How We Report
What goes into a story on this site, and how to tell what we reported from what we are relaying.
What you will find here
The Indus Compass publishes news from Pakistan and the world, with background and explanation added to each story so that a reader does not need to search elsewhere for the context. Our stories fall into four kinds, and we say which is which.
- Reports. News stories built on named, reliable sources: official statements, court orders, published data, and reporting by established outlets. We name the source of each important claim inside the story.
- Exclusives and original reporting. Stories gathered by our own team, with the people involved named in the text.
- Explainers and analysis. Pieces that set out the history, the numbers or the open questions behind a story. We label analysis as analysis.
- Opinion. Signed views, kept in the Opinion section and separate from news.
How we credit sources
Every important claim, figure and quotation in a story is attributed in the text to the person or body that made it: a ministry, a court, an official statement, a data set or a named outlet. We write in our own words and keep quotations short. When one outlet alone supplied an exclusive detail, we say so. We do not claim to have confirmed something ourselves unless we have. Where sources disagree on a figure, we attribute each figure or leave the disputed number out.
What we add
A rewrite alone is not enough, so each story is meant to carry something more than a summary:
- Background. A short paragraph on how we got here, using only facts we can attribute.
- Context from our own archive. Links to our earlier reports on the same subject, so readers can follow a story over time.
- What it means. A “Why it matters” section that sets out what the news means for ordinary readers, what remains unanswered, and what to watch next.
- Limits stated plainly. Where a figure is from mid-session trading, an unverified claim by a party to a conflict, or a source we could not confirm, we say so in the text.
Corrections and updates
When we get something wrong, we correct the story and say so. Our full approach is in the Editorial & Corrections Policy. To report an error, use the Contact page and choose “Correction request”.
Photos and credits
We credit every photograph with its photographer or source and its licence. We mark a picture as a “File photo” when it was not taken at the event, and we label an illustration as an illustration. We do not use photographs from Reuters, AFP or Getty. For stories about crime, accidents and conflict we avoid graphic images and do not show victims.
Who writes the stories
Each story carries the name of the journalist responsible for it. You can read about the team on the Our Journalists page.
Tips and exclusives
If you have a story, a document or a first-hand account, write to us through the Contact page. Our approach to anonymous sources is set out in the editorial policy.