Learn how the BBC is working to strengthen trust and transparency in online news

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is deeply recognized as a trusted news provider by audiences in the UK and globally. Our website, along with our television and radio services, are dedicated to providing accurate, impartial, independent, and fair news reporting. We strive to achieve the highest professional standards in order to earn and maintain the public's trust.

Our editorial values emphasize that "the audience's trust in all our content is the cornerstone of everything we do. We adhere to independence, impartiality, and honesty. We are committed to achieving the highest standards of accuracy and impartiality, and strive to avoid intentionally or substantially misleading our audiences." At the heart of this trust relationship lies our commitment to impartiality; we will treat every subject with a fair attitude that reflects various viewpoints, and consider all relevant facts fairly with an open mind.

Research shows that the BBC is considered the most trusted and impartial news provider in the UK compared to other broadcasters, newspapers, and online websites. Nevertheless, we are keenly aware that identifying credible news on the internet can be confusing, and audiences also want to know more about how BBC News is produced. Therefore, BBC News is making greater efforts to explain the type of information you read or watch on our website, the source of the information, and how the story is produced, so that you can judge for yourself why BBC News is trustworthy.

We are also making these indicators of credible news "machine-readable," which means that search engines and social media platforms can access these indicators, thereby helping them to better identify reliable sources of information. These indicators include the following aspects: a mission statement, which is that the BBC's mission is to serve the public interest by providing impartial, high-quality, and distinctive output and services that inform, educate, and entertain all audiences. See the BBC Charter for details.

In addition, we also provide diversity staff reports; you can learn about how BBC News strives to improve diversity in the BBC's "Equality Information Report." Regarding corrections, the BBC is committed to achieving due accuracy. The policy on corrections can be found in our "Editorial Guidelines." Our output must be reliably sourced, based on sound evidence, thoroughly tested, and presented in clear, precise language. We should honestly state what we do not know and avoid unfounded speculation. Unverifiable claims, accusations, important facts, and other content should generally be attributed.

We openly acknowledge mistakes made and encourage a culture of willingness to learn from them. If an article is edited after publication to correct a significant error, a note will be added to the end of the text to indicate to readers that a modification or correction has been made and the date of the change. If there are minor errors in a story that do not change its editorial meaning (for example, a misspelling of a name), they will be corrected without adding an additional note. Unless content explicitly states that it is only available for a limited time, it is generally assumed that content published online will become part of a permanently accessible archive and will generally not be removed. Special circumstances may include legal reasons, personal safety risks, or serious violations of editorial standards that cannot be corrected unless the material is removed.

Other links: BBC News articles based on original reporting usually carry a byline (reporter's name), as do articles written by reporters with subject matter expertise. General news reports tend to combine information from various sources, including news agencies, BBC News gathering, and BBC broadcast output, or may be produced by multiple staff members in a single day and usually do not carry a byline. Many reporters' and editors' article bylines link to personal blog pages where you can find biographical information, professional expertise, and social media details.

Our output should, depending on its subject and nature, be reliably sourced, based on sound evidence, thoroughly tested, and presented in clear, precise language. We strive to be honest, to disclose what we do not know, and to avoid unfounded speculation. If BBC News relies on a single source to report on a key aspect, we will make every effort to identify that source. We will generally link to official reports, statistics, and other sources of information so that you can judge for yourself the underlying information we are reporting on. Where appropriate, we will also provide links to relevant third-party websites that provide additional information, source materials, or informed commentary.

For in-depth pieces, such as complex investigations or data journalism projects, we will help you understand how we did the work by showcasing the underlying data and disclosing any caveats, assumptions, or other methodological frameworks used - for example, research design; sample size; representativeness; margin of error; how the data was collected; geographical relevance; and time period.