South West Durham News CIC Editorial Policy and Guidelines

Version: 1.0
Applies to: South West Durham News CIC, swd.news, Shildon & District Town Crier, Ferryhill & Chilton Chapter, Bishop Press, Spennymoor News, newsletters, social media, podcasts, print editions, supplements, and any future SWDN editorial products.
Editorial lead: Managing Editor / Editor
Review cycle: At least annually, or sooner if Impress guidance, media law, company governance, safeguarding expectations, or editorial practice materially changes.

South West Durham News CIC is an independent, not-for-profit community publisher. We welcome community contributions, but all material is subject to editorial review. Our journalism is guided by accuracy, fairness, independence, community service and accountability, and we follow the Impress Standards Code.

1. Purpose of this policy

South West Durham News CIC exists to provide trusted, independent, useful and accessible community journalism for South West Durham. SWDN publishes four local titles — Shildon & District Town Crier, Ferryhill & Chilton Chapter, Bishop Press and Spennymoor News — alongside the swd.news website, with content covering local news, community journalism, sport, letters, events, public-interest issues, advertising and local information. [swd.news], [swd.news]

SWDN is a Community Interest Company with a not-for-profit ethos, and states that money earned is invested back into making its papers informative, entertaining and a vital community asset. [swd.news], [find-and-u…ice.gov.uk]

This document sets out the editorial principles, standards and working practices that must guide all editorial activity by SWDN staff, directors, freelancers, volunteers, contributors, community reporters and anyone producing or handling content for publication.

2. Editorial mission

SWDN’s editorial mission is:

To serve the people of South West Durham with accurate, fair, independent and community-rooted journalism that strengthens local democracy, celebrates local life, holds power to account and gives residents a trusted platform to be heard.

This mission reflects SWDN’s stated role as an independent community newspaper publisher whose papers are local to each town and are contributed to by local groups, supported by local businesses and delivered free to homes in their catchment areas. [swd.news], [swd.news]

3. Core editorial values

3.1 Accuracy

Accuracy is SWDN’s first editorial duty. All published material must be checked as carefully as reasonably possible before publication.

Editorial staff and contributors must:

verify names, spellings, ages, job titles, dates, locations and quotes;
check allegations, statistics and claims against reliable sources;
clearly distinguish fact, comment, opinion, advertising and sponsored material;
avoid exaggeration, distortion or misleading presentation;
correct significant inaccuracies promptly and with appropriate prominence.

The Impress Standards Code requires publishers to take reasonable steps to ensure accuracy, distinguish fact from opinion, avoid distortion, and correct significant inaccuracies with appropriate prominence at the earliest opportunity. [impressorg.com]

3.2 Independence

SWDN must make editorial decisions independently and in the interests of readers and communities, not advertisers, political parties, funders, public bodies, campaign groups, commercial partners or personal relationships.

Advertising, sponsorship, membership support, grant funding or business relationships must never buy favourable coverage or prevent legitimate coverage.

3.3 Community service

SWDN’s journalism should be useful, accessible and relevant to local people. Coverage should reflect the lived experience of residents across Shildon, Ferryhill, Chilton, Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor and the wider South West Durham area.

SWDN should cover not only institutions and decision-makers, but also residents, voluntary groups, schools, clubs, faith and cultural groups, small businesses, charities, social enterprises, carers, young people, older people and under-represented communities.

3.4 Fairness

People and organisations criticised in SWDN journalism should normally be given a fair opportunity to respond before publication, especially where allegations are serious, reputationally damaging or contested.

3.5 Accountability

SWDN is accountable to its readers, communities, contributors and regulator. SWDN states publicly that it adheres to the Impress Standards Code and provides a complaints process through which eligible complaints are acknowledged within seven calendar days and normally answered with a final decision within 21 calendar days. [swd.news], [impressorg.com]

3.6 Public interest

SWDN will pursue journalism that serves the public interest, including reporting that:

informs residents about matters affecting their lives, rights, safety, services or environment;
scrutinises public authorities, elected representatives, public spending and local institutions;
exposes wrongdoing, serious failures, misleading claims or abuse of power;
enables informed participation in community life and local democracy;
amplifies voices that are otherwise overlooked;
celebrates local achievement, voluntary action and community resilience.

The Impress Standards Code describes its purpose as helping journalists create high-quality work in the public interest while balancing freedom of expression with the rights and interests of those involved. [impressorg.com]

4. Scope of coverage

SWDN editorial coverage may include:

local authority decisions and public services;
parish and town council matters;
education, schools, colleges and youth organisations;
health, wellbeing and community care;
crime, courts and public safety;
housing, planning and transport;
local business and employment;
sport, leisure and culture;
voluntary and community groups;
local history and heritage;
letters, opinion and reader contributions;
public notices and civic information;
community campaigns where there is clear local relevance;
human-interest stories, profiles and achievements.

SWDN publishes local and county-wide news on its website and through community newspapers, with sections including news, sport, community journalism and letters. [swd.news], [swd.news]

5. Editorial independence and governance

5.1 Editorial authority

The Editor / Managing Editor has day-to-day authority over editorial decisions, including story selection, headlines, publication timing, corrections, takedowns and complaints handling.

Directors of the CIC may set organisational strategy, but must not interfere improperly in individual editorial decisions.

5.2 Protection from commercial pressure

Advertising and editorial must remain separate.

SWDN may accept advertising, sponsorship or grant funding, but:

paid-for content must be clearly labelled;
advertisers must not receive editorial control;
commercial partners must not be promised coverage in return for payment;
negative but fair coverage must not be withheld because of advertising relationships;
staff must declare any commercial pressure to the Editor.

The Impress Standards Code requires publishers to clearly identify content that appears editorial but has been paid for, financially or through reciprocal arrangement, by a third party, and to disclose significant conflicts of interest. [impressorg.com]

5.3 Political independence

SWDN may report on political parties, elected representatives, candidates, councils, campaigns and public-policy matters, but it must not act as the mouthpiece of any party or faction.

Staff and contributors may hold personal political views, but must not allow those views to compromise fairness, accuracy or independence.

During election periods, SWDN must apply additional care to impartiality, right of reply, candidate balance, publication timing, legal restrictions and paid political advertising.

6. Standards Code and regulatory compliance

SWDN is regulated by Impress and states publicly that complaints about items it has published are considered by reference to the Impress Standards Code. [swd.news], [impressorg.com]

All editorial workers and contributors must comply with:

the Impress Standards Code;
UK media law;
data protection law;
contempt and reporting restriction rules;
copyright law;
safeguarding obligations;
this Editorial Policy;
any additional SWDN procedures issued by the Editor.

Where there is a conflict between speed and compliance, compliance comes first.

7. Accuracy, verification and sourcing

7.1 Minimum verification standard

Before publication, editorial staff should normally establish:

who is making the claim;
how they know it;
whether documentary evidence exists;
whether another reliable source can corroborate it;
whether the subject of criticism has been approached;
whether the claim is fact, allegation, opinion or speculation.

7.2 Named sources

Named sources are preferred. When a person is quoted, their name, role and relevance should normally be included, unless there is a justified reason not to do so.

7.3 Anonymous sources

Anonymous sources may be used only where:

the information is important;
the source has a credible reason to remain unnamed;
the Editor knows the source’s identity or has approved the arrangement;
the information has been corroborated where possible;
anonymity is not being used to make unfair, malicious or uncheckable claims.

The Impress Standards Code requires publishers to protect source anonymity where confidentiality has been agreed and not waived, except where a source has been manifestly dishonest. [impressorg.com]

7.4 Press releases

Press releases must not be treated automatically as verified fact.

When using press releases, SWDN should:

check names, dates, locations and claims;
make clear where information comes from if appropriate;
seek independent comment where the release makes contested claims;
avoid reproducing promotional language as news;
consider whether the story serves readers, not merely the issuing organisation.

7.5 Statistics and data

When publishing statistics, SWDN should identify the source, date, geographical area and limitations of the data.

Percentages should not be used where raw numbers are small without context.

7.6 Headlines, captions and social posts

Headlines, captions, push alerts, newsletters and social media posts must meet the same accuracy standards as article copy. They must not sensationalise, misrepresent or overstate the evidence.

8. Fairness, right of reply and allegations

8.1 Serious criticism

Where SWDN intends to publish serious criticism of a person, business, public body, charity, school, council, police body, elected representative or community organisation, the subject should normally be given a fair opportunity to respond.

The request for comment should:

summarise the allegation clearly;
give a reasonable deadline;
be sent to an appropriate contact;
include enough detail to allow a meaningful response;
be recorded in notes or email.

8.2 Refusal or no response

If the subject does not respond, SWDN may publish if it is fair to do so, but should usually state that the person or organisation was approached and did not respond, declined to comment or had not responded by publication.

8.3 Post-publication responses

Where a response arrives after publication, the Editor should consider whether to update the article, publish a follow-up, add a clarification or decline further action.

9. Corrections, clarifications and updates

9.1 Duty to correct

SWDN must correct significant inaccuracies promptly, fairly and with appropriate prominence.

The Impress Code requires significant inaccuracies to be corrected with prominence equal to the original article at the earliest opportunity. [impressorg.com]

9.2 Types of post-publication action

SWDN may use:

Correction — where a factual error has been made;
Clarification — where wording was ambiguous or incomplete;
Update — where new information has emerged;
Editor’s note — where transparency is needed about a change;
Apology — where appropriate;
Removal or takedown — only in exceptional circumstances.

9.3 Correction wording

Corrections should normally state:

what was wrong;
what the correct position is;
when the correction was made;
whether the article has been amended.

9.4 Digital updates

Online articles should not be silently changed where the change is material. Material amendments should be noted at the foot of the article.

10. Complaints handling

SWDN’s complaints page states that it can look into complaints about items it has published which are in its control, and that it adheres to the Impress Standards Code. [swd.news], [impressorg.com]

10.1 Who may complain

SWDN may consider complaints from:

a person directly affected by an alleged breach;
a representative group affected by an alleged breach where there is public interest;
a third party seeking to ensure accuracy of published information.

This reflects the eligibility categories stated on SWDN’s public complaints page. [swd.news]

10.2 How complaints should be made

Complaints should be submitted to SWDN using the contact details published on the complaints page, including the editorial email address, telephone number and postal address. [swd.news]

10.3 Timeframes

SWDN will acknowledge complaints within seven calendar days and will normally issue a final decision within 21 calendar days. [swd.news]

10.4 Escalation to Impress

If a complainant is not satisfied with SWDN’s final response, or if they do not hear from SWDN within 21 calendar days of submitting the complaint, SWDN’s complaints page directs them to refer the matter to Impress. [swd.news]

10.5 Internal complaint records

The Editor should keep a complaints log recording:

date received;
complainant name and contact details;
article complained about;
clause or issue raised;
action taken;
outcome;
date resolved;
whether Impress became involved;
lessons learned.

11. Children and young people

SWDN frequently covers schools, youth achievements, sport, community events and family stories. Extra care is required whenever children or young people are involved.

11.1 Consent

Before identifying, interviewing or photographing a child, SWDN should normally obtain:

the child’s informed agreement where age-appropriate;
consent from a parent, guardian, school or responsible adult where necessary;
clarity that the child understands the nature of publication.

The Impress Code states that publishers must only engage with or report on an identifiable child under 18 where this will not cause harm, with the child’s consent and, where necessary, consent from an appropriate adult, subject only to a very high public-interest exception. [impressorg.com]

11.2 School and youth content

For school stories, SWDN should normally work through the school, club or organisation and confirm that appropriate permissions are in place.

Photographs of children should not include names where unnecessary, and captions should avoid personal details that increase risk.

11.3 Sensitive circumstances

Children should not be identified in connection with crime, family proceedings, safeguarding issues, health matters, distressing events or vulnerable family circumstances unless lawful, necessary and approved by the Editor.

11.4 Requests for anonymity

SWDN must reasonably consider requests from children, parents or adults who were identified as children in earlier content and now seek anonymisation. [impressorg.com]

12. Privacy, grief and distress

12.1 Privacy

SWDN must respect reasonable expectations of privacy, especially in relation to health, family life, medical matters, personal finances, private correspondence, homes, schools, hospitals and vulnerable individuals.

The Impress Code requires publishers to respect reasonable expectations of privacy except where justified by the public interest, and to consider factors such as the nature of the information, the place concerned, how information was held, the person’s attributes and whether they have courted publicity. [impressorg.com]

12.2 Grief and distress

When reporting deaths, accidents, illness, emergencies or traumatic events, SWDN must show humanity and restraint.

Journalists should:

avoid intrusive approaches;
consider whether contact is necessary and proportionate;
avoid publishing distressing detail unless clearly justified;
give families reasonable space;
avoid using social media posts from grieving relatives without careful consideration.

The Impress Code requires publishers to take reasonable steps not to exacerbate grief or distress through intrusive newsgathering or reporting. [impressorg.com]

12.3 Private social media

Material found online is not automatically fair to use. Staff must consider privacy settings, context, vulnerability, age, news value and potential harm before using social media content.

The Impress Code specifically requires publishers to give due consideration to online privacy settings when determining privacy status. [impressorg.com]

13. Crime, courts and legally sensitive reporting

SWDN may report crime, policing, courts, anti-social behaviour and public safety where there is local relevance and public interest.

13.1 Legal checks

Before publishing legally sensitive material, staff must consider:

contempt of court;
reporting restrictions;
anonymity laws;
defamation risk;
privacy;
youth identification rules;
whether a person has been charged;
whether police confirmation exists;
whether the wording implies guilt before conviction.

The Impress Code requires publishers not to obstruct criminal investigations or prejudice criminal proceedings, and says publishers should generally not identify people under criminal investigation before charge unless there is a public-interest exception or police have released identifying information. [impressorg.com]

13.2 Children in proceedings

Children under 18 involved in criminal, immigration, asylum or family proceedings must not be directly or indirectly identified except as permitted by law. [impressorg.com]

13.3 Protected identities

SWDN must not identify people whose anonymity is protected by law unless there is clear legal permission and Editor approval.

13.4 Court copy

Court reports must be accurate, contemporaneous where required, fair and legally checked where necessary.

14. Discrimination, hate and inclusive reporting

SWDN must report communities fairly and avoid prejudicial, derogatory or irrelevant references to personal characteristics.

The Impress Code prohibits prejudicial or derogatory references based on age, disability, health, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or any other characteristic that puts a person at risk of discrimination. [impressorg.com]

Editorial staff should:

mention protected or personal characteristics only where genuinely relevant;
avoid stereotypes and lazy shorthand;
use respectful and precise language;
seek lived-experience voices where appropriate;
avoid framing communities as problems;
challenge discriminatory claims where they appear in public debate;
moderate comments and letters that encourage hatred or abuse.

The Impress Code also states that publishers must not encourage hatred or abuse against any group based on such characteristics. [impressorg.com]

15. Letters, opinion and reader contributions

SWDN publishes letters to the editor and reader-submitted content on local issues. [swd.news]

15.1 Editorial control

Letters and opinion pieces are selected and edited at SWDN’s discretion. Publication is not automatic.

15.2 Standards for letters

Letters must not:

contain significant inaccuracies;
make unsupported serious allegations;
defame individuals or organisations;
breach privacy;
incite hatred, harassment or abuse;
identify children or vulnerable people inappropriately;
breach court reporting restrictions;
be party-political campaign material disguised as ordinary correspondence.

15.3 Editing letters

SWDN may edit letters for:

length;
clarity;
accuracy;
legal risk;
taste;
relevance;
house style.

Material changes should not alter the writer’s meaning.

15.4 Identification of letter writers

Letter writers should normally provide their full name, address and contact details. SWDN may publish a name and town while withholding full contact details.

Anonymous or pseudonymous letters should be used only with Editor approval.

15.5 Right of reply

If a letter makes serious criticism of a person or organisation, SWDN should consider offering a right of reply before or after publication.

16. Community submissions and contributor copy

SWDN’s publishing model includes content brought to the newsroom by local groups and community contributors, and its site includes a “Submit a Story” route, although the public page is password-protected at present. [swd.news], [swd.news]

16.1 Contributor responsibilities

Contributors must:

provide accurate information;
disclose whether they are connected to the story;
identify any conflicts of interest;
confirm they have permission to submit photographs;
avoid plagiarism;
cooperate with editorial checks.

16.2 Editorial checks

Community submissions must be reviewed before publication. The Editor may rewrite, verify, shorten, delay or decline publication.

16.3 Community reporter training

Community reporters and volunteers should receive basic guidance on:

accuracy;
consent;
photographs;
children;
interviewing;
conflicts of interest;
defamation risk;
complaints;
safeguarding.

17. Photography, video and audio

17.1 Consent and context

Photographs, video and audio must be obtained fairly and used accurately.

At public events, general crowd photography is usually acceptable, but extra care is needed for children, vulnerable people, distressing incidents, schools, hospitals, private homes and sensitive community settings.

17.2 Captions

Captions must be accurate and should not identify people unnecessarily.

17.3 Manipulation

Images must not be manipulated in a way that misleads readers. Basic cropping, colour correction and exposure adjustment are acceptable if they do not alter the editorial meaning.

17.4 Submitted images

Before publishing submitted images, SWDN should confirm:

who took the image;
who owns the copyright;
whether permission has been granted;
whether people pictured consented where necessary;
whether children are identifiable.

18. Attribution, plagiarism and copyright

SWDN must not plagiarise.

The Impress Code requires publishers to take reasonable steps to identify and credit the originator of third-party content, and to correct any failure to credit with appropriate prominence at the earliest opportunity. [impressorg.com]

SWDN staff and contributors must:

credit external photographs, videos, reports and data;
avoid copying from press releases beyond fair and necessary use;
avoid lifting social media content without permission or justification;
respect copyright in images, maps, graphics, music, archive material and written work;
keep records of permissions where possible.

19. Conflicts of interest

19.1 Declaration

Staff, directors, freelancers, volunteers and contributors must declare any personal, financial, political, family, organisational or campaigning interest that could reasonably affect their editorial work.

Examples include:

membership of a council, party, campaign or pressure group;
close relationship with a source or subject;
employment or consultancy;
gifts or hospitality;
financial interests;
involvement in a community dispute.

19.2 Managing conflicts

The Editor may:

assign the story to someone else;
include a disclosure note;
restrict involvement;
decline publication;
seek independent review.

The Impress Code requires significant conflicts of interest to be disclosed and failures to disclose to be corrected with due prominence at the earliest opportunity. [impressorg.com]

20. Gifts, hospitality and freebies

Editorial staff and contributors must not accept gifts, hospitality, discounts or benefits that could influence coverage or appear to do so.

Low-value items such as refreshments at events may be acceptable. Higher-value offers must be declared to the Editor.

Travel, accommodation or event access provided by a third party must be disclosed where relevant.

21. Advertising, sponsored content and commercial partnerships

SWDN’s site contains advertising and support routes, and SWDN is supported by local businesses as part of its community publishing model. [swd.news], [swd.news]

21.1 Labelling

Paid-for content must be clearly labelled using terms such as:

Advertisement;
Sponsored Content;
Paid Promotion;
Commercial Feature;
Partner Content.

Labels must be visible to ordinary readers and not hidden or ambiguous.

21.2 Editorial control

If SWDN has editorial control over a commercial feature, it must still meet legal and ethical standards.

If a third party controls or approves content, that must be clear to readers.

21.3 No disguised advertising

Advertising must not be presented as independent journalism.

The Impress Code requires publishers to clearly identify content that appears editorial but has been paid for or arranged reciprocally by a third party. [impressorg.com]

22. Use of artificial intelligence

22.1 Human accountability

AI tools may assist with transcription, summarisation, research organisation, headline options, translation support, accessibility formatting or administrative work, but human editorial responsibility remains with SWDN.

22.2 Prohibited AI uses

AI must not be used to:

fabricate quotes;
invent sources;
generate false images or evidence;
impersonate real people;
publish unverified factual claims;
replace necessary reporting;
obscure the origin of paid or third-party content.

22.3 Labelling

Where AI-generated content is published in a way that readers should know about, it must be clearly labelled.

The Impress Code requires human editorial oversight and clear labelling of AI-generated content. [impressorg.com]

22.4 AI images

AI-generated images must not be used to illustrate real news events in a way that could mislead readers. If used for illustration, they must be labelled clearly.

23. Social media and digital publishing

SWDN’s social media output is editorial content and must meet the same standards as print and website publication.

Staff and authorised contributors must:

verify before posting;
avoid inflammatory or misleading wording;
correct errors promptly;
avoid personal arguments from official accounts;
distinguish personal views from SWDN positions;
avoid publishing legally sensitive claims casually;
consider safeguarding and privacy before sharing images.

The Impress Standards Code applies to all forms of news delivery, including print publications, news websites and social media. [impressorg.com]

24. Moderation and user comments

Where SWDN allows comments, replies, social media discussion or user-generated content, it should moderate in line with community standards.

SWDN may remove or hide comments that:

are abusive, threatening or harassing;
contain hate speech;
contain serious unverified allegations;
breach privacy;
identify legally protected people;
contain spam or scams;
are irrelevant or repeatedly disruptive;
may place SWDN at legal risk.

Moderation decisions are editorial decisions.

25. Safeguarding and vulnerable people

SWDN must take particular care when reporting on:

children;
older people;
people with disabilities;
people experiencing illness, grief or trauma;
people facing homelessness, poverty or crisis;
people with limited capacity to consent;
people involved in safeguarding matters;
victims, witnesses or complainants in sensitive cases.

Staff should ask:

Is publication necessary?
Is the person able to give informed consent?
Could publication cause avoidable harm?
Is there a less intrusive way to tell the story?
Has the Editor reviewed the risk?

26. Reporting health, wellbeing and suicide/self-harm

Health reporting must be accurate, sensitive and evidence-based.

When reporting self-harm or suicide, SWDN must avoid excessive details of method, specific location or speculation about motives, and must signpost support. This is required by the Impress Code. [impressorg.com]

Health stories should avoid false hope, stigma, sensationalism or unsupported medical claims.

27. Data protection and personal information

SWDN collects personal information through its website and states that it may collect names, job titles, contact information, postcodes, preferences and interests for purposes including internal record-keeping, service improvement, promotional emails and market research. [swd.news]

Editorial staff must handle personal data responsibly and only collect, store and share information where there is a lawful, necessary and proportionate reason.

27.1 Editorial data principles

Staff should:

collect only what is needed;
keep notes and contact details secure;
avoid sharing personal information unnecessarily;
delete data when no longer required;
take extra care with children and vulnerable people;
comply with privacy and data protection law.

27.2 Sensitive material

Sensitive documents, leaked material, whistleblower information and confidential source details must be stored securely and shared only with those who need access.

28. Public bodies, councils and official information

SWDN should scrutinise public bodies robustly and fairly.

Coverage of councils, police, NHS bodies, schools, housing bodies and public agencies should:

explain decisions in plain English;
identify who is responsible;
distinguish policy, proposal and final decision;
seek comment where criticism is made;
use documents, minutes and data where available;
follow up promises, delays and spending.

29. Elections and referendums

During elections, SWDN must be particularly careful to preserve fairness, accuracy and legal compliance.

Election coverage should:

give fair opportunity to relevant candidates;
avoid publishing unchecked allegations close to polling day;
clearly label opinion and letters;
comply with imprint and advertising rules;
apply consistent criteria for candidate profiles;
avoid favouring candidates because of personal relationships, advertising or political pressure.

30. Takedowns, anonymisation and archive policy

SWDN’s archive is part of the public record. Published articles should not normally be removed simply because someone later dislikes them.

However, the Editor may consider amendment, anonymisation, de-indexing or removal where:

the article is significantly inaccurate;
there is a legal risk;
continued identification causes disproportionate harm;
the person was a child at the time;
safeguarding concerns arise;
a court order or legal restriction applies;
publication no longer serves a public-interest purpose.

The Impress Code requires reasonable consideration of anonymisation requests from people identified in news content, including adults identified when they were under 18. [impressorg.com]

31. Editorial tone and house style

SWDN should use clear, plain, accessible English.

The tone should be:

accurate;
respectful;
local;
human;
direct;
non-sensational;
constructive where appropriate;
robust where public interest requires it.

Headlines should be understandable without exaggeration.

Community stories may be warm and celebratory, but they must still be accurate and transparent.

32. Training and compliance

All editorial staff, regular freelancers, volunteers and community contributors should receive proportionate training or briefing on this policy.

Minimum training topics should include:

Impress Standards Code;
accuracy and corrections;
defamation basics;
privacy;
children and safeguarding;
court and crime reporting basics;
conflicts of interest;
use of images;
complaints procedure;
AI and transparency.

33. Internal editorial checks

The following stories should be escalated to the Editor before publication:

serious allegations;
crime or court stories;
stories involving children in sensitive contexts;
safeguarding matters;
whistleblower material;
undercover or covert reporting;
stories involving grief or trauma;
stories likely to generate legal complaints;
stories about SWDN advertisers, funders, directors or staff;
stories involving significant conflicts of interest;
requests for anonymity;
takedown or correction disputes.

34. Implementation checklist

SWDN should maintain the following editorial documents and logs:

corrections log;
complaints log;
conflicts of interest register;
contributor agreement template;
photo consent guidance;
safeguarding escalation process;
AI use register for significant editorial uses;
takedown/anonymisation request log;
election coverage protocol;
community reporter handbook.

35. Recommended public-facing editorial statement

SWDN may wish to publish the following short statement on its website:

Our editorial commitment

South West Durham News CIC is an independent, not-for-profit community publisher serving South West Durham through our local newspapers and website. Our journalism is guided by accuracy, fairness, independence, community service and accountability. We are regulated by Impress and follow the Impress Standards Code. We correct significant inaccuracies promptly and provide a clear complaints process for readers who believe we have fallen short.

This aligns with SWDN’s public description as an independent community newspaper publisher, its CIC/not-for-profit ethos, and its published Impress complaints process. [swd.news], [swd.news]

36. Policy review

This policy should be reviewed:

annually;
after any upheld Impress complaint;
after any significant legal issue;
after major organisational change;
when SWDN launches a new editorial product;
when relevant law or Impress guidance changes.

The Editor should report annually to the CIC directors on editorial standards, complaints, corrections, training and policy compliance, while preserving editorial independence.

Last Updated: July 2026