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Corrections & Updates Policy

Corrections & Updates Policy – Tips Clear
Last updated: 17 May 2025

1. Why a Stand-Alone Corrections Page?

Although our Fact-Checking Policy details the verification workflow, Google News and leading journalism bodies (IFCN, Trust Project) recommend a dedicated URL that explains—plainly and publicly—how we correct mistakes. This page fulfils that requirement and provides a single destination you can reference from article footers, RSS feeds, and your XML news:genres tags.

2. Our Guiding Principles

  1. Transparency – We own our errors publicly, without burying or quietly overwriting them.

  2. Speed – We fix factual errors as soon as they’re verified, aiming for within 24 hours.

  3. Traceability – Readers can see what changed, when, and why in the article’s change log.

  4. Proportionality – The prominence of the correction matches the significance of the error (headline vs. caption vs. nuance).

3. Definitions

Term Meaning
Correction A substantive change that fixes a factual inaccuracy (dates, numbers, names, quotes, conclusions, legal claims).
Clarification Adds context or nuance when the original wording could be misinterpreted but is not factually wrong.
Update Adds new, correct information that has emerged since publication.
Retraction Removes the story entirely when major, unfixable flaws invalidate the core premise.

4. How We Handle Errors

Step Action Who Signs Off
4.1 Report logged Error report enters our Corrections Tracker (Jira board). Reporter (reader, editor, subject) gets automated acknowledgement. Audience Desk
4.2 Fact-check Original sources re-verified; additional independent sources sought. Fact-Checking Desk
4.3 Decision & fix Choose Correction, Clarification, Update, or Retraction. Edit the article, noting the change in the “Corrections” field of the CMS (Poplar). Section Editor + Managing Editor
4.4 Disclosure Insert a Correction Banner directly under the headline (for major errors) or at story end (minor). Example template:

“Correction (17 May 2025, 14:32 IST): An earlier version misstated the IPO price as ₹280. The correct figure is ₹208.” | Copy Desk |
| 4.5 Syndication push | Update sitemaps, regenerate AMP pages, ping Google Indexing API, and send corrected XML to Apple News, Flipboard, and RSS. | Tech Ops |
| 4.6 Archive log | Permanent entry created at /corrections-log/YYYY (public CSV) with article URL, summary, and timestamp. | Data Team |

5. Version History Feature

Every article footer contains a “View Revision History” link. Clicking reveals:

  • datePublished, dateModified (ISO 8601)

  • List of all edits since first publish, including changelog messages

  • SHA-256 hash of each content version for tamper evidence

This ensures long-term integrity and meets Google’s “Transparency metadata” recommendations.

6. How to Request a Correction

  1. On-page form – Click the “Report an error” button (bottom of every article).

  2. Email – Write to corrections@tipsclear.com with the URL, exact passage, and evidence.

  3. Phone/Signal – Urgent matters: +91-44-4000-1234 (IST, weekdays 10 am–6 pm).

We respond within one business day confirming receipt and expected resolution timeframe.

7. Retractions

A full retraction occurs when:

  • Core facts cannot be verified or are demonstrably false.

  • The article relies on fabricated quotes or data.

  • Legal or ethical violations compromise the piece’s legitimacy.

Retracted stories are replaced with a notice page that preserves the original slug for citation continuity but removes the content. The notice states the reason for retraction and links to this policy.

8. Social & Syndication Channels

If a corrected or retracted story was promoted on social media or via newsletters, we:

  1. Delete or edit the original post where platform rules allow.

  2. Publish a follow-up indicating the correction.

  3. Push a “Correction” label through Google News news:genres tag and CorrectionNotice structured data.

9. Annual Transparency Report

Every January we publish:

  • Total number of corrections, by section and severity.

  • Median correction response time.

  • Process improvements planned for the upcoming year.

10. Contact

For any questions about this policy or its implementation, email publiceditor@tipsclear.com or write to:

Public Editor – Tips Clear Media LLP
22 Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Thoraipakkam, Chennai 600097, India

By codifying this Corrections & Updates Policy, Tips Clear reinforces its commitment to accuracy, accountability, and the open dialogue that powers credible journalism.