Editorial Policy
How we source, verify, credit and correct. Published in full, because an outlet that will not tell you its rules has not got any.
Last updated 31 July 2026
1 · Editorial standards
Every piece of Ananse reporting clears eight gates before publication. No exceptions, no deadline pressure override.
- Two independent sources for any allegation of wrongdoing. A press release and a repost of that release is one source, not two.
- Right of reply offered to anyone accused, with reasonable time to respond. We log the attempt even where there is no reply.
- Allegations stated as allegations. We do not name people who have been arrested but not convicted.
- No minors, sexual assault victims or people in medical distress identified without explicit consent.
- Graphic content carries an on-screen advisory in the first three seconds.
What we do not cover. No sport. No celebrity. No lifestyle. No devotional content. No world news without an angle that reaches our audience.
On faith specifically: an outlet that runs sermons alongside criticism of publicly religious politicians is not a neutral outlet. Religion as a subject of accountability — church finances, political endorsements, land acquisition — is fair reporting under the same two-source rule as everything else.
We use third-party footage only where the law allows it, and we say so on screen every time.
What we do
- Short excerpts only. Seconds, never a whole clip. If a viewer feels they have now seen the original, we have taken too much.
- Transformative use. Our reporting is the substance; borrowed footage illustrates it. Never the reverse.
- On-screen credit naming the outlet or creator, visible while the footage plays — not buried in a caption.
- Platform-native sharing — reshare, duet, stitch, retweet — wherever possible, so the original creator keeps the view and retains control.
- Licensed and public-domain material where budget allows: wire services, Creative Commons, government footage.
What we never do
- Republish an entire video, segment or broadcast.
- Remove or obscure another outlet’s watermark.
- Use footage as our primary content rather than as evidence.
- Restream another platform’s live feed.
Credit is not permission. We state this plainly because it is widely misunderstood. Naming a source does not create a licence. We rely on fair dealing for news reporting under Ghana’s Copyright Act 690 and equivalent provisions elsewhere — which requires that use be limited, transformative and attributed.
If you own material we have used and you want it removed, email [email protected]. We will take it down while we review, not after.
3 · Source protection
Sources take real risks. We treat that seriously.
- We do not log IP addresses, device fingerprints or headers on our tip form.
- Source identities are never written down — not in notes, not in cloud storage, not in our own systems. Our register uses codenames only.
- Identifying detail is stripped from published material: location markers, employer, timing that could expose someone.
- Sensitive material should come via Signal, not email. Email is not secure and we will not pretend otherwise.
- A single tip is a lead, not a story. We verify before we publish, always.
4 · Corrections
We get things wrong. When we do, we say so where people can see it.
- Corrections published within 24 hours of confirmation.
- The original stays up with a visible correction note. We never silently delete.
- Every correction is listed permanently on our accountability page.
- Report an error: [email protected]
5 · AI disclosure
| Use | Our policy |
|---|
| Research and story discovery | Permitted. Every fact is verified by a human before publication. |
| Transcription and clipping | Permitted. Output is reviewed. |
| Script assistance | Permitted. Editorial judgement remains human. |
| Synthetic imagery presented as documentary | Never. Not under any circumstance. |
| AI voice or generated visuals | Labelled on screen wherever used. |
We use automated tools to monitor news sources and rank stories. No story is published without a human deciding to publish it.
6 · Ownership & funding
Ananse News is independently owned and operated. No political party, mining company, state body or religious organisation holds a stake, and none has editorial input.
- Any sponsored content is labelled in the first five seconds and in the caption.
- Conflicts of interest — personal, family or commercial — are disclosed in the piece.
- We do not accept payment to run, withhold or soften a story. Ever.
7 · Privacy
- Newsletter: we store your email address and, if you give it, your first name. Nothing else.
- We never sell, rent or share your address.
- Unsubscribe link in every email. One click, immediate.
- Data is held on Cloudflare infrastructure and handled in line with Ghana’s Data Protection Act 843 and the GDPR.
- Request deletion at any time: [email protected]
8 · Complaints
If we have got something wrong, treated you unfairly, or used your material without permission:
Unresolved editorial complaints may be escalated to Ghana’s National Media Commission.
Ananse won the world’s stories from the sky god and gave them to us. We are named for the storyteller, not the trick.