The standards that govern how Talash reports, sources, checks and publishes its journalism.
This policy applies to every piece of journalism published on Talash, across all five desks and in every format, including articles, newsletters and video. It applies equally to staff journalists and to freelance contributors commissioned by the newsroom.
We check factual claims before publication. Figures are taken from the issuing body rather than from secondary reporting, and documents are read in full rather than summarised from a press release. Where a claim cannot be independently verified, it is attributed to the person or organisation making it, and the article makes clear that this is what has happened.
Headlines must be supported by the article beneath them. A headline that overstates what the reporting establishes is treated as an accuracy failure, not a presentational choice.
We name sources wherever it is safe and possible. Anonymity is granted when naming a source would expose them to a credible risk of harm, legal jeopardy or loss of employment, and the decision rests with a senior editor rather than the reporter alone.
When a source is not named, the article states why anonymity was granted and describes the source position closely enough that a reader can judge what they were in a position to know.
Where an article makes a significant criticism of a person or organisation, we put the substance of that criticism to them before publication and allow a reasonable period for response. If no response is received, the article says so. If a response arrives after publication, we add it.
Editorial decisions are made by the newsroom. Advertisers, sponsors and commercial partners have no advance sight of coverage and no influence over whether a story runs. Sponsored content is produced separately from the newsroom and is labelled clearly wherever it appears.
Journalists declare any financial interest, personal relationship or outside activity that could reasonably be seen to affect their coverage, and are reassigned where a conflict cannot be managed.
We correct errors openly and promptly on the article itself. The approach is set out in full in our corrections policy.
We do not publish articles generated by automated systems. Such tools may be used internally for tasks such as transcription or search, and any output is verified by a journalist before it informs published work. Images produced or materially altered by automated tools are labelled.
Questions about this policy can be sent to the newsroom at newsroom@talashdigital.com.