Editorial Policies and Standards

About World Desk

World Desk is an independent source of news, information and analysis with a global footprint. Our purpose is to help subscribers make better sense of the world through fact-based analysis. The standards below set out how we report, verify, write and correct our work, and we publish them openly so readers know what to expect of us.

Our Commitments

We hold ourselves to being accurate, independent and responsible. We report fairly, we make our attribution clear, and when we get something wrong we fix it openly. The policies that follow exist to protect those principles.

Our analysts identify themselves plainly and never rely on deception or false pretenses to gather information. No one who works for World Desk may accept payment of any kind in return for coverage, and our analysts do not report on any company, sector or issue in which they hold a financial stake.

Anyone who finds themselves in a situation that could create a conflict, or the appearance of one, should raise it with senior editors. Our newsroom serves the audience first and makes its editorial decisions independently.

Accuracy and Verification

Responsibility for the accuracy of a piece rests with the analyst who writes it. That means checking all facts. When verifying, our analysts weigh not just where information came from but how reliable that origin is likely to be: how the source could have known the fact, and what interest they might have in sharing it when they did.

Useful sources include the subjects of a story and their own statements, direct witnesses, relevant authorities and official records, credible reporting elsewhere, and reference material. Every article passes through an editor before publication, and editors check facts as the story warrants.

Sourcing and Attribution

Sourcing should always be transparent and as full as the story allows. We name our sources wherever we can, describe the terms on which they spoke, and explain why anonymity was granted when it is used.

Anonymous sources are reserved for the rare cases where editors agree the public interest is served and where naming the source could expose them to danger or other serious harm. Editors take part in those decisions. We draw only on credible third-party sources, and only where editors have sound reason to believe the source was positioned to know what they claim. The same test applies to reporting first carried elsewhere, which we cite only when editors judge the outlet reliable and which we always name. Where a publication we consider highly reliable rests a fact on its own anonymous source, a World Desk analyst may cite it after discussing it with an editor, and the outlet must be named. We do not pay sources for information.

Inventing names, events or any other detail is never acceptable. Passing off someone else’s work as your own is strictly prohibited. When we cannot independently confirm a significant fact that another publication has reported, we credit it to that publication.

Fairness and Balance

Anyone facing an allegation in our articles is given the chance to respond. Even when they decline, we work to represent their perspective. Context is there to help readers understand a story, never to tilt it.

Our analysts are candid with readers about what is known, what is not, and what remains genuinely in dispute. We weigh evidence impartially and seek out the best information available, including analysis that cuts against our own assumptions.

Corrections and Accountability

Factual errors are corrected quickly and in the open, and every corrected story is marked as such. Anyone who is told of a possible mistake is expected to weigh the question fairly and with an open mind. Readers can flag possible errors at connect@world-desk.com.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI tools are reshaping many fields, including journalism, and World Desk uses them where they can help our analysts work faster and more effectively. We do so responsibly and always under human supervision, from the first idea for an article through reporting, production and publication.

Reader Feedback

We welcome feedback from readers; it helps sharpen our reporting and analysis. Anyone can reach us at connect@world-desk.com. Every submission is read, and we respond or act as appropriate. Senior editors review all feedback, including complaints about possible breaches of these standards. Reports of possible errors are examined with an open mind and, where confirmed, corrected in line with our corrections policy.