Ethics & Standards Charter

The Providence News aims to keep its editorial decisions independent of its commercial operations. No advertiser, investor, government body, or donor may direct, withhold, or alter editorial coverage in exchange for financial consideration of any kind.

Journalists are expected to report free from interference by any commercial function of the company. Attempts to interfere with reporting are treated as a serious breach of this charter.

The Editor-in-Chief has final authority over editorial decisions.

Our standard is to corroborate factual claims with more than one source wherever possible. Where a claim rests on a single source, we say so in the article.

Anonymous sources are used only when the information is of clear public interest, the source would face genuine risk of harm if identified, and the information cannot be obtained through any attributable channel. Editors should know the identity of an anonymous source before publication.

Artificial intelligence tools may be used to assist with research, translation, or transcription. AI is not a substitute for original reporting, interviews, or verification of factual claims.

Journalists at The Providence News are expected to disclose any financial, personal, or political interest that could reasonably be perceived to influence their coverage of a story. Upon disclosure, editors determine whether recusal is required.

Our journalists should not accept gifts, hospitality, or travel of material value from sources, subjects of coverage, or organisations with an interest in our reporting.

Staff should avoid political activity, including donating to campaigns, standing for public office, or publicly endorsing candidates, in areas they are assigned to cover.

The Providence News corrects errors promptly, prominently, and transparently. We do not delete articles or alter published content without disclosure. All corrections are appended to the original article with a timestamp and a clear description of what was wrong and what the correct information is.

Significant factual errors that affect the substance of a story may result in a retraction, accompanied by a separate article explaining the original error and the editorial process failure that allowed it to be published.

We maintain a public Corrections Log listing corrections, clarifications and retractions made to published articles. It is available at theprovidencenews.com/corrections.

Where practical, we offer individuals and organisations that are the subject of critical coverage a right of reply before publication, and allow a reasonable window to respond.

Substantive responses to our journalism are published fairly, either integrated into the original article or as a clearly labelled addendum.

Where a subject declines to comment or does not respond within the given window, this is stated explicitly in the published article.

We apply a documented public-interest test before publishing any information relating to private individuals that was obtained without their knowledge or consent. Factors considered include: the significance of the information to legitimate public debate, whether less intrusive means of obtaining the information were available, and the potential harm to the individual from publication.

We do not publish the names, images, or identifying details of children under the age of 18 without parental or guardian consent, except in cases of overriding public interest approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

We aim for sensitivity in reporting on victims of crime, trauma, and disaster.

Readers, sources, and subjects of coverage may submit a complaint about any The Providence News article by emailing tpngreat001@gmail.com, marked for the attention of the Editor-in-Chief. We aim to acknowledge complaints promptly and to respond in writing.

Where a complaint shows that we made an error, we will publish a correction as described above.