Editorial policy
How we separate opinion from fact, check claims, correct mistakes and give the firms we write about a right of reply.
1. Opinion and fact are kept apart
Every column is labelled Opinion. Inside it, facts are stated plainly and linked to their source. Our view is written as our view (“we think”, “our view”), never dressed up as a finding.
2. Sources
We prefer primary sources: regulator publications, company announcements, parliamentary evidence and official statistics. Where we rely on trade press, we say so. Quotes are verbatim and attributed; if we paraphrase, we do not use quotation marks. Each column ends with a numbered source list.
3. No invented people or numbers
We never invent sources, quotes, case studies or statistics. If a number cannot be traced to a source, it does not appear.
4. Right of reply
Any firm or person named in a column can send a reply. We publish replies in full beneath the column, edited only for length and legal reasons, and we tell readers when a reply has been added. Send a reply.
5. Corrections
If we get a fact wrong, we fix it and add a dated correction note at the foot of the column. We do not quietly edit published columns. Report an error.
6. Independence
No insurer, MGA, broker or technology vendor pays for coverage or can review a column before publication. Guest columnists must disclose their employer and any commercial interest in the subject, and we print that disclosure.
7. Use of AI
We may use AI tools for research and proofreading. Every fact is checked by a person against its source, and every argument is ours.