Opportunity to Respond, Corrections, Clarifications, and Retractions Policy

Disclosure of Justice is committed to accurate, fair, transparent, and accountable reporting.

This policy establishes the procedures Disclosure of Justice uses to:

• Offer individuals and organizations a meaningful opportunity to respond to significant criticism, allegations, or claims of wrongdoing;
• Receive and evaluate concerns about published material;
• Correct material factual errors promptly and transparently;
• Clarify reporting that is factually accurate but materially unclear or reasonably capable of creating a false impression;
• Update reporting when significant new facts become available;
• Publish responses, editor’s notes, corrections, apologies, or retractions when appropriate; and
• Preserve Disclosure of Justice’s independent editorial judgment.

This policy applies to articles, investigations, videos, audio recordings, photographs, captions, graphics, newsletters, social-media posts, and other editorial content published or controlled by Disclosure of Justice.

Disclosure of Justice follows these principles:

Accuracy

We seek to verify material facts before publication and correct material factual errors when they are identified.

Fairness

When practicable, we provide the subject of significant criticism or allegations of wrongdoing with a reasonable opportunity to respond before publication.

Independence

The opportunity to respond does not give any person or organization control over our reporting, headlines, editorial conclusions, publication schedule, evidence, sources, or presentation.

Transparency

Material corrections and significant changes should ordinarily be disclosed to readers in a manner proportionate to the original error.

Proportionality

The prominence, wording, and placement of a correction will depend on the seriousness of the error, its likely effect, the prominence of the original publication, and the extent to which it was distributed.

Accountability

We evaluate correction requests in good faith, but disagreement with accurate reporting does not by itself establish an error.

Disclosure of Justice voluntarily offers opportunities to respond as a matter of journalistic fairness. This policy does not create an automatic, contractual, statutory, or unlimited right to:

• Publish a statement;
• Receive equal space, equal length, or equal prominence;
• Approve an article before publication;
• Review or rewrite unpublished reporting;
• Select a headline, photograph, caption, or placement;
• Require publication of a response verbatim;
• Delay or prevent publication;
• Demand disclosure of confidential sources, unpublished materials, internal communications, editorial deliberations, or investigative methods; or
• Require removal of accurate reporting.

All decisions concerning publication, editing, placement, length, timing, presentation, and continued availability remain within the independent editorial judgment of Disclosure of Justice, subject to applicable law.

4.1 When We Will Ordinarily Seek a Response

When practicable, Disclosure of Justice will attempt to contact a person or organization before publishing substantial factual allegations that:

• Accuse the subject of criminal, fraudulent, dishonest, abusive, corrupt, unethical, or seriously improper conduct;
• Could materially damage the subject’s reputation, employment, business, professional standing, or legal interests;
• Concern a significant dispute in which the subject’s explanation would materially assist readers;
• Rely on disputed records, testimony, accusations, or interpretations; or
• Present serious criticism that has not previously been fairly addressed by the subject.

An opportunity to respond may not be provided in advance when:

• The subject has already responded publicly and the response can be fairly included;
• The information comes directly from an official public proceeding, public filing, court hearing, government announcement, or recorded public statement;
• Advance contact could create an immediate safety risk;
• Advance notice could result in destruction, alteration, concealment, or manipulation of evidence;
• Advance notice could expose a confidential source;
• There is an urgent and overriding public-interest reason to publish promptly;
• The subject cannot reasonably be located;
• The subject has repeatedly refused to respond to the same material issues;
• The request would be futile under the circumstances; or
• Legal or ethical restrictions prohibit or materially limit advance contact.

The absence of prepublication contact does not necessarily indicate unfairness or error.

4.2 Information Provided to the Subject

Disclosure of Justice will ordinarily describe the substance of the material allegations or criticism with enough specificity to permit an informed response.

We are not required to provide:

• A complete unpublished article;
• Draft language;
• Every question under consideration;
• Identities of confidential sources;
• Copies of confidential or legally restricted materials;
• Internal notes, communications, research, or editorial discussions;
• Information that could compromise safety, privacy, an investigation, or evidence; or
• Material protected by privilege, law, contract, or ethical obligation.

4.3 Response Deadlines

The amount of time allowed for a response will depend on:

• The urgency of the story;
• The seriousness and complexity of the allegations;
• The subject’s reasonable ability to obtain relevant information;
• Public-safety considerations;
• Publication deadlines; and
• Whether the subject has previously had an opportunity to address the matter.

Deadlines may range from a few hours for urgent or breaking news to several days for a complex investigation.

Disclosure of Justice may publish after a clearly communicated deadline has passed. We may also publish before the deadline when circumstances materially change, urgent public-interest considerations arise, or delay would create a significant risk.

A request for additional time does not automatically extend the deadline. Any extension must be confirmed by Disclosure of Justice.

4.4 Failure to Respond

A failure or refusal to respond will not be presented as proof that an allegation is true.

When appropriate, the publication may state that:

• The subject did not respond;
• The subject declined to comment;
• The subject did not answer specific questions;
• The subject could not be reached; or
• A response was received after publication.

The wording used will reflect what actually occurred.

4.5 Late Responses

A response received after publication will be considered in good faith.

Depending on its relevance and evidentiary value, Disclosure of Justice may:

• Add the response to the existing publication;
• Summarize or quote the response;
• Link to an authenticated statement;
• Publish a separate follow-up;
• Add an editor’s note;
• Correct or clarify the publication; or
• Make no change when the response does not identify an error or materially alter the reporting.

Requests should be emailed to:

The recommended subject line is:

To permit a meaningful review, the request should include:

1. The requester’s full name;
2. The requester’s organization, title, or relationship to the subject, when applicable;
3. Reliable contact information;
4. The URL, headline, publication date, social-media post, video, audio recording, or other content at issue;
5. The exact sentence, statement, image, caption, timestamp, or passage being challenged;
6. A clear explanation of what is allegedly false, inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, misattributed, or unfair;
7. The specific correction, clarification, or response requested;
8. Copies of records, source materials, court documents, recordings, correspondence, or other evidence supporting the request;
9. An explanation of whether the requester is communicating personally, through legal counsel, or as an authorized representative; and
10. Any known deadline, emergency, pending hearing, safety concern, or other circumstance requiring expedited review.

General demands such as “remove this,” “this is defamatory,” “this is false,” or “contact my lawyer,” without identifying the challenged language and supporting basis, may not provide enough information for a substantive decision.

Disclosure of Justice may request additional information, authentication, identification, authorization, or supporting documentation.

An attorney, publicist, employer, family member, agent, parent, guardian, or other representative may submit a request.

Disclosure of Justice may require reasonable confirmation that the representative is authorized to act for the affected person or organization.

For requests involving minors or legally incapacitated individuals, Disclosure of Justice may require confirmation of parental, custodial, guardianship, or legal authority.

We may communicate directly with the affected individual when legally and ethically appropriate.

Disclosure of Justice will attempt to acknowledge a sufficiently detailed request within two business days.

We will attempt to make an initial substantive determination within ten business days. Complex matters may require additional time, particularly when they involve:

• Extensive records;
• Court files;
• Multiple witnesses;
• Audio or video analysis;
• Authentication disputes;
• Confidential sources;
• Pending litigation;
• Public-record requests;
• Expert review; or
• Consultation with legal counsel.

These timeframes are operational goals, not guarantees, contractual obligations, or waivers of any legal right or defense.

Urgent requests involving immediate threats to life, physical safety, mistaken identity, exposure of highly sensitive personal information, or an imminent and substantial legal consequence should be marked:

Disclosure of Justice may consider:

• The exact language and overall context of the publication;
• Whether the disputed statement is factual, opinion, analysis, rhetorical characterization, allegation, quotation, or prediction;
• The reliability and independence of the available sources;
• Contemporaneous records;
• Court documents and official records;
• Audio, video, photographic, or digital evidence;
• Whether a quotation or summary accurately conveys the speaker’s meaning;
• Whether material information was omitted in a way that creates a substantially false impression;
• Whether the challenged information was accurate at the time of publication;
• Whether later developments require an update rather than a correction;
• Whether the requester has supplied authenticated and materially relevant evidence;
• Whether the subject was previously asked to respond;
• Whether the disputed fact is material to the central subject of the publication;
• Whether the publication clearly distinguishes allegations from established facts;
• Whether the language accurately describes a person’s current legal status;
• The public interest;
• Safety, privacy, and the rights of third parties; and
• Applicable constitutional, statutory, evidentiary, privacy, intellectual-property, and media law.

Disclosure of Justice may consult reporters, editors, attorneys, subject-matter experts, records custodians, witnesses, or other appropriate individuals.

Corrections ordinarily concern objectively verifiable factual errors.

A statement will not ordinarily be corrected merely because a person:

• Dislikes the reporting;
• Disagrees with an opinion or editorial conclusion;
• Disputes a reasonable interpretation of disclosed facts;
• Objects to accurate quotations;
• Prefers different wording;
• Believes favorable information should have received greater emphasis;
• Disagrees with the significance assigned to particular evidence;
• Denies an allegation without providing materially responsive information; or
• Objects to the continued availability of accurate, lawfully published reporting.

However, Disclosure of Justice may publish a clarification or response when doing so would materially improve the reader’s understanding, even when the original reporting was not factually incorrect.

After review, Disclosure of Justice may take one or more of the following actions.

10.1 No Change

No change may be made when the available evidence supports the publication, the request concerns opinion or emphasis rather than factual accuracy, the issue is immaterial, or the requester has not provided enough information to establish a reasonable basis for revision.

10.2 Silent Correction

Minor typographical, grammatical, formatting, punctuation, spelling, or technical errors may be corrected without a formal notice when they do not materially change meaning.

A misspelled person’s name, incorrect title, incorrect date, or similar detail may require a visible correction when the error is material or potentially harmful.

10.3 Correction

A correction may be issued when a material factual statement was wrong at the time of publication.

A correction should ordinarily:

• Identify the inaccurate information;
• State the accurate information;
• Appear in or near the affected publication;
• Be written clearly and without evasive language;
• Include the date of correction; and
• Receive prominence reasonably proportionate to the seriousness and reach of the error.

10.4 Clarification

A clarification may be issued when the original reporting was substantially accurate but incomplete, ambiguous, imprecise, or reasonably susceptible to a materially incorrect interpretation.

A clarification does not necessarily mean the original publication was false.

10.5 Update

An update may be added when material events occurred after publication or when significant new information became available.

An update does not necessarily indicate that the earlier reporting was inaccurate.

10.6 Editor’s Note

An editor’s note may explain:

• A significant revision;
• A dispute concerning the reporting;
• The status of an ongoing review;
• A material sourcing issue;
• A change in legal status;
• Newly discovered evidence;
• A correction affecting the central premise of the publication; or
• The reason content has been restricted, removed, or republished.

10.7 Opportunity-to-Respond Update

A subject’s response may be summarized, quoted, linked, or appended when it materially assists readers.

The response may be labeled to distinguish it from independently verified factual findings.

10.8 Apology

Disclosure of Justice may issue an apology when an error, editorial failure, or avoidable act caused significant and unjustified harm.

An apology may accompany a correction or retraction but is not automatic.

10.9 Retraction

A retraction may be issued when:

• The central factual premise of a publication is materially false;
• Essential evidence is fabricated, fraudulent, manipulated, or fundamentally unreliable;
• Reporting cannot be adequately repaired through correction;
• The wrong person or organization was identified;
• The publication materially misrepresented the available evidence; or
• Continued presentation of the content as valid would substantially mislead readers.

When practical, the original page may remain accessible with a prominent retraction notice so the public record of the correction is preserved.

10.10 Removal

Complete removal is exceptional.

Removal may be considered when:

• Publication creates a serious and continuing threat to physical safety;
• The content unlawfully exposes protected or highly sensitive personal information;
• A court order or applicable law requires removal;
• The content infringes enforceable intellectual-property rights;
• The publication identifies the wrong private individual and correction would not adequately prevent continuing harm;
• The content compromises a confidential source;
• The material was published without authorization because of a security breach;
• The content depicts or identifies a minor in circumstances where continued publication is clearly inappropriate; or
• Extraordinary circumstances make continued availability unjustifiable.

Accurate and lawfully published information will not ordinarily be removed merely because it is embarrassing, unfavorable, old, searchable, or damaging to reputation.

10.11 Deindexing or Access Restriction

In exceptional circumstances, Disclosure of Justice may restrict indexing, remove identifying information, limit access, or reduce discoverability without deleting the underlying publication.

Such relief is discretionary and may be considered when the public interest in unrestricted discoverability has materially diminished and the continuing harm is substantial and disproportionate.

Disclosure of Justice may publish a submitted response:

• In full;
• In edited form;
• As selected quotations;
• As a summary;
• As an update to the original publication;
• Through a link to an authenticated statement; or
• As a separate response or follow-up article.

Responses may be edited for:

• Length;
• Clarity;
• Grammar;
• Relevance;
• Repetition;
• Accuracy;
• Legal risk;
• Privacy;
• Safety;
• Confidentiality;
• Copyright;
• Threats or harassment; and
• Compliance with editorial standards.

We will not knowingly edit a response in a manner that materially changes its intended meaning.

Disclosure of Justice may decline to publish content containing:

• Knowingly false or unsupported factual accusations;
• Defamatory statements about third parties;
• Threats;
• Harassment;
• Hate speech;
• Personal attacks unrelated to the reporting;
• Private addresses, account numbers, identification numbers, medical information, or other sensitive personal data;
• Confidential or sealed information;
• Material that could endanger a person;
• Unlawfully obtained content;
• Copyrighted material submitted without authorization;
• Advertising or fundraising solicitations;
• Irrelevant political messaging; or
• Content that would violate law or Disclosure of Justice’s editorial standards.

Publication of a response does not mean Disclosure of Justice endorses or verifies every statement contained in it.

A quotation may be corrected when it materially misstates what was said because of transcription, editing, attribution, translation, or contextual error.

Minor verbal disfluencies, filler words, false starts, and grammatical irregularities may be removed without changing meaning.

Audio and video may be edited for length and relevance. Edits must not knowingly create a materially false impression.

When a dispute concerns a recording, Disclosure of Justice may review the original recording, available metadata, full context, and relevant portions that were not published.

Disclosure of Justice is not required to release raw recordings, unpublished footage, source files, metadata, or internal transcripts.

Disclosure of Justice will correct materially inaccurate:

• Captions;
• Identifications;
• Dates;
• Locations;
• Descriptions;
• Labels;
• Cropping implications;
• Graphic representations; or
• Statements about whether an image is illustrative, reconstructed, altered, or generated.

An illustrative, archival, staged, reconstructed, or artificially generated image should be identified when failure to do so could materially mislead a reasonable reader.

Headlines, previews, captions, thumbnails, search descriptions, push notifications, newsletters, and social-media posts must fairly reflect the underlying reporting.

When a material error appears in promotional or distributed content, Disclosure of Justice may:

• Correct or delete the post;
• Publish a follow-up correction;
• Update the headline or preview;
• Correct the underlying article;
• Notify an external platform when feasible; or
• Add a visible explanation.

Deletion of an inaccurate social-media post may be accompanied by a correction when deletion alone would leave readers unaware of the error.

Disclosure of Justice cannot guarantee that corrections will update cached pages, screenshots, third-party archives, search-engine results, syndicated copies, reposts, or content outside its control.

Disclosure of Justice will seek to distinguish accurately among:

• An accusation;
• An investigation;
• An arrest;
• A criminal charge;
• An indictment;
• A civil allegation;
• A judicial finding;
• A plea;
• A conviction;
• A sentence;
• An appeal;
• An acquittal;
• A dismissal;
• A reversal;
• An expungement or sealing order; and
• A final disposition.

A person accused or charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty according to law.

When Disclosure of Justice learns of a significant documented disposition that materially changes the status of earlier reporting, we may update the original publication or publish a follow-up.

A later dismissal, acquittal, reversal, settlement, or other disposition does not necessarily mean accurate reporting about earlier events was erroneous. The proper remedy may be an update rather than a correction or deletion.

The fact that information appeared in a public record, court filing, police statement, government report, press release, interview, or third-party publication does not eliminate the need for accurate attribution and fair context.

When reporting a disputed allegation from a record or third party, Disclosure of Justice may identify:

• Who made the allegation;
• The procedural posture of the matter;
• Whether the allegation has been adjudicated;
• The subject’s denial or explanation;
• Material contradictory evidence; and
• Subsequent developments.

A correction may be appropriate when Disclosure of Justice inaccurately describes the record, fails to attribute an allegation, materially misstates a proceeding, or presents an unresolved accusation as an established fact.

Correction and response requests do not entitle the requester to:

• The identity of a confidential source;
• Source communications;
• Reporter notes;
• Unpublished photographs or recordings;
• Drafts;
• Internal communications;
• Legal advice;
• Editorial deliberations;
• Authentication methods;
• Security information; or
• Other protected or confidential material.

Disclosure of Justice may rely on confidential information when it determines that the source is credible, the information is newsworthy, and confidentiality is justified.

We may describe the basis for our reporting without disclosing information that could identify a protected source.

Requests based primarily on privacy, personal safety, doxxing, identity theft, exploitation, or threats should clearly identify:

• The information creating the risk;
• The nature and immediacy of the danger;
• Who is at risk;
• Any police report, protective order, threat, or supporting evidence; and
• The specific protective action requested.

Disclosure of Justice may redact or restrict:

• Home addresses;
• Personal telephone numbers;
• Personal email addresses;
• Social Security numbers;
• Financial-account information;
• Driver’s-license or identification numbers;
• Authentication credentials;
• Precise location information;
• Private medical information;
• Information identifying protected victims;
• Information that would expose a confidential source; or
• Other information presenting a serious and unjustified safety risk.

Public availability elsewhere does not automatically determine whether Disclosure of Justice will continue publishing sensitive information.

All correction demands, retraction demands, right-of-reply requests, preservation requests, and related legal communications should be sent to:

Recommended subject line:

A notice alleging defamation should identify with specificity:

• The publication at issue;
• The URL and publication date;
• Each exact statement alleged to be false and defamatory;
• Why each statement is allegedly false;
• The accurate facts asserted by the requester;
• The evidence supporting those facts;
• The harm allegedly caused;
• The correction, clarification, retraction, or other remedy requested; and
• The name and authority of the person submitting the notice.

North Carolina law contains specific provisions concerning written notice before certain libel or defamation actions and the possible effect of a timely, full, and fair correction, apology, and retraction. Disclosure of Justice will evaluate any notice that invokes N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 99-1 or 99-2 promptly and in consultation with counsel when appropriate.

Sending an email to this address does not constitute Disclosure of Justice’s agreement to accept service of process, waive formal service requirements, consent to jurisdiction, extend a legal deadline, preserve a claim, or waive any constitutional, statutory, evidentiary, procedural, or common-law right or defense.

A sender remains responsible for complying with all applicable requirements governing notice, service, timing, preservation, jurisdiction, and filing.

When Disclosure of Justice receives a credible correction request, legal demand, preservation notice, or notice of anticipated litigation, it may preserve relevant materials in accordance with applicable law and internal procedures.

Preservation does not:

• Establish that the request is valid;
• Admit wrongdoing;
• Confirm that responsive materials exist;
• Waive privilege or source confidentiality; or
• Create a right of access to unpublished materials.

Disclosure of Justice may retain an internal copy of the original publication and subsequent revisions even when public-facing content is corrected, restricted, or removed.

Correction submissions should be factual, specific, and professional.

Threats, harassment, impersonation, repeated abusive communications, automated submissions, or attempts to intimidate reporters, editors, sources, witnesses, or other individuals may result in communications being limited or referred to appropriate authorities.

Disclosure of Justice may consolidate repetitive submissions and may close a request when:

• The issue has already been fully reviewed;
• No materially new evidence has been provided;
• The communication is abusive or threatening;
• The request is clearly frivolous or made in bad faith; or
• Continued correspondence would not reasonably affect the editorial decision.

Correction and response submissions are not automatically confidential or off the record.

Disclosure of Justice may share a submission with:

• Editors;
• Reporters;
• Legal counsel;
• Insurers;
• Relevant experts;
• Contractors assisting with technical review;
• The person or organization whose work is challenged; or
• Others reasonably necessary to evaluate or respond to the request.

Disclosure of Justice may quote or describe a correction request when doing so is newsworthy, necessary to explain an editorial decision, or appropriate to address a public dispute.

A requester seeking confidential treatment must request it before disclosing sensitive information and receive written agreement from Disclosure of Justice. Merely labeling a communication “confidential,” “privileged,” “off the record,” or “settlement communication” does not create an agreement or bind Disclosure of Justice.

Attorney-client privilege belonging to the sender may be waived by voluntary disclosure to Disclosure of Justice. Senders should consult their own counsel before transmitting privileged information.

A requester may seek one reconsideration of a correction decision by submitting:

• The original request;
• The response received from Disclosure of Justice;
• A concise explanation of the alleged error in the decision; and
• Material evidence not previously considered.

The recommended subject line is:

Reconsideration is not an opportunity to repeat the same arguments without new evidence.

Disclosure of Justice may decline further review after issuing a reconsideration decision.

Disclosure of Justice will not treat a good-faith correction request as evidence of wrongdoing.

A person will not be denied fair consideration merely because the request is submitted by an attorney, critic, public official, political opponent, litigation party, or person previously covered by Disclosure of Justice.

This provision does not prevent Disclosure of Justice from reporting on threats, litigation, public disputes, legal demands, attempts to suppress reporting, or other independently newsworthy conduct.

Any reader, source, employee, contractor, subject, or member of the public may report a possible error.

Disclosure of Justice personnel who discover a material error should promptly notify the appropriate editor and should not conceal, minimize, or silently alter a material mistake.

Corrections should focus on giving readers accurate information rather than assigning blame.

Depending on the circumstances, a correction notice may use language substantially similar to:

The wording may be modified to accurately reflect the particular circumstances.

Disclosure of Justice will determine correction placement based on:

• The significance of the error;
• Its effect on the subject;
• Its effect on readers’ understanding;
• The prominence of the original statement;
• The size of the original audience;
• Whether the error appeared in a headline, image, video, or social-media post;
• Whether the error was repeated; and
• Whether continued distribution could cause additional harm.

A material correction should not be hidden solely to reduce embarrassment to Disclosure of Justice.

The receipt, investigation, discussion, correction, clarification, update, apology, restriction, removal, or retraction of content does not, by itself, constitute:

• An admission of liability;
• An admission of negligence, fault, falsity, defamation, actual malice, or unlawful conduct;
• Agreement with every assertion made by the requester;
• A waiver of editorial discretion;
• A waiver of source protection, privilege, immunity, defense, or limitation;
• Consent to jurisdiction or venue;
• Acceptance of service of process; or
• A contractual promise.

Disclosure of Justice expressly reserves all rights and defenses.

Disclosure of Justice may interpret, revise, suspend, or replace this policy when necessary to address:

• Changes in law;
• Changes in publication practices;
• New technologies;
• Safety concerns;
• Editorial needs; or
• Unforeseen circumstances.

The version in effect when a request is reviewed will ordinarily govern the editorial process.

Material revisions will be reflected by an updated effective date.

All opportunity-to-respond requests, correction requests, clarification requests, retraction demands, legal notices concerning published accuracy, and related supporting materials should be sent to:

Please include the relevant headline or subject in the email subject line and provide the exact material being challenged.

Disclosure of Justice — Opportunity to Respond and Corrections Department — corrections@disclosureofjustice.com