Corrections Policy For Digital Publishers: Template and Examples
Every publisher makes mistakes. What readers remember is whether you owned up to them. A clear corrections policy tells readers what you fix, how you label it and how to report an error. This guide gives you a copy-ready corrections policy template, real examples from newsrooms and ethics codes, and a step-by-step plan for building an editorial corrections page on your own site. It is written for small and mid-size digital publishers, but the same structure works for any size.
Why every digital publisher needs a corrections policy
A policy sets expectations before a mistake happens, so your team is not inventing rules under pressure. It also gives readers a way to hold you accountable.
Industry standards point the same way. The Society of Professional Journalists' ethics code tells journalists to acknowledge mistakes, correct them promptly and prominently, and explain corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly. For fact-checkers, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) requires signatories to publish a corrections policy and follow it scrupulously. Its criteria say the policy must be easily visible and accessible on the organization's website, and signatories should correct clearly and transparently so readers see the corrected version.
You do not need to be a fact-checker to follow the same logic. A visible policy is a basic trust signal for any news site.
What a corrections policy should cover
Section | What to say |
Commitment | You correct errors promptly and openly |
What counts | Define corrections, clarifications, updates and minor edits |
How you correct | Where the note goes, how it is labeled, whether it shows the date and time |
No silent edits | Say that factual changes are never made without a note |
Headlines, images, social | Whether those are corrected too, and where |
Archived content | Whether old stories are corrected |
Removals | When, if ever, a story is taken down |
AI-assisted content | How errors from AI tools are handled |
Reporting an error | An email or form, and what readers can expect next |
Log | Where the corrections are listed |
How real organizations word their policies
These examples show different approaches. Read the originals before copying ideas.
SPJ Code of Ethics: the code asks journalists to acknowledge mistakes, correct them promptly and prominently, and explain corrections carefully and clearly. It is a good source for your policy's opening commitment.
NPR: its ethics handbook says that as a rule it does not make "silent" corrections to stories, and that corrections are posted on NPR.org. That is a clear rule you can adopt.
The Coloradoan (Gannett): its policy says online errors are corrected immediately after discovery, and the correction is noted at the bottom of the story. Grammar and punctuation errors are fixed in the text without a correction notice, and clarifications are published the same way as corrections. It also gives a dedicated email address for reporting errors.
AP, NYT and Reuters: AP's guidelines say a correction must always be labeled a correction, without euphemisms. The New York Times applies the rule even when an error is caught seconds after publishing. Reuters does not repeat an incorrect detail such as a misspelling, only notes that the name was misspelled.
A small independent publisher: the newsletter Case By Case says it tracks all corrections in a public Google Doc and acknowledges them with in-line edits and endnotes in the original piece. It shows a simple log can work for a one-person team.
Corrections policy template
Copy this and fill in the brackets. It is a starting point, not legal advice, so have a lawyer review any wording about retractions and removals.
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS POLICY
[Publication name] | Last updated: [date]
OUR COMMITMENT
We aim to be accurate. When we make a mistake, we correct it
promptly, openly and in the same place readers saw it.
WHAT WE CORRECT
- Correction: a factual error, such as a wrong name, number,
date, quote or caption.
- Clarification: text that was accurate but unclear or incomplete.
- Update: new information added after publication. An update is
not an error.
- Minor edits: typos, grammar and formatting may be fixed without
a note. If a change affects meaning, we add a note.
HOW WE CORRECT
We fix the error in the original story and add a visible note at
[top / bottom] with the date and time of the change. We label
corrections as corrections. We do not make silent changes to facts.
HEADLINES, IMAGES AND SOCIAL POSTS
If a headline, image, caption or social post contains the error,
we correct it and note the change where we can.
AI-ASSISTED CONTENT
Our editors review all AI-assisted content. If AI contributes to
an error, we correct it in the same way as any other mistake.
ARCHIVED STORIES AND REMOVALS
We correct archived stories. We remove a story only in rare
cases, such as [legal reason / safety reason / editor's decision],
and we record the reason.
HOW TO REPORT AN ERROR
Email [corrections email] or use [form link]. Please include the
story link, what you believe is wrong, and your source if you have one.
We aim to review reports within [number] business days.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
An editor reviews your report. If we find an error, we correct it
and, where possible, let you know. If we do not agree, we may
explain why.
CORRECTIONS LOG
Recent corrections are listed at [link]. Complaints about how we
handled a correction can be sent to [editor / contact].How to build an editorial corrections page
Create a dedicated page such as yoursite.com/corrections. Keep it simple: the policy, the contact method and a list of recent corrections.
Link it from the footer of every page, and from the "About" and "Editorial standards" pages. The IFCN's criteria for visibility are a useful benchmark: readers should find it easily.
Link to it from correction notes so readers see the full policy.
Keep a log. A short list with the date, story link and what changed is enough. A shared spreadsheet or simple page works.
Review the policy once a year and update the "last updated" date.
Mistakes to avoid
Vague promises. "We strive for accuracy" with no process.
No way to report errors. Always give an email or form.
A hidden page. If readers cannot find it, it does not help.
Promising response times you cannot meet. Choose a realistic number.
No rule on silent edits. Say clearly that factual changes get a note.
Never publishing corrections. A policy with an empty log can look like it is not used.
For how to word the notes themselves and handle fast-moving stories, see our guide to updating a breaking news story without losing trust.
Where AI helps, and where it does not
AI can draft a correction note for an editor to review, scan your archive for the same error repeated across stories, and keep your log tidy. It should not decide whether something is an error or publish a correction on its own. Include a line about AI-assisted errors in your policy, as in the template above.
Where NewsBolts fits
At NewsBolts, we believe AI should support editors, not replace their accountability. A corrections policy is where that principle becomes concrete: a person decides what was wrong, and the policy says how it is fixed. You can read more about our approach in our AI newsroom operating system guide.
FAQ
What is a corrections policy? It is a published statement of how a news organization fixes errors: what counts as a correction, how it is labeled, where it appears and how readers can report mistakes.
Where should a corrections policy go on my website? On its own page, linked from the footer and from your About or editorial standards pages, so readers can find it easily.
Does a small news site need a corrections policy? Yes. A short, clear policy builds reader trust and gives a small team a process, even if it is only one person.
Should I publicly correct typos? Many policies fix minor typos and formatting without a note and reserve corrections for errors that affect meaning. State your rule in the policy.
How quickly should I respond to an error report? As quickly as you can honestly manage. Choose a realistic target, such as a few business days, and meet it.
Conclusion
A corrections policy is a short document that makes your site more trustworthy. Say what you correct, how you label it, how to report an error and where the log lives. Publish it on a visible page, follow it every time and keep a record. Start with the template above, adapt it to your newsroom and update it once a year.
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