France 247 publishes reporting and analysis for readers who follow France closely. This page sets out the standards we hold ourselves to. It is written to be specific enough that a reader can hold us to it, and short enough that our own newsroom actually reads it.
Accuracy and sourcing
We publish what we can substantiate. Where an article rests on reporting first published elsewhere, we say so in the article and link to it, so a reader can go and read the original. We do not present another newsroom's work as our own, and we do not summarise a report in a way that removes the need to credit it.
Figures come from named sources. If a number is an estimate, we say whose estimate it is. We do not invent quotations, and we do not paraphrase a source in quotation marks.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we correct it openly and promptly rather than quietly editing the page. A substantive correction is noted on the article itself, with the date of the change and what changed. Typos and formatting fixes are made without a note. If you think something we published is wrong, tell us through our contact page and we will look at it.
Independence
Editorial décisions are made by editors. Commercial partners, advertisers and sponsors have no say in what we cover, how we cover it, or when we publish. No story is offered, withheld, altered or removed in exchange for advertising, access or payment.
Any content that is paid for, sponsored or produced in partnership with a third party is labelled as such, clearly, on the page itself. If a label is not there, nobody paid for it.
Conflicts of interest
Journalists disclose to their editor any financial holding, personal relationship or outside role that could reasonably be seen to affect their coverage, and do not write about companies in which they have a material interest. Where a conflict is relevant to a published article, it is disclosed in the article.
Separating reporting from opinion
News reporting and analysis carry the reporter's judgement about what matters and why. They do not carry endorsements. Opinion pieces are labelled and are the view of the named writer, not of the publication.
Images and attribution
We publish photographs we have the right to publish. Feature images are either supplied to us, licensed, or taken from freely licensed sources, and in every case the credit and the licence appear under the image. We do not reuse another outlet's photographs because they illustrate a story well.
Image captions describe the photograph that is actually on the page, not the story it sits beside. We do not use a picture of one person to illustrate a story about another, and we do not present an illustration or a generated image as a photograph of a real event.
Use of AI tools
AI tools may be used in support of our work, for example in research, translation between our English and French editions, and routine production tasks. They are not a substitute for reporting or for editorial judgement. A human editor is responsible for every article we publish, including its facts, and no article is published on the authority of a model alone.
Privacy and people in our reporting
We weigh the public interest in publishing against the harm publication may cause, particularly to people who are not public figures. We give people a fair opportunity to respond to significant criticism before we publish it.
Raising a concern
Complaints about our journalism, including about anything on this page, should go to the editorial desk through our contact page. We will respond. Requests to republish our work are handled through the same address.