US News Zone exists to give American readers verified news they can use. This Code of Ethics is the standard every member of our newsroom works under, and the standard readers can hold us to. It applies to all content we publish, in every format, under every byline.
1. Verify before we publish
Every news story must be checked against at least two reputable sources before publication. Claims we cannot verify do not run. Where reporting rests on a single source or on developing information, we say so in the story with cautious attribution, and we update as facts firm up. Statistics, quotations and figures are checked against original releases wherever they exist.
2. Be accurate, and correct the record in public
Accuracy outranks speed. When we err, we correct the story, note the correction visibly, and follow our published Corrections policy. We never silently rewrite a published story to hide an error, and we never delete a correction once made.
3. Write originally, attribute honestly
Our stories are written by our own desk in our own words. We do not copy, paraphrase-and-pass-off, or import wire, feed or other outlets’ copy as our own. Sources are credited in our internal records for every story, and inside published text we attribute cautiously and truthfully, without inventing quotes, experts or eyewitnesses. No person is ever presented as a source, author or expert who does not exist.
4. Use real images, labelled truthfully
Featured and in-story images must be real photographs or graphics used under a stated licence or public-domain status, downloaded and credited, never hotlinked without right, never generated to imitate real events, and never captioned to claim more than they show.
5. Independence from money and influence
Advertisers, sponsors, syndication clients and owners do not review, approve or suppress our journalism. Paid material is labelled and visually distinct. Staff do not accept gifts, payments or favors intended to influence coverage, and conflicts of interest must be declared to an editor and, where relevant, disclosed to readers.
6. Fairness and respect
People and organizations criticized in our reporting are given a fair opportunity to respond where practicable. We do not publish hate content, gratuitous detail, or the private information of private individuals. Crime and tragedy are reported without sensationalism, and victims are treated with dignity.
7. Health and science without hype
We report studies as they are: preliminary findings are called preliminary, associations are not dressed as causes, and no story promises cures, miracles or guaranteed outcomes. Medical information is context, never a prescription.
8. Protect sources, respect privacy
Confidential sources are protected. Agreements about anonymity are made before information is given and are honored afterward. We collect the minimum personal information our operations require and handle it under our Privacy Policy.
9. Accountability
Every story carries a real, accountable byline. Readers can reach the newsroom through our Contact page, challenge our reporting, and expect an answer grounded in evidence. Breaches of this code are reviewed by senior editors and may result in correction, withdrawal of content, or personnel action. This code is public so that our promise, and any failure against it, is visible to the people it was made for.
10. Social media and public conduct
Our journalists’ public conduct, including on social media, reflects on the newsroom. Staff publishing under or associated with US News Zone must not use public platforms to advocate for political candidates or causes we cover, to attack sources or subjects of coverage, or to disclose unpublished reporting, internal deliberations or confidential source material. Personal accounts that identify a staff member’s role here are treated as professional conduct for these purposes. Errors made by our accounts are corrected with the same visibility as errors made on this site.
11. Gifts, hospitality and outside work
Staff must not accept gifts, travel, hospitality, discounts or favors from sources, subjects of coverage, advertisers or public-relations representatives beyond token courtesies of nominal value that cannot reasonably be seen as influence. Paid outside work for organizations the newsroom covers is prohibited; other outside work requires prior editorial approval and must be disclosed where it could bear on coverage. Book, speaking and teaching engagements by staff must not trade on confidential newsroom information.
12. How this code is enforced and reviewed
This code is a working document of the newsroom, reviewed by its senior editors at least annually and whenever a failure teaches us something it does not yet say. Suspected breaches are raised with a desk editor, investigated on the facts, and answered proportionately, from coaching to correction to removal of content to personnel action. Readers who believe we have breached this code may write through our Contact page; such complaints are reviewed by an editor not responsible for the original story, and where a complaint is upheld, the remedy, correction, clarification, disclosure or apology, is made to readers, not only to the complainant.
