Code of ethics
Subtopikal adopts the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics — seek truth and report it; minimize harm; act independently; be accountable and transparent.
In plain terms, Subtopikal answers three questions, in public:
- If we get a fact wrong, do we investigate and publish a correction? Yes. Confirmed errors are corrected visibly, never silently scrubbed, and material ones are logged on the public corrections log.
- Do we follow a code of ethics? Yes — the one on this page, applied to news and opinion alike.
- Do ethical violations have consequences? Yes. A byline is a promise; the person whose name is on a piece is accountable for it, up to and including correction, retraction, and — for a contributor — no longer being invited back.
What that means day to day
- News and opinion are separated visibly. The label above every headline tells you which you are reading. Opinion is a named human’s judgment and is never disguised as reporting.
- No anonymous content. Every piece names who wrote or reviewed it.
- Claims point at evidence. Sourcing is named. When evidence is thin, we say so rather than filling the gap.
- AI is a research tool, not an author. Nothing publishes unattended. Where AI assisted research on a news item, a disclosure on the piece says so. Opinion is written by people, full stop.
- Independence. No advertising, no undisclosed sponsors, no paid placement. See funding & independence.
A breach of this code is a breach of trust. Report one the same way you would report a factual error: contact the editors.