Corrections policy
We try to get things right the first time, and we expect to be wrong sometimes. When we are, we want to know, and we will fix it in the open.
How to report an error
If you think something we published is wrong, write to info@silka-group.com.
To help us check quickly, please tell us:
- the link or headline of the story, and the language you read it in;
- what you think is wrong;
- what you believe is correct, with the source or evidence if you have it;
- how to reach you, so that we can reply (optional).
We check each language version of a story separately, so tell us which one you read. If the mistake appears in both, we correct both.
What we commit to
- We acknowledge your report, if you have told us how to reach you.
- An editor checks the claim against sources.
- If we got it wrong, we correct the story as soon as the error is confirmed and add a visible note with the date of the correction.
- If we conclude the story was right, we tell you why.
How a correction looks
We fix the text itself so that the error is gone, and we add a note to the story saying what was wrong, what is right and the date of the correction. We do not quietly delete mistakes or rewrite stories out of sight. A correction note looks like this; the example is invented, for illustration only:
Correction, 3 March: an earlier version of this story said the road is 12 km long. It is 21 km.
The note stays with the story. The more serious the error, the more prominent the note: at the top of the story if the error changed its meaning or harmed someone, and at the end if it was minor.
The note goes on the story itself, in the language version that was wrong, so that anyone who arrives later will see it.
Correction, update or clarification?
A correction fixes something that was wrong when we published it: a wrong name, a wrong figure, a misquotation or a misleading headline.
An update adds something new that was not available when we published, such as a development in a continuing story, fresh figures or a response from someone involved. An update is not an admission of error. We say on the story that it has been updated and give the date, so readers can tell what changed and when.
A clarification explains something that was accurate but could easily be misread, and we label it as one.
What does not need a note
We fix typing slips that do not change the meaning, such as a spelling or punctuation error, without a note. Anything that changes a fact, a figure, a name, a quotation or the meaning of a sentence gets a note.
If our reply does not satisfy you
If you are unhappy with how we handled your report, tell us and we will ask a second editor to review it. Nothing in this policy limits your legal rights.