Ethics policy

01Independence

Our journalists do not accept gifts, paid travel, hospitality or favours from the people and institutions they cover. Commercial, political and personal relationships that could affect coverage must be declared to an editor and, where relevant, disclosed to readers.

02Conflicts of interest

• Journalists do not report on organisations they, or close family, have a financial stake in.
• Political campaigning and paid advocacy work are incompatible with a reporting role.
• Advertising and sponsorship teams have no access to unpublished editorial content.

03Privacy and harm

We intrude on private life only where there is a clear public interest and the intrusion is proportionate. We take particular care with children, victims of crime, bereaved families and vulnerable people, and we warn readers before graphic imagery.

04Protecting sources

A promise of confidentiality is absolute. We protect the identity of confidential sources, including against legal and commercial pressure, and we secure the material that could expose them.

05Plagiarism and fabrication

Plagiarism, fabricated quotes and staged imagery are grounds for immediate removal from the newsroom. Other outlets' work is credited and linked.