Policy
Corrections Policy
Why our archive is append-only, the four kinds of revisions we issue, and how to request one.
Append-only archive
Once an article is published it becomes part of the permanent record. We do not silently edit, replace, redirect or delete published articles. Original URLs remain stable. The body text of every published version is preserved in the revision log.
Four kinds of revisions
Every change to a published article is tagged with one of four revision kinds, visible at the bottom of the article and in the public corrections feed:
Correction
A factual error in the original article — a wrong number, a misstated fee, a misattributed quote. The error and the correct fact are both stated in the revision note. The body of the article is updated to remove the error.
Clarification
The original wording was technically accurate but reasonably open to misreading. We rewrite the passage to remove the ambiguity and note what we clarified and why.
Update
New material information has emerged since publication — a regulatory action, a settled lawsuit, a company changing a fee structure. We add the new information and date-stamp the update.
Retraction
The article's central claim no longer stands. The piece remains accessible but is marked retracted at the top with an explanation of what was wrong and why a correction was not sufficient.
How to request a correction
Write to the Editorial Board with the article URL, the specific passage in question, and the primary source supporting the correction. Substantive requests are acknowledged within two business days. We resolve every request on the public record — either by publishing the revision or by explaining, in the same place, why we declined.
What we do not do
- Quiet edits without a revision log entry.
- Backdating revisions to the original publication date.
- Removing articles to settle complaints from companies we cover.
- Suppressing corrections from search results or the archive.
The integrity of the archive is the only asset a publication of this kind has. We treat it accordingly.