Ethics Policy

Good journalism rests on trust, and trust rests on conduct. This Ethics Policy describes the standards everyone who writes and edits for PQR News is expected to uphold. It sits alongside our editorial policy and guides the day-to-day choices that shape our reporting.

We are an independent general-news publication producing sourced explainers and analysis on real subjects. Our readers rely on us to get things right, to treat topics fairly, and to be honest about what we know and what we do not. These commitments are not optional extras; they are the job.

Accuracy above all

Accuracy is our first duty. We check facts before we publish, attribute claims to sources we can stand behind, and prefer to say less with confidence than more with guesswork. When we are uncertain, we say so plainly rather than papering over the gap.

Getting it right also means getting the framing right. We take care not to exaggerate, not to strip context that changes meaning, and not to imply certainty the evidence does not support. Numbers, names, dates, and mechanisms are stated only when we are confident they are correct.

Fairness and even-handedness

We report contested subjects fairly. That means representing the real positions in a debate accurately, giving weight according to the evidence rather than the volume of the argument, and not building a piece to lead readers to a predetermined conclusion. Our task is to explain a subject, not to win it for one side.

Even-handedness is not false balance. Where the evidence is clear, we do not manufacture a fake dispute; where genuine disagreement exists, we set it out honestly. We describe people and institutions in measured terms and avoid loaded language that prejudges them.

Conflicts of interest

Our judgement must be our own. Writers and editors avoid situations where a personal, financial, or professional interest could compromise — or appear to compromise — their work. Where a relevant interest exists, it is disclosed to editors, and the person steps back from coverage that touches it.

We do not accept gifts, favours, or payments that could be seen to buy influence, and no commercial arrangement changes how we cover a subject. Where a piece is sponsored or commercial in nature, it is clearly labelled and kept separate from our journalism, as our editorial policy requires.

No fabrication, ever

Fabrication is the one thing a news organisation can never do. We do not invent quotes, sources, statistics, studies, interviews, events, or datelines. We do not present analysis of a real subject as if it were first-hand reporting of something we witnessed. If we did not verify it, we do not assert it.

This rule is absolute and applies to every byline and every desk. It is why we describe uncertain figures qualitatively rather than inventing precision, and why we would rather leave a gap in a story than fill it with something we cannot support. How we verify what we do publish is set out in our fact-checking policy.

Corrections, respect, and accountability

We treat the people and communities we write about with respect, and we treat our readers as intelligent adults who deserve the full picture. When we fall short, we own it: errors are corrected promptly and openly under our corrections policy, not quietly buried.

Ethical journalism is a practice, not a plaque on the wall — it is renewed with every story. To learn more about who we are, see our about page, or raise an ethical concern with our editors at editorial@pqrnews.com.