How we work

How we write

• We write in British English, in short sentences and in the active voice.
• We lead with the news: who, what, when and where come first.
• Our headlines are specific and tell the truth about the story. We do not use clickbait.
• Every statistic carries its source and its date.
• We use "British Somali" as our default term. For an individual, we follow the wording that person or their council uses, such as "Somali heritage" or "Somali origin".
• We describe someone as "the first" only when an official source says so. Otherwise, we say who made the claim.
• We spell out every acronym the first time we use it.

How we check

• Every factual claim must be traceable to a named, credible source: official statements, council and court records, Hansard, Office for National Statistics and Home Office data, and established news outlets.
• Anything sensitive or contested needs two independent sources.
• Social media posts and forums can be leads. They are never sources on their own.
• We make clear what is confirmed, what is reported and what is alleged.
• Where official data does not record Somalis as a category, we say so plainly. We never present an estimate as a fact.

The lines we will not cross

• Courts. Once someone is arrested or charged, we publish nothing that could prejudice a fair trial. We report the public record, say "charged with", and make no comment on evidence or guilt.
• Elections. We never publish a false statement of fact about a candidate. We criticise only quoted, attributed conduct and rhetoric. We endorse no party or candidate, and we hold every party to the same standard.
• Fairness to people. We do not state or imply wrongdoing by a named person or organisation without solid evidence. Opinion is clearly labelled and based on true facts.
• Victims. We never identify victims of sexual offences, and we treat every victim with dignity and equal weight.
• Children. We do not identify anyone under 18 involved in legal proceedings or sensitive stories.
• Terrorism and extremism. We report factually, never amplify propaganda and never blame a whole community or faith.
• Mental health and suicide. We follow the Samaritans media guidelines.
• Privacy. We do not publish private individuals' addresses, personal details or private messages, and we name private individuals only with their consent.
• Safety. Contributors may choose to remain anonymous, and we will never reveal their identity without consent.

Dates on our articles

Each article carries the date of the event it responds to. Some pieces in our launch archive were published after that date. Each was written as it would have been on the day, and contains nothing that could not have been known then. We never claim to have taken an action at the time that we did not take.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we correct it promptly and in public. Every correction is added as a dated note at the foot of the article concerned, so readers can see what changed and when.

To report an error, email info@britishspac.org.uk with the article's headline, what you believe is wrong and, where you can, a source.

Corrections log: no corrections have been published to date.

Independence

BSPAC is a publication, not a representative body, a charity or a campaign. We do not do clan politics, conspiracy or party endorsements. And our solidarity is never selective: if we condemn hatred against Somalis, we condemn antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and every other prejudice in the same terms.