WSentinel Editorial Standards

Our commitment

WSentinel exists to report Delta State, the Niger Delta and Nigeria with clarity, care and independence. Our readers rely on us for the facts and the context behind them. This page sets out the standards we hold ourselves to.

We publish this document publicly because journalism only earns trust when its rules are visible. If our work falls short of these standards, we want you to tell us so we can put it right.

1. Accuracy

Accuracy is the first duty of journalism. We commit to:

• Verify facts before we publish. Where an important fact cannot be verified in time, we say so plainly in the story rather than paper over it.
• Attribute information to its source, whether that is a document, an interview, a public record or an official statement, so readers can judge its weight for themselves.
• Distinguish clearly between what we know, what we have been told, and what we are still working to confirm.
• Correct errors promptly, transparently, and in a form readers can actually see. See Section 10 for our corrections process.
• Not use single-source reporting for consequential claims about identifiable people or institutions, except where the source is a document, an on-the-record official statement, or (in rare cases) a source whose knowledge we have independently reasoned to be reliable and whose identity we can vouch for internally.

We accept that we will make mistakes. What matters is how quickly and honestly we correct them.

2. Fairness and the right of reply

Anyone criticised in our reporting has the right to respond before we publish.

• Where a story makes a specific accusation against an identifiable person, organisation, agency or company, we contact them for comment and give them a reasonable window to respond.
• Where a response is not received within the deadline, we state that plainly ("Mr X did not respond to a request for comment sent on Tuesday morning") rather than omit the fact of the outreach.
• Where a response is received after publication and materially changes the picture, we update the story and flag the update.
• We do not publish anonymous attacks on identifiable people. Every substantive accusation is either on the record or supported by evidence we have seen.
• We aim to represent the perspectives of the communities we cover, particularly those historically under-covered by national media.

3. Independence

Our journalism is independent of commercial, political and personal interests.

• No advertiser, sponsor, or commercial partner has any influence over our editorial coverage. Editorial decisions are made by the newsroom, not by the commercial team.
• We do not publish "advertorial", "sponsored content" or "brand content" without labelling it clearly as such. Where such content ever appears on the Site, it will be visually distinct and unambiguously labelled.
• Our Media Services division, which produces commercial video and coverage on commission, operates separately from our newsroom. Media Services work is never presented as WSentinel journalism, and Media Services clients receive no favourable editorial treatment.
• Members of our newsroom do not take payment, gifts of significant value, hospitality, travel, or other benefits from people or organisations they cover, except where those benefits are ordinary press access (for example, a working press pass at a public event).

4. Sources and their protection

Sources are the lifeblood of accountability journalism, and their trust is something we do not spend lightly.

• We prefer named, on-the-record sources. Anonymity is granted only where a source faces a credible risk of retaliation, professional harm, or reprisal, and where the information they provide is important enough to justify the protection.
• When we grant anonymity, we require sufficient identifying information internally to know who the source is, what their access is, and why they are speaking. We do not publish claims from sources we cannot vouch for.
• We describe anonymous sources to readers as specifically as we can without identifying them ("a senior official at the Ministry of..."; "a person present at the meeting"; "a police officer familiar with the investigation").
• We do not disclose the identity of a confidential source to any third party, including law enforcement, without the source's explicit consent, or where a court order compels us and all legal remedies have been exhausted.
• We handle source communications with reasonable care. Sensitive tips can be sent through our forthcoming secure tips form, or through the channels published on the Site.
• We do not pay for interviews or for information, except in the narrow case of legitimate freelance commissions where a contributor is compensated for original reporting.

5. Privacy, dignity and vulnerable people

Public interest journalism sometimes requires intruding on privacy. We do so only when the intrusion is proportionate to the public benefit.

• We do not identify children in stories where identification could cause them harm, except in the rare case where identification is essential to the public interest and, where possible, we have the informed consent of a parent or guardian.
• We take particular care with survivors of sexual violence, families in acute grief, people in mental health crisis, and people accused (but not convicted) of crimes. We do not name victims of sexual offences.
• We consider the safety of people who appear in our stories. Where publication could put someone at physical risk, we consider what we can withhold or how we can obscure identifying details.
• Photographs and videos of the dead, injured or bereaved are used only where they add materially to public understanding, and with respect for the dignity of those depicted.
• We do not doorstep, harass, or repeatedly approach ordinary citizens who have said clearly that they do not wish to speak. Public officials in the exercise of their duties are held to a different standard.

6. Reporting on Delta State, the Niger Delta and traditional authorities

Our coverage area comes with responsibilities specific to it.

• We take care with reporting that touches ethnicity, religion or community identity, which are combustible topics in our region and elsewhere in Nigeria. We do not lead with, or amplify, ethnic or religious labels except where they are directly and clearly relevant.
• We do not glamorise, romanticise, or platform violent actors, whether they are militant groups, cult groups, or state security forces acting outside the law. Coverage of such actors is analytical, contextual and grounded in evidence.
• We cover the Warri Kingdom, the Olu of Warri, the Itsekiri, Urhobo, Ijaw, Isoko and other traditional and community institutions with respect for their history and standing. Respect does not mean deference. Where these institutions are the subject of legitimate public scrutiny, we report accordingly.
• We treat oil host communities, protests and community grievances with the reporting seriousness we would apply to any comparable story of public consequence. We do not treat community stories as background colour.

7. Distinguishing news, analysis and opinion

Readers deserve to know what kind of writing they are reading.

• News reports aim to describe what happened, with attribution and verification. They keep the author's voice out of the copy.
• Analysis interprets news for readers, drawing on context and expertise. Analysis pieces are labelled and typically bylined by a named journalist.
• Opinion columns carry the personal views of the columnist. Columnists are named, their role is disclosed, and their views do not represent WSentinel's editorial position.
• Editorials carry the institutional voice of WSentinel Media. They are attributed to "The Editorial Board" and represent the position of the publication.
• Features and long-form reporting may take a more narrative approach but are held to the same accuracy and fairness standards as news reports.

Sponsored content, if ever published, is separately and unambiguously labelled and does not carry a WSentinel journalist's byline.

8. Photography, video and archive material

The same standards of accuracy apply to visual journalism.

• Photographs and video from our own reporting are used unaltered, except for standard corrections (colour, brightness, cropping) that do not change what the image shows.
• We do not stage, re-enact or manipulate images to change the meaning of what they depict.
• Photographs and video from third-party sources are credited to the source. Where we cannot independently verify the origin or authenticity of user-submitted material, we say so.
• Archive photographs used to illustrate current stories are labelled as such where their date could matter to readers' understanding.
• We are alert to AI-generated and manipulated imagery in the material we receive, and we do not knowingly publish such material as authentic. If we do publish AI-generated imagery for illustrative purposes, it is labelled clearly.

9. Use of artificial intelligence

We consider the honest use of tools, including AI, part of modern newsroom work. We hold ourselves to the following standards:

• No article on WSentinel is written wholesale by AI without a human journalist responsible for its accuracy, framing and publication. Every published article has a human editor accountable for it.
• We may use AI tools for research assistance, transcription, background analysis, translation, summarisation and similar support tasks. We verify the outputs of these tools before we rely on them, because AI systems can be confidently wrong.
• We disclose in the story where AI has been used to generate or substantially alter published imagery, audio or video, or where AI has otherwise played a role that a reader would reasonably want to know about.

10. Corrections, clarifications and updates

Getting corrections right is a test of newsroom integrity. Our process:

• If you believe something we have published is inaccurate, misleading or unfair, contact us at legal@wsentinel.com with the article link and a clear statement of what you believe is wrong.
• We aim to respond to correction requests within three business days.
• Where we agree that an error has been made, we correct the article, add a dated correction note at the foot of the story, and, for material errors, indicate the correction near the top of the story so readers who saw the wrong version see the fix.
• We do not silently edit stories to correct substantive errors. Corrections are visible.
• Where a story is retracted (withdrawn in its entirety), we replace the article with a retraction notice explaining the withdrawal.
• Minor edits (typographical, formatting) may be made without a correction note. Substantive edits are always noted.

11. Complaints and accountability

We welcome complaints, in the practical sense that we would rather hear from readers than not.

• Reader complaints can be sent to legal@wsentinel.com, with the subject line clearly indicating the article and the concern.
• Complaints are reviewed by the editorial team. Where a complaint cannot be resolved at that level, or raises concerns about a member of the editorial team themselves, it is escalated to the Editorial Board.
• We respond to complaints in writing within a reasonable timeframe, typically within seven business days, indicating the outcome and any action taken.
• Where we cannot agree with a complainant, we say so plainly and explain why.
• Nothing in this complaints process affects your right to seek remedy through other channels, including the courts.

12. Plagiarism and fabrication

Plagiarism and fabrication are the two conduct failings for which there is no ambiguity in our newsroom.

• Plagiarism, presenting another writer's or publication's work as our own, is grounds for retraction of the offending piece and, for staff, disciplinary action up to and including termination.
• Fabrication of quotes, sources, events or evidence is treated identically.
• We attribute other publications' original reporting when we build on it ("First reported by Premium Times..."; "As Reuters revealed last week..."), even where our story adds significant new material.

13. Personal conduct and conflicts of interest

WSentinel journalists are private citizens who hold their own political views and personal opinions. We do not require them to hide those views. What we do ask is that they use judgment about the public expression of views on stories they are actively covering, and that they be transparent with the editorial team about connections that could affect readers' trust.

Where a journalist has a personal, professional, financial or political connection that could reasonably affect a reader's trust in a story they are working on, that connection is disclosed to the editorial team. Depending on the situation, we may:

• Note the connection in the story itself, so readers can weigh it for themselves
• Reassign the story to another journalist
• Ask the journalist to step back from that specific area of coverage while the connection lasts

Our aim is transparency and readers' trust, not the pretence that journalists have no views.

14. Contact the editors

For editorial matters (story tips, complaints, corrections, right-of-reply requests, and press inquiries):

Editorial Team

Email: legal@wsentinel.com

Phone / WhatsApp: +234 705 656 4603

For questions about these standards, contact us at legal@wsentinel.com.