Independence

Our editors decide what we cover and how. Advertisers and the people and companies we write about do not get to approve, review or change articles before publication, and we do not accept payment to publish, alter or remove editorial coverage. We write for readers, not for the companies in our stories.

Sourcing standard

Every article lists at least two sources, each linked so you can check it yourself. Our publishing system will not publish an article with fewer.

We go to primary sources first: official statistics releases, central bank statements, court and regulatory documents, company filings and results, published research and our own interviews. Other news reports are used for context and are credited whenever we rely on them.

  • Figures are dated, so you know when they were true.
  • Forecasts and estimates are attributed to whoever made them.
  • When a claim comes only from an interested party, such as a company announcing its own results or funding, we say so.
  • We use anonymous sources only when there is no other way to report important information. An editor must know who the source is, and the article explains why anonymity was granted.

Fact-checking

Before an article is published, it is checked in these steps:

  1. Every figure, date, name and job title is checked against its source.
  2. Every quote is checked against a recording, notes or a written statement.
  3. Each source link is opened to confirm it works and says what we say it says.
  4. The headline, summary and key takeaways are compared with the article, so none of them overstates it.
  5. Images, captions and credits are checked for accuracy and permission to use.

Every article shows its fact-check status. “Fact checked” means a second person, not the author, has completed these checks. “Not yet fact checked” means the author has checked the article but an independent check has not been done yet.

Before we publish: our checklist

No article is published until every item on this list is true.

  • The author is a real, verified person, named in the byline.
  • At least two sources are listed and linked, with primary sources first.
  • Every figure, date, name and job title has been checked against its source.
  • Every quote has been checked against a recording, notes or a written statement.
  • Forecasts, estimates and claims made by interested parties are attributed to whoever made them.
  • The headline, summary and key takeaways say no more than the article itself supports.
  • Images are our own or properly licensed, credited, and have descriptive alt text.
  • Any conflict of interest has been disclosed, or the story has been given to someone else.
  • The fact-check status shown on the article is accurate.

How we verify authors and quotes

Authors. Every article is published under the name of the real person who wrote it and is responsible for it. Before a byline appears, we confirm the author’s identity, role and relevant background. Each author has a profile page listing everything they have written for us; you can see them all on our team page.

Quotes. We only quote people from interviews, statements or public records we can verify. We never invent quotes, combine several people into one, or use AI to generate them. Quotes translated from another language are marked as translations. If a quote turns out to be wrong or misattributed, we correct it openly. How we do and do not use AI tools is set out in our AI use policy.

Advertising pays for Presstime24, and it is kept apart from our journalism:

  • Advertisements are labelled “Advertisement” and sit in separate, clearly marked slots.
  • Advertisers have no say in what we cover or what our articles say.
  • We do not sell articles, reviews or links, and every article on the site is our own editorial work.
  • If we ever publish paid content, it will carry a visible “Sponsored” label and a line naming who paid for it, and its links will be marked as paid so search engines can tell.

Conflicts of interest

Authors must tell an editor about any financial interest, job, advisory role, close personal relationship or other connection to a company or person they are writing about. If the conflict is significant, the story goes to someone else. If a relevant connection remains, we disclose it in the article. Authors do not trade shares or other securities of companies they are covering around the time they write about them.

Updates and corrections

  • When we change an article in a way that matters to readers, such as correcting a fact or adding significant new information, it shows an “Updated” date and a note in the article explains what changed.
  • Small fixes that do not change the meaning, such as typos or formatting, do not trigger an “Updated” date.
  • We never change an article’s publication date to make an old story look new.
  • We do not quietly delete articles to hide mistakes; errors are corrected in the open.

Our corrections policy explains how to report an error and how we handle it.

Who to contact

To report an error, raise a concern about our coverage or disclose a conflict of interest, email ayaankst@gmail.com. More options are on our contact page.