NEWSROOM POLICYAccuracy
We verify a claim before we publish it. Where a fact is contested, we say so and attribute both positions rather than picking the more convenient one. Statistics come from official league sources or established statistical databases, and we name which. Figures converted between currencies are marked with the rate and the date used.
Where we are speculating, such as about a trade, a hire or a contract, we label it as speculation. We do not report rumour as reporting.
Sourcing
We prefer named sources and primary documents. When we rely on another outlet's reporting, we say which outlet and link to it; we do not launder someone else's scoop into our own. Anonymous sourcing is used only when the information is in the public interest and the person would face a real professional consequence for speaking on the record, and we explain to readers why anonymity was granted.
Corrections
If we publish something inaccurate, we fix it and we say we fixed it. We do not quietly edit a page and leave it looking as though the error never happened.
Factual errors are corrected in the text, with a dated note at the foot of the article stating what was wrong and what it now says.
Substantive changes, where new information materially changes a story, get a dated update note rather than a silent rewrite.
Typos and formatting are fixed without a note.
Retractions happen when a story cannot be supported. We leave the URL live with a clear retraction notice and explain what went wrong.
To request a correction, email
thesportsamerica@gmail.com with the article URL and the specific passage. We respond within five working days.
COMMERCIAL RULESIndependence From Advertising
Our commercial and editorial functions are separate. Advertisers and sponsors cannot commission, review, approve, alter or withdraw editorial coverage. No advertiser is shown an editorial article before publication.
“Buying advertising does not earn favourable treatment, and it does not protect against unfavourable treatment.
Sponsored And Partner Content
We publish some paid content. When we do, all of the following apply.
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Labelled Sponsored or Paid Partnership at the top of the page, above the headline, in the same size as the byline.
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The paying party is named.
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Visually distinct from editorial and excluded from our main news feeds.
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Outbound commercial links carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow", in line with Google's guidelines on links.
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Held to the same standards of legality and factual accuracy as editorial; we decline material we cannot stand behind.
Where an article contains affiliate links that earn us a commission, we disclose that at the top of the article. A commission never determines a recommendation or a ranking.
EDITORIAL INTEGRITYEditorial Integrity
How we handle the tools, words and images inside a published article.
Headlines and Framing
A headline has to be supported by the article beneath it. We do not promise a revelation the piece does not contain, pose a question it does not answer, or state as fact something it presents as likely. If a headline overstates the story, we change it and note the change.
Quotes and Attribution
Quotes are reproduced accurately. We may remove filler words and tidy obvious verbal stumbles, but we do not alter meaning, compress separate remarks into one quote, or move a quote into a context it was not given in. We say where a quote came from.
Images and Captions
Every image is licensed, used with permission, or generated by us. Photographs are not manipulated beyond cropping and routine colour correction. Captions identify what is shown and when, and say so if an image is illustrative rather than a record of the event described.
Data and Statistics
We name the source of every significant figure and give the date or period it covers. Where a statistic is derived rather than published, such as a rate we have calculated or a comparison we have built, we explain the method. Small samples are labelled as small samples.
Plagiarism
We do not publish anyone else's words as our own. Any writer found to have plagiarised will not write for us again, and any affected articles will be corrected or removed with a public note explaining why.
Use of AI Tools
Articles are written and edited by people; a named editor is responsible for every published word. We do use AI tools for some illustrations. Where an image is generated rather than photographed, it is captioned as such, and never used to depict real events or real people.
COVERAGE STANDARDSCoverage Standards
How we treat the people and subjects inside a story.
Reporting on Private Individuals
Athletes, executives and officials are public figures in the part of their lives we cover. Their families, and members of the public who appear in a story incidentally, are not. We do not publish private addresses, medical details or contact information.
Injuries and Athlete Health
We report injuries as they affect competition. We do not speculate about a diagnosis, publish medical information not disclosed by the athlete or their team, or treat an athlete's mental health as a performance variable.
Betting and Gambling
We report on the gambling industry as a business story, because it now shapes broadcasting, sponsorship and league policy. We do not publish tips, picks or predictions framed as betting advice, and we do not encourage readers to bet.
Range of Sources
We make an active effort to quote a wider range of people than the same handful of executives and former players. Women's sport is covered as sport, on the same terms as men's, not as a separate category of interest.
OUR NEWSROOMOur Newsroom
How we run the people and the record behind the reporting.
Conflicts of Interest
Our writers do not accept payment, gifts, hospitality or travel from the teams, leagues, agencies or companies they cover, beyond ordinary press-box access. A personal connection to a subject, such as a family tie or a financial holding, is disclosed or the story is reassigned.
Bylines and Expertise
Every article names its author, who has a page setting out their beat and background. Where a piece is compiled from wire copy or a press release, it is labelled as such rather than given a personal byline.
Right of Reply
Where we make a significant criticism of an identifiable person or organisation, we approach them for comment before publication and give them reasonable time to respond. If they decline, we say so in the article.
Updating and Unpublishing
Published articles form a public record; we do not remove them because a subject would prefer we had not written them. We unpublish only where content is unlawful, unsafe, or so inaccurate that correction is not sufficient, and we leave a note at the URL.
Comments
Reader comments are welcome and moderated. We remove abuse, harassment, unlawful content and spam. If you think a moderation decision was wrong, write to
thesportsamerica@gmail.com and we will look at it again.
COMPLAINTSBelieve we got it wrong?
Write to us with the URL and the nature of the complaint. Complaints are reviewed by an editor who was not involved in the original piece wherever that is possible, and we respond within five working days.
thesportsamerica@gmail.com 
