The Public Dispatch operates under the sole editorial authority of its founding editor. No advertiser, sponsor, funder, government body, political party, or commercial partner may influence, direct or interfere with editorial decisions. This independence is absolute and non-negotiable.

Funding relationships are disclosed publicly. The acceptance of a grant or sponsorship does not confer any editorial rights on the funder. Funders who attempt to influence coverage will have their funding declined or returned.

No story will be suppressed, altered or softened in response to commercial, legal or political pressure. Where legal threats are received, they will be reported as part of the public record where doing so is in the public interest.

Accuracy is the foundation of everything we publish. We commit to the following standards:

• Every factual claim in a published story must be verifiable and verified before publication.
• Primary sources — documents, data, official records, direct testimony — are always preferred over secondary sources.
• Where a fact cannot be independently verified, this will be stated clearly in the story.
• Statistics, financial figures and legal claims will be sourced and cited.
• We do not publish speculation as fact. Opinion and analysis are clearly labelled as such.

Where errors occur, they will be corrected promptly, transparently and with full acknowledgement. Corrections are published in the same location as the original story, not buried.

Every person, organisation or institution that is the subject of an adverse finding or serious allegation in a story published by The Public Dispatch will be given a genuine opportunity to respond before publication.

Our right-of-reply process:

• Requests for comment are sent in writing, specifying the allegations and providing a reasonable deadline — ordinarily 48 hours for standard stories, 24 hours for time-sensitive matters.
• All requests, responses and non-responses are logged with timestamps and retained on file.
• Where a subject declines to comment or fails to respond, this will be stated in the published story.
• Responses received will be reflected fairly and in context. We will not selectively quote responses to misrepresent a subject's position.

The right of reply is not a veto. Where a subject's response is factually incorrect or evasive, we will say so. The public interest in publishing accurate, documented journalism takes precedence over a subject's desire to avoid scrutiny.

The protection of confidential sources is an absolute commitment of The Public Dispatch. We will not reveal the identity of a source who has provided information on the basis of confidentiality, under any circumstances — including legal compulsion.

We recognise that whistleblowers in South Africa operate at significant personal and professional risk. We take this responsibility seriously.

• Where a source asks to be anonymous, that request will be honoured.
• The identity of anonymous sources will be known only to the editor and, where necessary, a trusted legal adviser.
• Sources are never deceived about the purpose of an interview or the intended use of information they provide.

Not everything that is true is in the public interest to publish. Before publishing sensitive material, we apply the following test:

• Does this information reveal conduct that affects the public — misuse of public funds, abuse of power, threats to public safety, or systemic wrongdoing?
• Is the public benefit of publishing this information proportionate to any harm it may cause?
• Has the story been reported with sufficient care, verification and fairness to justify the intrusion?
• Would withholding this information protect the guilty at the expense of the public?

Privacy will be respected except where the subject's public role, conduct or exercise of power makes the matter legitimately newsworthy. We do not publish information about a person's private life solely because it is interesting.

The Public Dispatch will not report on matters in which the editor or any staff member has a direct personal, financial or familial interest without full disclosure to readers.

• No journalist working for The Public Dispatch may accept gifts, payments, hospitality or favours from sources, subjects of coverage or their representatives.
• Journalists may not write about organisations of which they are members, or companies in which they hold a financial interest, without disclosure and editorial oversight.
• We do not accept paid content, advertorials or sponsored editorial. Advertising, where carried, is clearly labelled and has no bearing on editorial content.

The Public Dispatch is committed to correcting errors promptly and transparently.

• Factual errors will be corrected as soon as they are identified or brought to our attention.
• Corrections will be published in the original story with a clear note indicating what was changed and when.
• Significant corrections will also be noted on our social media platforms.
• We will not silently delete or alter published content without disclosure.
• Where a story requires substantial correction, an editor's note will be appended explaining the nature of the revision.

To submit a correction or complaint about accuracy, contact: editorial@publicdispatch.co.za. We will acknowledge receipt within 48 hours and respond substantively within five business days.

The Public Dispatch reports on matters of power and accountability. We do not report on private individuals in ways that cause harm disproportionate to the public interest served.

We apply heightened care when reporting on:

• Victims of crime, abuse or trauma.
• Minors, who will not be identified in relation to criminal or court proceedings without specific justification.
• Persons experiencing mental health crises.
• Community members who become newsworthy through no voluntary act of their own.

We will not name survivors of sexual violence without their express, informed consent. We will not publish material that amounts to harassment, or that could reasonably be expected to incite harm against any individual or group.

The Public Dispatch is not a registered member of the Press Council of South Africa. This is a deliberate editorial choice, not an indication of lower standards.

We hold ourselves to standards equivalent to — and in some respects exceeding — the South African Press Code. However, we do not submit to external regulatory jurisdiction, for the following reasons:

• As an independent outlet that reports aggressively on powerful institutions, we are acutely aware of the risk that formal complaints mechanisms can be weaponised by well-resourced subjects to harass, delay and drain independent newsrooms.
• We believe accountability journalism is best protected by strong editorial principles, rigorous documentation and transparent self-regulation — not by regulatory bodies whose funding structures and institutional cultures reflect the interests of legacy media.

We are fully accountable to our readers. Complaints about accuracy, fairness or ethical conduct are taken seriously and addressed through our editorial process. Contact us at editorial@publicdispatch.co.za.

We support and endorse the work of press freedom organisations including the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

As a digital-native publication, The Public Dispatch applies the following additional standards:

• Headlines will accurately represent the content of the story. We do not use misleading or clickbait headlines.
• We do not alter published stories without disclosure.
• We do not use artificial intelligence to generate factual reporting. AI tools may be used for research assistance or administrative tasks, and where so used, this will be disclosed.
• Social media posts by The Public Dispatch will meet the same accuracy standards as published stories.
• We do not delete reader comments solely because they are critical of our reporting.