Editorial standards

Every Truth is an account of something that happened, held with a record. Dates, times, reference numbers, screenshots and transcripts are kept on file before a piece is published and retained afterwards, securely and only for as long as they are needed.

Facts and opinion are kept apart in the writing. Where a piece draws a conclusion, the evidence it rests on is set out alongside it, so the reasoning can be judged.

Truths name organisations. Individual members of staff are not named, pictured or identified, and neither are their direct contact details. Where a role matters, a job title is used. The subject is the system, not the person answering for it.

Personal details in documents and screenshots are redacted before publication unless they are essential to the account and there is a clear basis for showing them.

Where an organisation is named, it is contacted before publication wherever that is practicable and given a reasonable time to respond, normally ten working days. Any response is published with the piece or summarised fairly within it. A response that arrives later is added.

Sponsorship and partnership do not buy influence over what is published. No organisation that is a current client of DeafMetrix Ltd is named in a Truth, and this publication is not a route to sell consultancy.

Nothing published so far has been paid for. If a piece is ever paid for and its content is controlled or approved by the payer, it will be labelled prominently "Advertisement" or "Advertisement feature" at the top, not only with a vague word such as "partner" or "sponsored". Where an organisation funds a piece but has no control over its content, that funding is stated plainly in the piece.

A correction fixes something that was wrong. An update adds something new, such as a later response. Both are dated and noted at the foot of the piece. Pieces are not quietly deleted or rewritten. The process is set out on the complaints and corrections page.

Accounts from readers are welcome at hello@deafmetrix.com. The share an experience page has short optional prompts and a one-click request for British Sign Language arrangements. A first message only needs a short general outline and contact preference. Medical records, detailed health information, evidence, recordings and third-party names should be left out. Appropriate privacy and consent arrangements and safe sharing come before details.

• Not every submission can be published, and a submission may be declined without detailed reasons.
• Contributors keep copyright in their own words. Permission to publish, edit for length and clarity, and the use of a name or not, are agreed in writing before publication.
• Anonymity is discussed and agreed case by case. It cannot be guaranteed automatically, because some details can identify a person even without a name.
• A contributor can withdraw before publication. A request to withdraw after publication is considered seriously and in good faith.
• Contact is not newsletter consent, publication consent or a copyright transfer. Sensitive material needs an Article 6 basis and, where applicable, an Article 9 condition before further handling, separately from any journalism exemption.
• Nothing is published from anyone under eighteen. No date of birth or proof of deafness is asked for.
• A trusted person can help someone make contact, with that person's permission. Permission to publish comes from the contributor directly.
• Sending an experience is editorial correspondence. It is not legal advice, does not make a formal complaint to the organisation involved, and does not stop any legal time limit.
• No payment is made unless agreed in writing beforehand.