Media Corrections
How newsrooms and journals correct what they publish
Newsroom corrections policies, wire service corrections and kills, editor's notes, academic retractions and the transparency rules behind them.
Updated 6 November 2026
Correction policies
- Editor's notes explained What an editor's note means on a news story, how it differs from a correction or clarification, and who approves one, from published outlet policies.
- How news corrections work How newsrooms find, label and publish corrections, from ethics codes to outlet policies in the US, UK, Canada, South Africa and India.
- How to find a correction Where to look for a correction to a news story or a retraction of a research paper: on the story, in print, in corrections policies and in Crossref data.
- Newsroom corrections policies compared How published corrections policies at outlets in the US, Canada, Kenya, India and at fact-checkers compare on labels, placement and unpublishing.
- Silent edits and update transparency rules When publishers may change a story without a note and when they must flag it, from codes, press council guidance, outlet policies and journal rules.
Wire services
- Wire service corrections and kills How news agencies such as AP and Reuters describe correcting stories that run on many client sites, and what their published standards say.
Retractions
- Academic retractions explained What it means when a journal retracts a paper, how retraction differs from a correction, expression of concern or withdrawal, and what readers see.
- COPE retraction guidelines explained A plain summary of the COPE retraction guidelines, Version 3 of 4 September 2025: when to retract, expressions of concern, timing and who decides.