Fact-Checking Policy: Ensuring Accuracy and Trustworthiness I mahakaltimes.com
a) The mahakaltimes is committed to doing its best to publish accurate information across all of its content. We take many steps to ensure accuracy: We investigate claims with skepticism; question assumptions; and challenge conventional wisdom.
b) We are committed to achieving due accuracy in all its output. This commitment is fundamental to our reputation and the trust of audiences. The term ‘due’ means that the accuracy must be adequate and appropriate to the output, taking account of the subject and nature of the content and explicitly mentioning/underlining any constraint that may influence that expectation.
c) This means all our output, as appropriate to its content and nature, must be well-sourced, based on available evidence, and corroborated. We strive to be honest and open about what we don’t know and avoid unfounded speculation.
d) Our journalists never plagiarize deliberately or distort facts or context, including visual information knowingly.
e) We seek independent verification from sources to confirm claims, information, and allegations, especially those made by public officials or anyone with an agenda beyond merely reporting the truth. Claims, allegations, material facts, and other content that cannot be corroborated are normally attributed.
d) The mahakaltimes stands by the information it publishes and deems it to be accurate. If proven otherwise, we change the news item/information as quickly as possible. We do not knowingly and materially mislead our audiences. We do not distort facts, or present invented material as facts, that can undermine our audiences’ trust in our content. We acknowledge serious factual errors and correct them quickly, clearly, and appropriately.
e) We provide a fair opportunity for the public to report any inaccuracies or errors in our reportage via the ‘Suggest A Correction’ section that appears at the end of every web story that is published.
f) Our journalists’ primary responsibility is reporting, writing, and fact-checking stories. Stories are subject to review by one or more editors. The mahakaltimes has a multi-level fact-checking structure for stories that require due diligence. The seniority of editors who review a story before publication varies on a range of factors, including complexity, sensitivity, and the pressure of time.
Our Correction Policies
While mahakaltimes.com continually strives for excellence and accuracy, we ignore the fact that we will occasionally make errors. When these errors are made, mahakaltimes.com will take responsibility for correcting the error and will maintain a high level of transparency to be sure all parties are confident that the incorrect information does not spread.
The following are the steps each party needs to take to achieve the goals of accuracy, transparency, and excellence:
READERS:
If a reader spots an error, he or she should contact the editor-in-chief, Umesh, immediately by email, phone, mail, or in person.
Email:contact@mahakaltimes.com
Sub: Correction Needed
A correction is not officially submitted until the reader contacts the editor-in-chief directly. Corrections submitted to other mahakaltimes.com staff members may not be addressed on time or at all.
If sent by email or mail, corrections should include the correction, the issue date or number, where the correction was seen (in print, online, etc.) the reader’s name, and a phone number or email address they can be contacted at. Readers should also include the correct information and a source for where they found that information, if applicable. For example, if a Student Senate vote tally was incorrect, please provide the minutes from that meeting.
The reader can expect a response from the editor-in-chief and may be contacted further if clarification is noted or the editor needs more information. Please note that a correction submission is a guarantee that the error will be investigated but not a guarantee that a correction will be issued.
THE MAHAKALTIMES.COM:
Once the editor-in-chief is made aware of an error, he or she will investigate the error using the information provided by the reader, meeting minutes, reporter’s recordings, and any other sources of information available to him or her.
If an error is found, the editor-in-chief will issue a correction in all forms that the information was incorrectly disseminated
PRINT:
Corrections will be printed on page 2A in the next issue published. The correction will denote the issue, article, and incorrect information along with the correction.
MAHAKALTIMES.COM:
The article will be corrected and an editor’s note will be added to the bottom of the article noting what was incorrect and when the article was changed.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
If the article was posted on Facebook, Twitter, or any other online medium controlled by mahakaltimes.com, a post will be made linking to the corrected article, noting the correction.
Once the correction is made, the editor-in-chief will contact the reader who submitted the correction and inform them of the steps that were taken to correct the error.
