Verification
Before publication, every story is checked by at least one other editor against the underlying source material. Match data, transfers and injury claims are confirmed from at least two independent sources where possible, and clearly attributed on the page where the reader can see them.
Attribution and sourcing
We publish the named source of every substantive claim, whether by linking to the original document, naming the spokesperson or quoting the reporter who attended a press conference. Anonymous sources are used only when we have verified the information independently and we explain why anonymity was granted.
Conflicts of interest
The news desk is structurally separate from commercial partnerships. Any reporter or editor with a personal connection to a story — through family, ownership, employment or otherwise — declares it on the article and a different editor takes the story on for commissioning decisions.
AI use
We use AI-assisted tooling to summarise long documents, transcribe press conferences and assist with data extraction. Each such use is checked by a reporter before publication, and we never publish AI-generated text without a human review pass. Generated images are labelled in captions where they have been used in place of an editorial photograph.
Updates and timestamps
Every published story shows the time of its last update. A change to a substantial fact is logged at the foot of the article with a one-line explanation of what changed and when.
Corrections policy
Material inaccuracies are corrected at the foot of the article, dated and with a short note explaining what was changed. The running list lives on the corrections page. We do not silently rewrite a story once it has been published.
Reader complaints
If you believe a story falls short of these standards, please contact the relevant section editor through the contact page. Substantive complaints are escalated to the managing editor and, where appropriate, become a published correction.