Editorial standards

These standards apply to everything GistMatrix publishes, on this website and on every social page. If we fall short of them, tell us.

Accuracy

• We confirm breaking news with at least two independent sources, or one official source, before we publish.
• We say clearly what is confirmed and what is not: “Police say…”, “Not yet confirmed”.
• We never report a death, arrest or relationship story about a named person until it is confirmed by the person, their family, their representatives or the authorities.
• Numbers are checked against their original source, and we link to it where we can.

Fairness and right of reply

If a story accuses someone of wrongdoing, we give them a fair chance to respond before we publish, and we include what they say.

What we will not publish

• Content that mocks people for their ethnic group, religion, gender, body, disability, accent or poverty.
• Rumours presented as fact, or fake quotes.
• Graphic images of death or serious injury, or anything that identifies a victim of sexual violence or a child at risk.
• Videos or photos we do not have permission to use.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we correct the original story, add a note saying what changed and when, and list it on our corrections page. We aim to correct within an hour of confirming an error. We only delete a story when the law or someone’s safety requires it, and we say why.

Paid partnerships and advertising

• Any story or video a brand has paid for is labelled “Paid partnership with [brand]” above the headline, and carries the platform’s paid-partnership tag on social media.
• Paid stories never carry third-party adverts, and links to the partner are marked as sponsored for search engines.
• Advertisers never see or change our news coverage before it is published.
• Affiliate links, where we earn a commission, are declared at the top of the story.

Our owner

GistMatrix is owned by XL Creative Hub. When we cover anything XL Creative Hub made, or any of its clients, the story says so, for example “An XL Creative Hub production”.

Artificial intelligence

We may use AI tools to help with captions, translation and first drafts. A GistMatrix journalist checks every fact and every word before anything is published. Images, voices or video made with AI are labelled “AI-generated”, and we never use AI images to show real news events or real people.

Videos and photos from the public

We only use clips we have permission to use. We credit the person who filmed it, and we agree a fee in writing before we use exclusive footage. How submissions work.

Sensitive stories

Stories about violence, abuse, suicide or mental health carry a content warning and a support box. We avoid detail that could cause harm, and we take extra care with children, victims and people in distress.

Comments and community rules

Be sharp, be kind. Comments are checked before they appear. We remove insults, hate, threats, spam, personal details and anything illegal, and we block repeat offenders.

Complaints

We acknowledge every complaint within two working days and aim to give a full answer within seven. Make a complaint.