Correction policies
Silent edits and update transparency rules
Short answer
- Washington Post
- No update note needed for routine changes, notice needed for significant mistakes 1
- Snopes
- Minor revisions not noted 2
- BOOM
- Short note even for minor errors 5
- Press Council of South Africa guidance
- All factual errors corrected with a dated note 3
- AP, archived 2009 statement
- Live online stories overwritten 6
What counts as a silent edit
Online stories change after publication. The Washington Post says its pieces evolve as they are sharpened and improved, and that readers see a time stamp that signals a developing story 1. A silent edit is any change made without a note. The question in each policy is which changes need one.
Policies that allow unmarked changes
The Washington Post says it is unnecessary to put notes on stories stating that a story has been updated, except where there is a particular reason to note new information or another change. It says a correction, clarification or editor's note is necessary whenever it corrects a significant mistake 1.
Snopes notes substantive changes, such as a rating change or a corrected supporting fact, in an Update box. Corrections of typographical errors, misspellings or other minor revisions its editors do not judge substantive are not noted 2.
The AP statement of news values, archived in January 2009, said that for corrections on live online stories AP overwrites the previous version. It sent separate corrective stories as warranted 6.
Policies that flag every fix
BOOM fixes minor errors such as a spelling mistake or wrong date and adds a short note at the bottom saying what changed. Its editor's notes are never removed 5.
The Press Council of South Africa guidance says factual errors, minor or otherwise, must be corrected in all online versions of an article. The note must be clearly labelled as a correction with the amendment date. The guidance is non-binding 3.
Codes and standards
The SPJ Code asks journalists to acknowledge mistakes, correct them promptly and prominently, and explain corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly 7. The IFCN code asks fact-checkers to correct clearly and transparently, seeking as far as possible that users of the original see the correction and the corrected version 8.
Schema.org defines a correction property that a page can use to mark a correction to a creative work, either through a CorrectionComment, as text or in another document 9.
Version control in journals
ICMJE asks journals to post a new version of a corrected article that describes the changes and the dates they were made. All prior versions should be kept, either directly accessible or available on request, and earlier versions should note that newer ones exist 4.
For papers published more than about 10 years ago, ICMJE says an editor may reasonably decide a correction is not warranted 4.
| Source | Minor fixes | Significant fixes |
|---|---|---|
| The Washington Post | No note needed 1 | Correction, clarification or editor's note 1 |
| Snopes | Not noted 2 | Update box 2 |
| BOOM | Short note at the bottom 5 | Full explanation 5 |
| South Africa guidance | Labelled, dated note 3 | Notice at the top of the article 3 |
| ICMJE | Correction for pervasive coding errors that leave main results unchanged 4 | New version with change dates 4 |
Common questions
Is it allowed to fix a typo without a note?
Some outlets do. Snopes does not note typographical errors 2. BOOM adds a short note even for minor errors 5.
Do outlets delete stories on request?
The Washington Post says it does not grant take-down requests as a matter of policy 1.
How do journals record changes?
ICMJE asks for a new version that describes changes and dates, with prior versions kept 4.
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
- The Washington Post: Policies and Standards, Corrections policy (company statement)
- Snopes: Transparency: Corrections Policy (company statement)
- Press Council of South Africa: Guidance note on publication of apologies and corrections (25 January 2021)
- ICMJE: Recommendations, Corrections and Version Control
- BOOM: Boomlive Corrections Policy (company statement)
- The Associated Press: Statement of News Values and Principles (archived copy, UNT Web Archive, captured 15 January 2009)
- Society of Professional Journalists: SPJ Code of Ethics
- International Fact-Checking Network: The commitments of the Code of Principles
- Schema.org: correction
Related
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.