How to report an error, what we do about it, and how we mark every change we make.
We would rather be corrected than be wrong in public. If you have found an error in something we published, tell us and we will look at it properly.
Email corrections@jlist.co.uk with the full URL of the article, the exact sentence or passage you believe is wrong, what you think the correct information is, and — where you have one — a source we can check it against. The more precise your message, the faster we can resolve it. You do not need to be the subject of the article to raise a correction; readers spot mistakes as often as anyone.
Straightforward factual errors — a misspelled name, a wrong date, a transposed figure — are usually fixed the same day. Disputes about interpretation, characterisation or the fairness of a piece take longer because they require going back through the reporting and, where relevant, speaking to the writer and the sources.
We distinguish between three kinds of change, and each is handled differently.
A statement of fact was wrong. We fix the text and add a dated note at the foot of the article stating what was incorrect and what it now says.
The facts were right but the wording could reasonably be misread. We sharpen the language and note the change at the foot of the piece.
New information has emerged since publication. We add it, timestamp it, and leave the original reporting visible rather than rewriting history.
Typographical fixes that do not change meaning are made without a note. Everything else is marked.
We do not delete accurate articles because a subject has changed their mind about having spoken to us, and we do not remove reporting in exchange for payment, advertising or the threat of it. We do not quietly edit substantive claims out of a published piece. Where the law requires removal, or where continued publication would cause serious and disproportionate harm to a private individual, the decision is made by the editor and recorded.
If you have raised a correction and believe it has not been handled properly, write to editor@jlist.co.uk setting out what you asked for and what happened. Complaints at that stage are reviewed by someone who was not involved in the original decision, and we will give you a written answer.