Editorial Standards and Ethics Policy

Effective: June 2026. Questions about this policy should be directed to [email protected].

Accuracy and fact verification

AUNS publishes only information that has been independently verified before publication. Verification means confirming a claim through at least two independent sources, or through primary documentary evidence. Claims that cannot be verified are not published.

Every article passes through a six-stage editorial pipeline: reporting, verification, structural editing, language review, a factual floor check and a final quality gate. No article is published unless it has passed all six stages.

Where factual matters are contested between named parties, AUNS presents the verified record and attributes disagreement to the specific parties who hold it. We do not present contested claims as settled fact, and we do not present settled fact as contested to create false balance.

Source standards

AUNS uses named sources wherever possible. Anonymous sources are used only when the information is in the public interest and cannot be obtained on the record. When an anonymous source is used, the reason for anonymity is disclosed to readers in the article body.

A minimum of two independent sources is required for any claim that is not supported by primary documentary evidence. Single-source claims that cannot be independently corroborated are not published unless they originate from a primary document (a court filing, a published report, a government statement) that can be linked or attributed directly.

AUNS does not publish claims from a single anonymous source without documentary corroboration.

Named journalists and accountability

Every article published by AUNS carries a byline from a named, accountable journalist. AUNS does not publish anonymous content, and does not attribute work to generic "Staff Reporter" credits. The journalist named in the byline is the journalist responsible for the reporting and factual accuracy of that article.

Independence from advertisers

AUNS does not allow advertising relationships to influence editorial coverage. Advertisers cannot request or block coverage of any topic, do not see articles before publication, and have no access to the publication schedule. Coverage is not offered, withheld or modified in exchange for advertising spend.

The advertising and editorial functions of AUNS operate separately: advertising staff have no access to editorial systems, and editorial staff take no part in advertising sales.

Sponsored and paid content

Sponsored content published by AUNS is clearly labelled with an unambiguous marker ("Sponsored", "Advertorial" or "Paid Content") appearing before the headline. Sponsored content uses a visually distinct layout that differentiates it from editorial articles.

Sponsored content does not carry a NewsArticle schema type and is not eligible for submission to Google News. It is not written by AUNS correspondents and does not pass through the AUNS editorial pipeline. It reflects the views of the paying sponsor, not AUNS.

Conflicts of interest

AUNS correspondents do not cover topics in which they have a direct personal or financial interest. Where a potential conflict is identified, the correspondent is reassigned and the article is handled by a colleague with no conflict. Conflicts are disclosed in the article where they are relevant to the reader's assessment of the reporting.

AUNS does not accept gifts, hospitality or travel from organisations it covers. Correspondents do not hold shares in companies they cover while they are covering them.

Social media conduct

AUNS correspondents are expected to maintain the same standards on personal social media accounts that apply to their published reporting. That means no sharing of unverified claims and no public opinions on matters they are assigned to cover, and it rules out any conduct that would undermine confidence in their impartiality as reporters.

Personal social media accounts are the responsibility of individual correspondents. Statements made on personal accounts are not AUNS editorial positions.

External links

AUNS links to primary sources (court documents, government reports, official statements and publicly accessible datasets) wherever they are available and relevant. We do not accept payment for external links. We do not use affiliate links in editorial content. Where an article contains a commercial link, it will be disclosed.

Images and media

AUNS does not manipulate editorial images in ways that alter the factual record. Images are not cropped or staged to misrepresent events. AI-generated images are not used in editorial contexts. Where an image is illustrative rather than documentary, this is noted in the caption.

All images used by AUNS are either licensed for editorial use, in the public domain, or original AUNS photography. Image credits appear in captions.

Corrections

AUNS corrects errors promptly and transparently. When an error is identified in a published article, a correction notice is added to the article. The notice states what was incorrect, what the correct information is, and when the correction was made. Errors are not silently edited. See the Corrections Policy for the full process.

Professional standards

AUNS is not a current member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) but voluntarily adheres to the MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics. Our correspondents are expected to uphold the principles of honesty, fairness and independence set out in that code. AUNS also acknowledges the Australian Press Council Statement of Principles as the applicable standard for responsible reporting.

Contact

Questions about these standards or complaints about specific articles should be directed to [email protected]. AUNS responds to editorial enquiries within two business days.