecessary identification of vulnerable people, victims and uninvolved family members.
3. Independence, conflicts and commercial material
Identify opinion, analysis, sponsorship, affiliate relationships and advertising. Disclose a material personal, financial or organisational conflict. Payment, gifts, marketplace sales and investigation votes do not buy editorial conclusions.
Editorial and commercial teams may cooperate on operations but must not misrepresent advertising as independent reporting. Paid placement is labelled. An advertiser or seller does not receive confidential source information or editorial approval rights merely because it pays Newsycle.
4. Sources, privacy and harm
Assess source credibility, motive, access to facts and corroboration. Protect confidential sources and store sensitive material proportionately. Do not promise confidentiality that the publication cannot operationally protect.
Balance public interest against foreseeable privacy, safety and reputational harm. Use redaction, pseudonyms, delay or limited detail where appropriate. Public availability does not make every personal detail necessary to republish.
5. Images, AI and synthetic material
Images and recordings require a lawful rights basis and accurate context. Captions should identify material staging, reconstruction, archive status or alteration. Do not use an image in a way that falsely implies the depicted person committed or endorsed something.
Materially synthetic or AI-altered images, audio or video must be clearly labelled. AI-assisted research or drafting requires accountable human verification. Do not present generated quotations, sources, events or evidence as real. Confidential sources and unpublished personal information must not be entered into an unauthorised model.
6. Corrections, updates and withdrawals
Correct an established material error promptly and proportionately. Substantive corrections, clarifications and withdrawals must not be hidden to preserve engagement. Keep an appropriate internal revision record and explain a public change when it materially affects meaning.
Developing coverage may be updated as facts emerge; an update is not a substitute for acknowledging an earlier error. Removal may be appropriate for safety, illegality, privacy or fundamental unreliability, but routine discomfort or criticism alone does not require erasing accurate public-interest reporting.
7. Complaints and review
A complaint should identify the URL, disputed passage or media, supporting evidence and requested outcome. Newsycle assesses the merits rather than the complainant’s status or political convenience.
Newsycle aims to acknowledge a substantive complaint within five business days and respond or explain progress within 30 days. Urgent safety, suppression, privacy and clear factual errors are prioritised. Review and external legal or regulatory remedies remain available.