Editorial Standards

Last reviewed 2026-09-01.

Passport News is a member of the Nexcom Media Network and adheres to these editorial standards in every article and editorial decision.

1. Accuracy

Every factual claim is verified against an attributable primary source before publication.
Statistics, dates, and quotes reflect what the cited source reported; we link to that source so readers can verify the original.
Headlines must accurately summarize the article body; sensational, misleading, or click-bait headlines are not permitted.
When facts are disputed or under investigation, we say so explicitly.

2. Attribution & sourcing

Every article links to and credits its original source publisher in the author + isBasedOn JSON-LD fields.
Anonymous sources are used only when (a) the information is in the public interest, (b) cannot be obtained on the record, and (c) is verified through additional channels.
Government documents, court filings, and primary records are cited with permalinks where available.
We do not publish unsubstantiated rumors or unattributed claims.

3. Independence

Passport News accepts no payment for favorable coverage, sponsored content disguised as news, or pay-for-play.
Display advertising (Google AdSense and partner networks) is clearly labeled as advertising.
No advertiser, sponsor, or donor influences editorial decisions.

4. Diversity & inclusion

We aim for source diversity in every story — across race, gender, geography, profession, and viewpoint.
Editorial decisions about which stories to cover are made independently of advertisers, political affiliation, or social pressure.
We invite tips and contributions from underrepresented communities at editor@nexcom.media.

5. Corrections & updates

See our full corrections policy. In summary: we correct confirmed errors within 24 hours, include a dated correction notice on the affected article, and document every correction in a public log.

6. AI use & disclosure

AI tools (large language models) may be used for summarization, transcription, headline drafting, and metadata generation.
AI-generated content is reviewed by a human editor before publication.
AI is not used to fabricate quotes, sources, statistics, or events.
Articles where AI was a substantive collaborator on the prose are labeled "Written with AI assistance."

7. Plagiarism & paraphrasing

Direct copying without attribution is grounds for retraction and editor dismissal.
Paraphrased material is rewritten substantially and the original source is cited.
Article excerpts from other outlets are limited to the minimum necessary for context (fair use) with a link to the canonical article.

8. Privacy & sensitive subjects

Victims of crimes are not named without consent unless legally required or already publicly identified.
Names of minors are withheld in juvenile-justice contexts and most sensitive personal stories.
Medical, financial, and immigration information is not published without subject consent or strong public-interest justification.

9. Conflicts of interest

Editorial staff disclose any personal, financial, or political conflicts before reporting on a topic.
Where a conflict cannot be avoided, it is disclosed in the article footer.
Editors recuse themselves from stories involving family, business partners, or financial holdings.

10. Accessibility

All articles are published with semantic HTML, alt text on images, and a JSON Feed at /feed.json. We do not paywall, do not require login, and license excerpts under CC BY 4.0.