Ethics & Corrections
The rules this newsroom holds itself to, and how to hold it to them.
A one-person newsroom has no editor looking over its shoulder. That makes a written standard more important, not less. This page is that standard. It is public so that it can be used against me.
Sources
- Anyone can speak anonymously if being named would put them at risk of losing a job, a benefit, a tenancy, or their safety. Where a source is anonymous, the story says why.
- Nobody is paid for information, ever.
- I do not show stories to sources before publication. I will read back direct quotations to confirm accuracy.
- Nobody's identity is shared with an official, a politician, or anyone else — including under pressure.
Verification
- A claim about a place is not published unless I have been to the place.
- A number is not published unless it comes from a document, an official statement, or my own count. Where I counted it myself, the story says so, and says how.
- Where a document contradicts what an official says, both are published.
- Photographs are not staged, and are not altered beyond cropping and normal exposure correction. Any illustration or file image is labelled as such.
The right of reply
Any individual, office or company named critically in a story is contacted for a response before publication, with a reasonable deadline. If they do not respond, the story says that they were asked and did not respond. If they respond after publication, the response is added to the story.
Independence
- No money is accepted from any political party, candidate, or person holding public office.
- No advertising is carried on this website.
- No gift, hospitality or travel is accepted from any person or organisation that is the subject of reporting.
- If a story concerns anyone connected to me personally, that connection is disclosed inside the story.
Corrections
Errors will happen. What matters is what happens next.
- Write to news@cosmossudar.com with the word CORRECTION in the subject line, or send it on WhatsApp.
- Tell me which sentence is wrong and, if you can, what the correct position is.
- Verified factual errors are fixed within 24 hours of being confirmed.
- The correction is recorded at the bottom of the story with the date, so the record is honest about having been wrong. Corrected stories are never quietly deleted.
Takedowns
Stories are not removed because someone in authority is unhappy with them. A story will be removed or altered only where it is factually wrong and cannot be corrected, or where publication has created a genuine and demonstrable risk to a named individual's safety.
Artificial intelligence
Software is used for transcription, translation drafts, layout and this website's code. Reporting, verification and judgement are mine. No story on this site is generated by a machine, and no image on this site is generated by a machine unless it is explicitly labelled as an illustration.