Every newsroom makes mistakes. What matters is how quickly they are acknowledged and how openly they are fixed. This policy explains what you can expect from us.
How to report an error
If you believe something we published is wrong, misleading or missing important context, write to [email protected]. It helps if you include the headline of the story, the specific sentence or figure in question, and, where you can, a source that supports your concern. You do not need to be an expert, and you do not need to be polite to be heard, though it helps us respond faster.
Please use this address for factual issues. For opinions about our coverage, letters to the editors are a better route, and our Contact page lists every address by purpose.
The three levels
We sort changes into three levels, so you can tell at a glance how serious an issue was.
- Clarification: the story was accurate but unclear, or lacked context that readers would reasonably want. We add the context and note the change.
- Correction: a fact, figure, name, attribution or caption was wrong. We fix it and say what was wrong and what is right.
- Retraction: the central claim of a story cannot be supported. We remove or withdraw the piece, and explain why in a visible notice at the original address.
How corrections appear
We do not silently edit published stories. Any clarification, correction or retraction is accompanied by a note at the end or top of the story that states what changed and when. Where the error was significant, we aim to repeat the correction in our newsletter and on the relevant desk's feed. The update stamp on the story always reflects the most recent change.
Our timelines
These are aims, not guarantees. We aim to acknowledge a corrections report within two working days, to review it promptly, and to publish a fix as soon as we have verified it. Complex cases may take longer, and when they do we will tell you why. Some requests we may decline, for example where the original reporting is accurate. In that case we will explain our reasoning.
Corrections log
We will keep a public record of material changes. As of this launch edition, no corrections have been logged since launch. We note that honestly, and we also note that a clean record this early says little about the future. A newsroom still being built has had little time to be wrong in public. We would rather earn confidence through how we respond than through a perfect-looking record.
Related pages
Our Editorial Standards describe the principles behind this policy, and the Fact-Check Lab explains how we try to prevent errors in the first place.