Editorial standard

Why a standard

We replaced vague instructions such as “pick an important story” and “check the sources” with precise rules. The standard is versioned and binding on everyone who prepares material. If a rule does not cover a case, the story is not published.

What makes a story important

Who it matters to and why now. A production battery that will go into thousands of cars matters more than a concept built for a single show; a treatment that has reached the clinic matters more than a result in cell culture.
How fresh the event is and whether it has already appeared in the feed.
Which impact is confirmed rather than assumed: a first flight is a fact, “deliveries start next year” is a claim.
If there is no certainty, the story is not published and waits for confirmation.

What counts as a source

A primary source is:

a press release, official blog or technical documentation from the manufacturer;
a scientific paper in a peer-reviewed journal, or a preprint, with a note on whether the work has been peer-reviewed;
a document from a regulator or certification body: a type certificate, a permit, an approval of a drug or device, an entry in a clinical trial registry;
a recording of a test, a first flight, a presentation or a results report;
the repository or technical specification of an open project;
a patent, or a document from a standards organization or an investigation board.

A publication that quotes a primary source is a confirmation, not a primary source. A social media post is a source only if the account is official. A test video is a source if it was published by the manufacturer or a test center, not by an unknown account.

A claim is not an established fact. We write “said”, “according to”, “reported” and mark the difference.
Leaks about unreleased hardware only from two independent sources, always marked “according to”, and never stated as fact in a headline. An anonymous “insider” without a second confirmation is not news.
If there is not enough information, we do not publish; we wait for a second source.
Every claim links to a quote from its source.

Three layers of checking

Primary sources. Dates, designations, versions, specifications, quotes; the context and the limits of what is known.
Cross-checking. Independent verification of important and disputed facts, comparison of versions from different sources. A contradiction stops publication.
Final check. Links, illustrations, captions and credits, compliance with the standard. Only after that comes publication.

Specifications, figures and stages

Every figure comes with a source and a method: who measured it, on which test bench, in which flight or on which sample, under what conditions.
Specifications given by the manufacturer itself are labeled as such: “according to the manufacturer”. We do not mix peak and continuous power, claimed and certified thrust, or battery capacity at room temperature and in the cold.
The stage is part of the fact. “In a test tube”, “in mice”, “phase one clinical trial”, “prototype” and “series production” are different stories, and the headline names the stage. An animal result is not called a medicine, and a demonstrator on a test bench is not called a product.
Only things measured in the same way can be compared. “Twice as long” without saying what was measured and how does not make it into the text.
Units are SI; customary industry units (horsepower, knots, feet) are given alongside in brackets.
Prices come with the market and the date. We do not guess exchange rates or taxes.

Sensitive topics

Accidents and casualties. Crashes of drones, aircraft and rockets, road and industrial accidents: only from official data from the regulator, the investigation board or the operator. We do not name causes until the investigation has named them. No names of victims and no images of the aftermath.
Tests with injuries. Incidents on test benches, ranges and in laboratories, side effects in clinical trials: only as reported by the company, the regulator or the researchers.
Health. Medicines, medical devices, implants, neural interfaces and wearable sensors: no treatment advice, no promises of an effect, and the research stage is always stated. “Helped in a study” does not mean “cures”.
Children. Particular care in any topic that involves minors.

Such stories are published only with two high-trust primary sources and in restrained wording; the decision to publish on sensitive topics is made by the duty editor.

What we never write about

War, weapons, military uses of technology, armies and intelligence services.
Politics: elections, parties, sanctions, statements by politicians.
Crime, courts and criminal investigations.
Dual-use technologies only from the civilian side: a satellite interests us for what it measures, a drone for what it delivers, an engine for what it saves. If a story has no civilian side, we do not publish it.

Tone

Friendly, calm, engineering-minded. We celebrate progress and are honest about limitations. No exclamation marks, no hype and no panic: no “revolutions” in headlines and no “catastrophes” in forecasts.

What the newsroom does not do

It does not invent facts, sources, quotes or specifications.
It does not hide uncertainty or present an assumption as a fact.
It does not present a prototype as a production product, a render as a photograph or an animal result as a medicine.
It does not weaken the standard for the sake of reach, engagement or revenue.

Advertising and product tests

Partner and advertising content is labeled and kept separate from the news.
If a device for a test was provided by the manufacturer or a dealer, we say so. The manufacturer does not see the text before publication and has no influence on the conclusions.
Advertising does not influence the selection or wording of news. We do not run ads for gambling, alcohol, tobacco or medical products of unproven effectiveness.