Corrections Policy — AfricaTells

Our Commitment

Accuracy Is Not Negotiable

AfricaTells holds itself to the highest standards of factual accuracy. Despite rigorous verification processes, errors can occur. When they do, we address them with the same seriousness we apply to the original reporting.

This policy sets out exactly how AfricaTells handles corrections, updates, and retractions — and what our readers, sources, and subjects can expect from us when something goes wrong.

Our Principle: AfricaTells will never silently correct a substantive error. Every meaningful correction is acknowledged, documented, and visible to our readers.

Section 1

Types of Corrections

AfricaTells distinguishes between three categories of corrections, each handled according to its severity and impact on readers.

Category A

Minor Corrections

Typographical errors, grammatical corrections, formatting issues, or minor stylistic changes that do not affect the factual accuracy or meaning of a story. These may be updated silently.

Category B

Substantive Corrections

Factual inaccuracies involving names, titles, dates, figures, quotations, or context that materially affect the accuracy or meaning of a story. These require a visible correction note.

Category C

Retractions

Cases where a published story contains major misinformation, a false premise, or content that cannot be corrected with an amendment and must be removed or replaced in full.

Section 2

How We Issue Corrections

Minor Corrections (Category A)

Minor errors — including typos, grammatical mistakes, formatting issues, and non-substantive stylistic changes — may be corrected silently without a formal correction note, provided they do not affect the factual content or meaning of the story.

Substantive Corrections (Category B)

When a substantive error is identified and verified, AfricaTells will:

Correct the error in the body of the article as quickly as practicable
Append a clearly formatted correction note at the top or bottom of the article stating what was corrected and when
Never alter the original text without indicating that a correction has been made

Example Correction Note Format

Correction, [Date]: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated [original error]. The article has been updated to reflect that [corrected information]. AfricaTells regrets the error.

Retractions (Category C)

In cases where a story contains major misinformation or a fundamentally false premise that cannot be corrected through amendment, AfricaTells may retract the article. A retracted article will:

Be replaced with a clearly labelled retraction notice explaining what was published, why it was retracted, and what the correct information is
Remain accessible at its original URL with the retraction notice, unless there is a compelling legal or ethical reason for complete removal
Be acknowledged in a separate editorial note where the error is significant enough to warrant public accountability

Section 3

The Corrections Process

When an error is identified — whether by a reader, a source, a subject, or our own editorial team — we follow a consistent process.

1

Error Identified

A correction request is received by our editorial team via the contact form at africatells.com/contact or by email. The request is logged and assigned for review.

2

Editorial Review

The editor responsible for the story reviews the claimed error against the original sourcing, notes, and reporting. We verify independently before making any change.

3

Classification

The error is classified as minor, substantive, or requiring retraction based on its nature and impact on the accuracy and integrity of the published story.

4

Correction Issued

The appropriate correction is made to the published article. Substantive corrections include a timestamped correction note. The correction requester is notified where contact details are available.

5

Internal Review

Substantive corrections and retractions are reviewed internally to understand how the error occurred and what process improvements are needed to prevent recurrence.

Section 4

What AfricaTells Will Not Do

Our corrections policy is also defined by what we refuse to do:

We will not silently alter substantive errors — changing the factual content of a story without a correction note is dishonest and a breach of reader trust
We will not remove stories to avoid accountability — retractions are handled transparently at the original URL, not through quiet deletion
We will not issue corrections under commercial or political pressure — correction decisions are made solely on the basis of accuracy and editorial integrity
We will not refuse to engage with legitimate correction requests — every claim of error will be reviewed in good faith

Section 5

How to Submit a Correction Request

If you believe AfricaTells has published inaccurate information, we want to know. Readers, sources, and subjects of our reporting are encouraged to contact us directly.

When submitting a correction request, please include:

The URL or title of the article in question
A clear description of the claimed error
The correct information, along with any supporting documentation or source references you can provide
Your contact details so we can follow up if needed

Submit a Correction Request:
Website: www.africatells.com/contact
Email: editorial@africatells.com

We aim to acknowledge all correction requests within 2 business days and to resolve substantive corrections within 5 business days of verification.

Section 6

Right of Reply

AfricaTells is committed to fair reporting. Individuals and organisations who are the subject of critical reporting are given a reasonable opportunity to respond before publication. Where a right of reply was not offered before publication and the subject believes they were treated unfairly, they may contact us to request that their response be appended to the original story as a clearly labelled addition.

Right of reply requests are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief. Where a response is appended, it will be clearly attributed and formatted as a response, not altered to change the editorial meaning of the original article.