Editorial standards
How NewsPilot verifies information, corrects mistakes, stays impartial and credits images.
These standards describe the intended policy for NewsPilot. Review them with an editor or legal adviser before publishing real reporting.
Source verification
We prefer primary sources: official documents, data from the agencies that publish it, court records and people with direct knowledge. Before publishing, we aim to confirm important facts with at least one reliable source and, for serious or sensitive claims, with more than one independent source.
- We name sources whenever possible and explain why when we cannot.
- We check social media posts, photos and videos for origin and date before using them.
- We do not publish fabricated quotes, invented statistics or unsupported allegations.
Breaking news: confirmed versus developing
In fast-moving stories we label information as confirmed or developing, attribute early figures to whoever supplied them and update stories as facts change. Significant updates are noted with the time they were made.
Context, dates and updates
We aim to give readers enough context to understand why a development matters without treating background as proof of what happened in a particular case. Stories should make clear when a figure describes an estimate, a forecast or an official count. When an article changes in a meaningful way, the update should explain what new information prompted the change.
Readers should pay attention to publication and update dates, especially for topics such as health guidance, market conditions, weather hazards and legal proceedings. An accurate article can become outdated as circumstances change. Where a detail is time-sensitive, we aim to say so and point readers toward the relevant official source.
Impartial reporting
On political, public-health and other contested topics, we describe relevant viewpoints fairly, give people and organizations criticized in a story a chance to respond and keep opinion and analysis clearly labelled and separate from news reporting.
Corrections
When we make a factual error, we correct it as quickly as possible. Corrections are added at the end of the story, explaining what was wrong and what we changed. We do not quietly edit away mistakes that affected the meaning of a story.
Image attribution
Every photograph carries a caption and credit, and we use images only where we hold a license or the license permits our use, for example appropriately licensed images from Wikimedia Commons or Unsplash. Illustrations are labelled as illustrations. We never imply that a stock or archive image shows a current event.
Privacy, safety and sensitive material
We consider whether identifying a person is necessary to explain a story and take extra care with private individuals, children and people who may face harm. Information submitted as a tip is not automatically verified or published. Editors should assess its reliability, public interest and potential impact before deciding how to use it.
Sample content on this site
The stories currently on NewsPilot are sample editorial content prepared to demonstrate the site. Each is marked as a sample at the top of the article, and the images are illustrations rather than news photographs.
Contact us about an error
If you believe something we published is inaccurate, unfair or out of date, tell us. Include the story's address, what you think is wrong and any supporting source.
or email info@newspilot.site.