Fact-Checking Policy

Before publishing, an editor checks that a story's verification label matches the strength of its sourcing — see our editorial policy for the five-tier label system. Claims attributed to a single unnamed source are labelled Reported or Industry Buzz, never Confirmed.

Multiple sourcing

Where two or more independent, credible outlets report the same story, we treat that as stronger grounds for a Confirmed or Reported label and note the corroborating sources in the story.

Rumour handling

Unverified rumours are only published when there is genuine public interest in the fact that the rumour is circulating (not merely to repeat the claim), are always labelled Unverified Rumour, and never state the underlying claim as fact anywhere in the headline, dek or body.

Updating stories

As a story develops, we update its verification label and publish timestamp rather than leaving an outdated label in place. Every article page shows both a published and an updated time.