Editorial Policy
How we choose stories, check them, and correct them when we get something wrong.
Health reporting is worth only as much as it is trusted, so it is worth writing down how the work is actually done.
Sourcing
We work from primary sources: the published study, the regulator's notice, the trial registry entry, the manufacturer's own statement. Where we rely on another outlet's reporting we say so and link to it. We do not republish press releases as articles.
Describing evidence honestly
A finding is reported at the strength it actually holds. We distinguish between an association and a cause, we give the size of a study when the size is the point, and we flag work that is preliminary, unpublished, industry-funded, or carried out in animals rather than people.
Review
Pieces covering treatment, dosage, diagnosis or risk are read by a second person before publication, against the sources they cite. Anything that cannot be traced back to a source is removed rather than softened.
Updating and correcting
Articles carry the date they were last changed. Where guidance has moved since publication we update the piece rather than leave it standing. Factual errors are corrected on the page and noted at the foot of it.
Independence
Commercial arrangements never determine what we cover or what we conclude. Any sponsored or affiliate content is labelled as such on the page, and no advertiser sees an article before it is published.