---
module_id: KB-07
version: 0.4.2
status: baseline_draft
edition: public
language: en
role: normative
updated_on: 2026-09-06
requires: ["KB-01", "KB-03", "KB-04", "KB-05", "KB-06", "KB-13"]
---

# Corrections and Accountability

**Scope:** Post-publication factual corrections, updates, clarifications, follow-up, complaints, removal, downstream propagation, audit trails and accountability for errors across formats and channels.

Correction policy is not a substitute for pre-publication verification. A transparent correction does not erase the need to understand how the error occurred, and a complaint does not become true merely because it was submitted.

## Correction taxonomy

Use these terms consistently unless a newsroom profile defines an equivalent label:

- **Correction:** a published factual error is materially fixed.
- **Update:** new information is added after the original publication and the original was not necessarily wrong at the time.
- **Clarification:** wording is made more precise where the original could reasonably mislead, without necessarily containing a factual error.
- **Retraction:** the central published claim or item is withdrawn because it is no longer supportable.
- **Removal:** the published item is taken down or made unavailable. Removal requires a separate justification and is not the normal substitute for correction.

<a id="cor-001"></a>
## COR-001: Correct material factual errors promptly

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** a material factual error in published editorial content is established.

Correct the error as soon as reasonably possible after it is confirmed. Do not wait for a complaint if the newsroom already knows the information is wrong. Prioritize errors that materially affect meaning, reputation, safety, rights, public understanding or the central conclusion.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Minor typographical or formatting fixes that do not change meaning may be handled as ordinary edits under the newsroom profile.

**Tests:** `CT47`, `CT48`.

<a id="cor-002"></a>
## COR-002: Label factual corrections as corrections

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** a factual error is corrected in a published item.

Do not hide a factual correction behind labels such as update, recast, minor edit or clarification. Tell the audience what was wrong and what is now correct with enough specificity to understand the change.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Very minor non-material fixes may follow the newsroom's ordinary edit policy without a correction note.

**Tests:** `CT47`, `CT49`.

<a id="cor-003"></a>
## COR-003: Distinguish new developments from past errors

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** a story changes after publication.

Do not label a later factual development as a correction if the earlier account was accurate at the time. Conversely, do not call a factual error an update merely because the corrected information arrived later. Preserve the chronology of what was known and when.

**Exception or permitted variation:** A single public note may combine an update and a correction if both occurred, but the distinction must remain clear.

**Tests:** `CT50`, `CT51`.

<a id="cor-004"></a>
## COR-004: Propagate material corrections across affected channels and derivatives

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** the same erroneous fact appears in multiple versions, languages, social posts, graphics, audio, video, newsletters, datasets or AI-generated derivatives under editorial control.

Identify known affected outputs and correct each relevant version or issue a visible corrective where direct editing is impossible. Do not assume fixing the website article has corrected the social card, translation, infographic or downstream data export.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Historical copies outside the newsroom's control may be handled through notices, client advisories or documented outreach where feasible.

**Tests:** `CT52`, `CT53`.

<a id="cor-005"></a>
## COR-005: Match correction prominence to the seriousness and reach of the error

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** deciding placement or visibility of a correction.

Make the correction reasonably discoverable by the audience that received the error. A major headline error or reputational allegation generally requires more prominent corrective treatment than a minor detail deep in a story.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Exact placement depends on platform, format and newsroom policy.

**Tests:** `CT54`, `CT55`.

<a id="cor-006"></a>
## COR-006: Preserve an accountable change record for material corrections

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** a material published error is corrected.

Record what changed, why, when and which versions were affected. Preserve enough internal history for audit and regression analysis without exposing protected sources or private working data to the public.

**Exception or permitted variation:** The public note can be concise. Internal audit detail may be more extensive and access controlled.

**Tests:** `CT53`, `CT56`.

<a id="cor-007"></a>
## COR-007: Treat complaints as signals to assess, not proof of error

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** a subject, reader, source, lawyer, institution or automated system challenges published material.

Log the complaint, identify the exact contested claim, inspect the supporting evidence and determine whether the issue is factual error, missing context, fairness, privacy, legal risk, disagreement or something else. Do not automatically correct a verified fact merely because a powerful party objects.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Immediate temporary mitigation may be appropriate when a credible complaint identifies a serious safety or privacy risk that requires urgent review.

**Tests:** `CT57`, `CT58`.

<a id="cor-008"></a>
## COR-008: Provide a clear route for reporting significant errors

**Level:** SHOULD. **Applies when:** a newsroom publishes to an external audience.

Make it reasonably clear how readers, subjects or partners can report significant factual errors or editorial concerns. Route reports to an accountable editorial process rather than an unmonitored inbox or opaque AI endpoint.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Small or temporary projects may use an existing newsroom contact channel rather than a dedicated correction system.

**Tests:** `CT59`.

<a id="cor-009"></a>
## COR-009: Follow important proceedings through material later outcomes

**Level:** SHOULD. **Applies when:** earlier coverage of an investigation, accusation, charge, lawsuit, sanction or other continuing process created material public or reputational consequences.

Where reasonably possible, follow the matter to significant later outcomes such as dismissal, acquittal, conviction, reversal, settlement or final decision. Do not leave an early accusation as the only durable record when a material outcome later changes the picture.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Editorial significance, accessibility and proportionality can affect follow-up priority.

**Tests:** `CT60`, `CT61`.

<a id="cor-010"></a>
## COR-010: Treat removal as exceptional and separately justified

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** someone requests deletion or removal of previously published editorial content.

Do not use removal as the default correction mechanism. Consider the historical record, continuing public interest, disproportionate ongoing harm, privacy, legal constraints, safety and whether correction, anonymization or contextual update would address the issue with less loss of the public record. Senior editorial approval is required for material retrospective removal.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Unlawful content, dangerous disclosures, source-protection failures or severe privacy harms may require immediate restriction before the full review is complete.

**Tests:** `CT62`, `CT63`.

<a id="cor-011"></a>
## COR-011: Keep correction authority separate from external action execution

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** an AI system can edit, retract, delete, resend or republish content.

A verified correction recommendation is not permission to execute it. Use KB-13 and KB-90 to confirm authorized content version, channels, recipients, approval and tool result. Record attempted and confirmed corrective actions separately.

**Exception or permitted variation:** A bounded automated correction workflow may exist only when explicitly configured, approved and tested for the relevant content class.

**Tests:** `CT64`, `CT65`.

<a id="cor-012"></a>
## COR-012: Notify downstream recipients when the newsroom distributed the error

**Level:** SHOULD. **Applies when:** the newsroom supplied erroneous material to subscribers, partners, feeds or other controlled downstream recipients.

Send or expose a corrective signal that allows downstream users to identify the affected item and corrected information. Do not assume they will discover a silent source edit.

**Exception or permitted variation:** The mechanism depends on distribution infrastructure and contracts.

**Tests:** `CT52`, `CT66`.

<a id="cor-013"></a>
## COR-013: Investigate repeated or systemic errors

**Level:** SHOULD. **Applies when:** errors recur, arise from automation, affect multiple outputs or indicate a process failure.

Record the contributing process, model, source, transformation, schema or workflow failure. Add regression tests or controls where appropriate. A correction process should reduce the chance of the same error recurring.

**Exception or permitted variation:** An isolated low-impact human typo may not require formal root-cause analysis.

**Tests:** `CT56`, `CT67`.

<a id="cor-014"></a>
## COR-014: Keep public correction notes free of protected internal information

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** explaining a correction whose evidence involves confidential sources, private data, security details or internal system logs.

Tell the audience enough to understand the substantive error and correction without exposing protected source identities, unnecessary personal data, credentials, internal prompts or security controls.

**Exception or permitted variation:** A fuller disclosure can be appropriate when the information is not protected and transparency materially serves accountability.

**Tests:** `CT68`, `CT69`.

<a id="cor-015"></a>
## COR-015: Escalate unresolved correction disputes proportionately

**Level:** MUST. **Applies when:** evidence about a claimed error remains materially disputed, the correction itself creates legal or safety risk, or removal/retraction is proposed.

Identify the contested claim, evidence, complainant position, newsroom position and the specific decision needed. Route the issue to the appropriate editor or specialist. Do not leave a material correction state ambiguous while simultaneously claiming the matter is resolved.

**Exception or permitted variation:** Routine undisputed factual errors can be corrected through the ordinary editorial process.

**Tests:** `CT58`, `CT70`.

## Minimum correction record

For material corrections, capture:

- original item identifier and version;
- exact erroneous claim;
- evidence establishing the error;
- correction, update, clarification, retraction or removal classification;
- corrected wording;
- affected channels and derivatives;
- public notice text and prominence;
- execution status for each corrective action;
- complaint or source of discovery;
- reviewer and approval state;
- root-cause or regression action where relevant.