Correction policies

Editor's notes explained

Q: Who approves an editor's note?

At The Washington Post, a senior editor must approve it.

Q: Can an editor's note be deleted later?

BOOM says its editor's notes are never removed.

Last checked 6 November 2026 · 6 sources

Short answer

An editor's note is a notice placed on a story to tell readers about a change or problem. At The Washington Post it is used when a correction calls the whole article into question, raises a significant ethical matter or concerns whether the story met its standards, and a senior editor must approve it ¹. Other outlets use the term more widely. BOOM puts an editor's note on every corrected story ², and South African guidance uses it for print and online corrections ³.

Approval at The Washington Post: A senior editor ¹
BOOM practice: Editor's note at the bottom of every corrected story, never removed ²
South African guidance: Online note labelled as a correction with the amendment date ³
AP rule in its archived 2009 statement: A correction is always labelled a correction in the editor's note ⁴

Three meanings of one term

The phrase editor's note is used in different ways. Some outlets reserve it for serious cases. Others use it as the box that holds any correction. Readers should check the outlet's own policy to know which meaning applies.

Outlet or code	What an editor's note is for	Source
The Washington Post	Serious problems that question the whole story or raise ethical issues ¹	Company statement ¹
BOOM	A note at the bottom of every corrected story ²	Company statement ²
Press Council of South Africa guidance	Minor print corrections and online amendments ³	Guidance note ³
AP, archived 2009 statement	The place where a correction is labelled ⁴	Archived statement ⁴

The Washington Post model

The Post's policy says a correction that calls into question the entire substance of an article, raises a significant ethical matter or addresses whether an article did not meet its standards may require an editor's note. The note is followed by an explanation of what is at issue ¹.

A senior editor must approve the addition of an editor's note. The same policy keeps corrections for substantive errors and clarifications for unclear language or a missed request for comment ¹.

The editor's note as a correction box

BOOM, a fact-checking outlet in India, says each corrected story has an editor's note at the bottom and that this note is never removed. Stories that have been corrected carry an advisory as well ².

The Press Council of South Africa guidance says minor print corrections may be placed on any inside page in the form of an editor's note. Online, the note must be clearly labelled as a correction with the amendment date and appended at the end of the article. For significant errors, a notice of the amendments should go at the top ³. If a right of reply is added to an online story, the guidance asks for an editor's note on that amendment ³.

The AP statement of news values, as archived in January 2009, said a correction must always be labelled a correction in the editor's note. It said AP does not use euphemisms such as recasts, fixes, clarifies or changes for a factual error ⁴.

What a reader can take from a note

A note that says correction means a fact was wrong ⁴.
A clarification at the Post means the facts stood but the wording changed ¹.
An editor's note at the Post signals a problem a senior editor judged serious ¹.
At BOOM, a changed fact-check verdict changes the headline and rating too ².

Editor's notes and standards bodies

Ethics codes do not prescribe one label. The SPJ Code asks journalists to explain corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly ⁵. The IFCN code asks fact-checkers to correct clearly and transparently and to seek, as far as possible, that users of the original see the correction ⁶.

Common questions

Is an editor's note the same as a correction?

Not always. At The Washington Post it is reserved for serious problems ¹. At BOOM it is the note added to every corrected story ².

Who approves an editor's note?

At The Washington Post, a senior editor must approve it ¹.

Where does the note go on an online story?

South African guidance says at the end, with a notice at the top for significant errors ³. BOOM places it at the bottom ².

Can an editor's note be deleted later?

BOOM says its editor's notes are never removed ².

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@mediacorrections.org.

Sources

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.
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.
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.