How we report · Where we are wrong
Editorial
Winslow Arsenault reports on world affairs, diplomacy, markets, technology and security. This page sets out how that work is done, what we hold ourselves to, and what happens when a story of ours turns out to be wrong.
What this page is for
Readers deserve to know how a publication works before they trust it with their attention. The sections below cover the newsroom's mission, the rules that govern our reporting, how we handle corrections, and how to reach a person when something needs fixing.
We are a small international desk based in Brooklyn, New York, covering diplomacy, markets, technology, defense and security for readers in the United States and abroad. We publish analysis and reporting that we can stand behind, and when we cannot stand behind something, we say so plainly and in the same place the original story appeared.
The desk
One editing team reviews every piece before it publishes. No story runs without a second reader.
The record
Corrections stay attached to the story they belong to. We do not quietly delete published reporting.
Our mission
Reporting that explains the world, not just the day
Most news is a snapshot. Our interest is in the layer beneath it: which governments are talking to each other, what changed in a market before the headline landed, where a supply chain or a defense program actually stands. That is the work we do, and it takes more than a press release to do it.
We write for readers who follow Ukraine, Iran, the Middle East, the Americas, Europe and the wider security picture closely enough to notice when something does not add up. That means naming sources where we can, describing what we could not confirm where we cannot, and resisting the urge to make a story tidier than the facts allow.
We do not publish sponsored articles dressed as reporting. Advertising, when it appears, is labeled. Analysis is labeled as analysis.
The standards we work to
These are the working rules rather than aspirations. Each one describes something a reader could check against a published piece.
Accuracy
We publish what we can support, and we mark what we cannot
Facts come from documents, named officials, or people we have verified as being in a position to know. When a claim rests on a single source, the story says so. When a detail cannot be confirmed at all, it stays out.
Attribution
Sources are named unless naming them would put someone at risk
Anonymity is granted by an editor, not requested by a reporter, and the reason for it is explained in the piece. We tell readers what the source can see firsthand and what they only heard.
Independence
No advertiser, government or owner reads a story before it runs
Commercial and political relationships do not set coverage. Where a conflict of interest exists for a writer, it is disclosed in the piece or the story is reassigned.
Right of reply
Anyone criticised in a story gets a fair chance to respond
We put the substance of the criticism to the person or institution involved, with enough time to answer, and we publish their response or note that none came. Serious allegations get more time, not less.
Separation
News reporting and opinion are labeled and never blended
Analysis pieces carry the word analysis. Columns carry the writer's name and their point of view is theirs, not the newsroom's.
Privacy
We do not publish private material without a public-interest reason
Addresses, medical details and family information stay out of print unless they are central to the story and an editor has signed off on publishing them.
Visuals
Images are captioned with where and when they were taken
We do not stage scenes as if they were documentary. Reconstructions and file pictures are labeled as such, and captions name the source of the image.
Corrections policy
When we get it wrong, we say so
A correction is published in the story it belongs to, not in a separate log. The original text is struck through or annotated, the corrected version follows, and the note records the date the change was made and what triggered it.
Report an errorWhat counts as a correction
A name spelled wrong, a figure quoted incorrectly, a date that moves a sequence of events, or a claim that turns out to be unsupported. Style and phrasing changes made before publication are not corrections and are not noted.
What happens next
If a correction changes the meaning of a story, an editor adds a short note explaining the change. Where a piece is withdrawn because it cannot be supported, the withdrawal is stated in place of the text and the reason is given.
Who to write to
Errors, story tips and press queries all reach the same desk. Say which story you are writing about and what you think is wrong or missing.
- Corrections
- Contact the desk with the headline in the subject line.
- Phone
- +1 718 462 8600
- Desk hours
- Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Eastern.
- Address
- 370 E 31st St, Brooklyn, NY 11226, USA
Questions readers ask
Short answers to the things that come up most often about how this newsroom operates.
Does a correction get its own page?
No. A correction lives with the story it corrects, so anyone reading the original sees the fix at the same moment. That is the point of putting it there rather than in a separate list.
Can I ask for a source to stay anonymous?
You can ask, and you can explain why. The decision belongs to an editor, who weighs the risk to you against what readers lose by not knowing who is speaking. If anonymity is granted, the story says why.
Do you cover stories you were asked not to cover?
Requests to hold or drop a story are treated as information, not instructions. If a government, company or individual asks us not to publish, that exchange itself is weighed as part of whether the story is worth running.
How do I tell reporting from opinion?
News pieces are built on sourcing. Analysis pieces carry the word analysis and explain what the author concludes from the reporting. Columns are signed and speak for the writer. If a piece does not fit one of those, it does not run.
Where should I send a story tip?
Tips go to the same desk address as corrections. Tell us what you know, how you know it, and whether you want to be named. If you would rather not be contacted further, say so and we will respect it.
Keep reading the reporting these rules apply to
The standards above shape everything we publish across world affairs, diplomacy, markets, technology and security. Start with the latest reporting or browse by section.