Corrections Policy
What we do when we get something wrong, and how to tell us that we have.
We will sometimes get things wrong. What matters is what happens next. This policy sets out how we handle errors, so that readers know what to expect and how to hold us to it.
How to report an error
Write to [email protected] with the headline or link, the passage you believe is wrong and, where you have it, the evidence. Anyone can raise a correction — you do not need to be the subject of the story.
How we respond
We acknowledge correction requests within two working days and aim to resolve them within five. If a request requires reporting to settle, we will tell you that and keep you informed.
What we do
Where an error is material — a fact that changes the meaning of a story, a misattributed quotation, a wrong figure, a misidentified person — we correct the story and append a note saying what was wrong and when it was fixed. The note stays on the page permanently.
Minor errors that do not affect meaning, such as spelling or punctuation, are fixed without a note.
Where a story is wrong in its central claim and cannot be repaired by correction, we retract it. A retracted story stays online with its headline replaced by a retraction notice explaining what happened, rather than being removed.
What we do not do
We do not remove accurate reporting because its subject would prefer it were not published, and we do not quietly alter a published story to change its meaning without telling readers. A request to take down accurate work will be declined, and we will explain why.
Updates to developing stories
A story that changes because events moved on is updated, not corrected. Substantive updates carry a timestamp and a short note on what is new.