West Midlands News Editorial Standards Policy
[Updated January 2026]
The West Midlands News strapline is ‘Countering clickbait and negativity with trusted news, views and interviews.’ We are committed to editorial independence, factual accuracy, clear attribution and respect for copyright.
West Midlands News is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), which regulates the UK’s print an d digital news industry. As such we strive to ensure accuracy and fairness in all our content, in line with the principles and ethical requirements outlined in the IPSO Editor’s Code of Practice: https://www.ipso.co.uk/editors-code-of-practice/.
Training and expectations of staff
All editorial staff at WM News receive appropriate training to ensure compliance with the IPSO Editor’s Code of Practice. They are required to work within the letter and the spirit of these guidelines at all times.
How we source our stories
Ideas for our content come from a wide range of sources, including press releases from businesses and public bodies, contacts across our wider network, freelance contributors, scheduled and breaking news events, court proceedings, digital and social media, academic and scientific publications and ‘viewpoint’ commentaries on the daily news agenda.
Content creation
Our writers research who and what they are writing about through proactive enquiries, existing subject matter expertise and checking facts with multiple sources.
To meet editorial standards, content is assessed for accuracy, quality and compliance. Reporters, columnists and editors take all reasonable steps to verify sources and information.
Copyright and licensing checks are made, while legally sensitive material undergoes scrutiny and external legal advice is obtained when required.
Imagery / visual content
Our editorial team selects and edits images and video, producing graphics where appropriate. All visuals are reviewed for quality, accuracy and copyright compliance. Picture captions are written clearly to identify people, places, circumstances and image ownership criteria.
Right of reply, fairness and balance
In stories where one party is criticising another, for example on stories of a political nature, we will always ask the target of that criticism to provide a response within a reasonable time frame.
If responses are not provided within a reasonable time frame, we will include a line saying ‘XXX has been approached for comment’ in the content we publish.
When we do get the response, we will publish a date-stamped ‘update’ note at the top of the page to point readers to the other side’s view. Our aim is always fairness and balance.
Approvals process
An editor and, when required, senior executives grant final approval before publication. Content that does not meet the required standards is amended or deleted.
Publication and distribution
Approved material is published on the www.westmidlands.news website and/or in our mail shot news bulletins and amplified on our social media channels.
Independence
Opinion versus news
We publish opinion and analysis. These pieces are clearly marked with ‘viewpoint’ tags. Where our columnists write about financial markets, we add specific disclaimers making clear that this content is strictly the view of that writer and should in no way been seen as independent financial advice. By contrast, our news pieces will strive to be factual, accurate and balanced.
AI and automation
We may use AI tools to assist with research, formatting or image-creation, but editorial responsibility remains with our journalists and editors. Any use of AI will be subject to human review and must not reduce accuracy or obscure sourcing. In instances where we use AI-generated imagery, we will say so.
Community, privacy and harm
We carefully consider the potential for harm, especially to vulnerable people, children, victims of crime and those in distress, when publishing our content. We are mindful of these sensitivities and, as such, adhere to editorial guidelines issued by IPSO as well as advice from organisations such as the Samaritans, Mind and Lifeline.
Corrections and complaints
For our corrections and clarifications policy, visit https://westmidlands.news/corrections-complaints/
Dispute resolution
West Midlands News is a member of IPSO – https://www.ipso.co.uk/ – and, as such, adheres to its guidelines. In addition, West Midlands News has voluntarily signed up for IPSO’s Arbitration Scheme – https://www.ipso.co.uk/home/arbitration/ – a low-cost alternative for resolving disputes that avoids having to go through the courts.