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Editorial standards

Conflict-of-Interest Policy

When a reporter or editor has a stake in a story, we tell you.

Why we disclose

A reporter's financial stake, family relationship, prior employment, paid engagement, or advocacy role can shape a story without the reader ever knowing. The disclosure block on the article tells you what was declared. The newsroom's job is to manage the conflict (independent editor, recusal, or — if the conflict is fundamental — assigning the story to someone else); the reader's job is to know.

What we disclose

Every category in the table below carries a severity tier. High-severity conflicts (financial, familial, paid engagement) require a reader-facing explanation of how the conflict was managed — the publish gate enforces this.

a financial stake

High
financial_stake
Reader-facing disclosure required

a family or personal relationship

High
family_relationship
Reader-facing disclosure required

a paid speaking or consulting engagement

High
paid_engagement
Reader-facing disclosure required

recent employment with a subject

Medium
recent_employment
Reader-facing disclosure required

an advocacy or activism role

Medium
advocacy_role
Reader-facing disclosure required

prior employment with a subject

Low
prior_employment

a professional association membership

Low
professional_association

another conflict (see disclosure)

Medium
other
Reader-facing disclosure required

When we recuse

  • An author cannot cover a story about an organisation in which they hold equity worth more than ₹10 lakh.
  • An author cannot cover a story about an immediate family member.
  • An author who has been paid for advisory work by a subject within the past 12 months cannot cover that subject.
  • Editors who have any of the above conflicts hand the story to another editor before assigning, sub-editing, or publishing.

If we get it wrong

If you believe an article missed a conflict of interest disclosure, or you think a disclosure misrepresents the nature of the conflict, please tell us at /editorial/complaint. The Reader's Editor will review and publish a response within our standard SLA.

Aligned with: BBC Editorial Guideline #15 · IPSO Editors' Code Clause 1 · Reuters Trust Principles · Press Council of India Norms #11. Vocabulary maintained at config/coi_disclosure_kinds.php. Last reviewed: May 2026.