Corrections policy
We will get things wrong. This page sets out what we do when we do, so that you can hold us to it rather than take our word for it.
We correct in the open
When we get something wrong we fix it, and we say that we fixed it. Where an error materially changes the meaning of a story — a number, a name, an attribution, a claim about what someone did — the correction is noted on the story itself with what was changed and when.
We do not silently edit a published story to remove an error. Quietly rewriting a claim after someone complains is indistinguishable, to a reader, from never having made it, and it is the failure mode this policy exists to prevent.
What counts as a correction
A correction is a change to something factual: a figure, a date, a company name, who said what, or what a document actually says. These are always disclosed.
Fixing a typo, a broken link or a formatting problem is not a correction and is not noted — nothing a reader relied on has changed. Adding new information as a story develops is an update, and where it changes the picture we say when it was added rather than folding it in as though it had always been there.
Stories we take down
We do not unpublish stories to make a problem go away. If a story is so wrong that correcting it is not enough, we replace the content with an explanation of what happened and leave the URL in place, so that anyone who linked to it or read it finds the record rather than a dead page.
The exceptions are narrow and legal: a court order, or material that puts someone at genuine risk. In those cases we remove what we must and say that we have done so.
Data, prices and indices
Our price and index data is revised as a matter of routine, not as a correction — late submissions arrive and a week's figure is restated. Every index page shows its methodology, and revisions follow it.
Where a published figure was wrong because of an error rather than a revision, we correct it the same way we correct a story, and we say which periods were affected.
Right of reply
If we report something critical about a company or a person, we seek comment before publishing wherever we can, and we say in the story when we could not reach someone or when they declined.
If you are the subject of a story and believe it is unfair rather than inaccurate, tell us. We will not necessarily change it — but we will read it, we will reply, and where the point is fair we will publish your response.
Tell us we got it wrong
The more specific you are, the faster we can check it. Please include:
- · the story — a link, or its headline and date
- · the specific statement you believe is wrong
- · what the correct information is
- · a source we can check it against
We aim to respond within two working days, and to correct confirmed errors as soon as we have verified the correct information.
Contact the newsroom