Trust & Standards
Editorial Standards
How The Global Mail sources, verifies, edits and labels the journalism it publishes.
How do you source and verify news stories?
News stories are sourced from named, on-the-record interlocutors wherever possible. Anonymous sourcing is permitted only when a story is in the public interest, when the source has direct knowledge, when the reporter has corroborated the information against at least one independent source, and when the reasons for anonymity are explained in the story.
Who edits and reviews articles before publication?
Every news article is read by a section editor and a copy editor before publication. Articles touching on legal, medical, scientific or financial subjects are additionally reviewed by a relevant specialist editor. The reviewing editor is named on the article where applicable.
How do you separate news and opinion?
News reporting and editorial opinion are produced by separate staff under separate editors. Opinion pieces are clearly labelled in the section header and in the URL.
What is your policy on the use of artificial intelligence?
We do not publish AI-generated text as news. Editorial use of generative AI is limited to internal tasks (e.g. transcription, translation drafts, headline suggestions) and is reviewed by a human editor before any output reaches the page.
How do you handle plagiarism and attribution?
Plagiarism is grounds for dismissal. Reporting that builds on the work of other outlets is credited explicitly in the body of the story.
How do you protect editorial independence?
Reporters and editors do not accept gifts or paid travel from the subjects of their coverage. Conflicts of interest are disclosed on a public register maintained by the Standards desk.
See also our Ethics Policy and Corrections Policy.