Tamrah News exists to tell readers what is happening in their community and why it matters. That work only has value if people can trust it. The standards on this page apply to every reporter and editor and photographer who works for us, whether they are on staff or hired for a single story. They are the rules we hold ourselves to and the rules we ask readers to hold us to.
Truth and accuracy
We report what we have verified. A claim does not go into a story because it is widely repeated or because it came from someone important. It goes in because a reporter has confirmed it with documents or direct observation or a source who knows the facts first hand. When we cannot confirm something we say so plainly and tell the reader what we know and what we do not.
Names and dates and figures are checked against the original record before publication. Quotes are taken from recordings or notes made at the time and are never reworded to sound better. If a quote has been shortened we make sure the meaning is unchanged. Headlines and photo captions must be supported by the story beneath them. A headline that promises more than the reporting delivers is an error and we treat it as one.
Speed matters in news but it does not override accuracy. In breaking situations we publish what is confirmed and label the story as developing. We update it as facts come in and we mark each update with the time it was made.
Sources and attribution
We prefer to name our sources. Readers can judge information better when they know where it came from. Most of what we publish is on the record and attributed to a person or a document or an official body.
We grant anonymity only in limited cases. A source may be kept anonymous when the information is important to the public and cannot be obtained any other way and the source faces a real risk of harm for speaking. The reporter must first tell an editor who the source is. The editor must be satisfied that the source has direct knowledge and no personal agenda that would distort the facts. The story then explains why the source is not named and what position the source holds in general terms.
A promise of confidentiality is kept. We will not reveal an anonymous source under pressure from an employer or an advertiser or an official. Before we make such a promise we explain to the source what we can and cannot guarantee.
We do not pay sources for information. We do not offer favourable coverage in exchange for access. When a source gives us a document we confirm that it is genuine before we rely on it.
Fairness and the right of reply
Any person or organisation that is criticised or accused of wrongdoing in our reporting is given a fair chance to respond before publication. We tell them what we intend to report and we give them enough time to answer. We publish the response in full where we can or summarise it fairly. If they decline to comment we say that they were asked and did not reply. We do not hide behind the phrase “could not be reached” unless we made real attempts by more than one method.
We cover people and groups across the community with the same seriousness. We do not describe people by religion or ethnicity or origin or disability unless it is directly relevant to the story. We try to include voices from the communities affected by an issue and not only the officials who speak about them.
Our opinion pieces are labelled as opinion and kept apart from news coverage. Opinion writers are held to the same standard on facts even though their conclusions are their own.
Independence and conflicts of interest
We report without fear of or favour toward anyone. Details about who owns us and who funds us are on our Ownership and Funding page. The rules there are meant to keep money away from editorial decisions and we treat any breach as a serious matter.
Reporters do not cover subjects where they have a personal or financial stake. They do not take part in political campaigns or hold party office or accept paid speaking work from groups they cover. Gifts and favours from sources are declined or returned. When a conflict cannot be avoided the story discloses it.
Minimising harm
The public has a right to know many things that cause pain to the people involved. We publish them when the public interest is clear and we try to do it with care. We think about the effect of a story on the people named in it and on their families before it goes out.
- We treat victims of crime and accidents and abuse with respect and do not publish graphic images unless they are essential to understanding the story.
- We do not name victims of sexual assault without their clear consent.
- We do not identify children involved in criminal cases or custody disputes. Children are interviewed only with the consent of a parent or guardian.
- We report on suicide with restraint. We do not describe methods and we include information on where to find help.
- We avoid contacting grieving families in a way that feels like pressure. A reporter identifies themselves clearly and accepts a refusal.
Privacy and the public interest
People in public life have less privacy than private citizens but they still have some. We report on the private lives of officials and public figures only when the matter bears on their duties or their honesty or the public trust placed in them. We do not use hidden recording or false identities to gather information unless the story is of serious public importance and there is no other way to get it. Any such method must be approved by the editor in chief in advance and explained to readers in the published story.
Photographs and video
Images show real events. We do not alter a photograph or a video in any way that changes what it shows. Basic adjustments to brightness and contrast and cropping for size are allowed. Staging a scene and presenting it as real is not allowed. If an image is a recreation or an illustration we label it. We credit every image to its creator and we verify the date and place of images sent in by the public before we use them.
Automated writing tools are not used to produce news stories. Where any software tool helps with routine tasks such as transcribing audio the reporter remains fully responsible for checking the result against the original.
Plagiarism and credit
We do not copy the work of others. When we rely on reporting from another news organisation we say so and link to it. Material from press releases and official statements is identified as such. A staff member who is found to have plagiarised or invented material faces dismissal and we publish a note telling readers which stories were affected.
Corrections and complaints
We correct our mistakes quickly and openly. A correction appears on the story itself and states what was wrong and what is right. Serious errors are also announced on our home page and on our social media accounts. We do not remove stories from the archive to hide an error. The only reasons to remove or change a published story beyond a correction are legal orders and cases where publication puts someone in real danger.
Anyone who believes we have broken these standards can write to stories@tamrahnews.com with the link to the story and a description of the problem. The complaint is read by a senior editor who was not involved in the original story. We reply within ten working days. If you are not satisfied with the reply you may ask for it to be reviewed by the editor in chief. We keep a record of complaints and what we did about them and we review that record twice a year to look for patterns we need to fix.
Review of these standards
These standards were last updated on 1 October 2026. We go over them every year with the full newsroom and we change them when experience shows us that a rule is unclear or no longer works. Staff are asked to read them when they join and to confirm in writing each year that they will follow them.
Tamrah News