Editorial Standards
This page describes how AfroTech Horizon works. It exists so readers, sources and other journalists can hold us to a stated standard instead of taking our word for it.
How we choose stories
We commission on the basis of consequence, not announcement. A funding round is covered when the money changes something — a market, a hiring plan, a regulatory position — and not simply because a press release arrived. A company shutting down is as newsworthy as one raising, and frequently more useful to readers.
We do not run rewritten press releases. If a story originates with a company's own announcement, we say so in the article and we report beyond it.
Sourcing
Where a document, filing or dataset exists, we link to it so readers can check the claim themselves. Where a claim rests on a person, we name them. Numbers are traced to their origin rather than to the last publication that repeated them, and where we cannot verify a figure we either leave it out or say plainly that it is unverified.
Anonymity is granted only where the information could not be obtained any other way and the source faces a real risk in speaking. An editor always knows who the source is. We do not grant anonymity so someone can criticise a competitor without consequence.
Right of reply
Anyone facing criticism in a story is contacted before publication and given a reasonable window to respond. If they decline or do not reply, the article says so. We do not treat silence as agreement.
Sponsored content
Sponsored articles are labelled at the top of the page, in the article listing, and in the URL. They are written by the sponsor or by staff who do not cover that beat, never by the reporter responsible for the subject.
No advertiser sees editorial coverage before publication. No advertiser is told what we are working on. Buying advertising does not buy coverage, and withdrawing it does not stop coverage — a position that will occasionally cost us money and is not negotiable.
Conflicts of interest
Where a writer or editor holds equity in, advises, or has previously worked for a company under discussion, that relationship is disclosed in the article itself. Staff do not trade on information gathered in the course of reporting.
Artificial intelligence
Software may assist with transcription, research and structural editing. A named person writes, verifies and signs off everything published under a byline. We do not publish machine-generated text that no human has checked, and we do not use AI to generate quotes, images of real events, or data.
Any article carrying placeholder or draft text is marked as such on the page until it is replaced.
Corrections
We fix mistakes in public. The procedure, including how quickly we act and how a correction is recorded, is set out in our corrections policy.
Complaints
Send them through the contact form. Complaints about accuracy are handled by an editor, never by the writer being complained about. If our answer does not satisfy you, say so and it goes to the senior editor, whose decision is final at our end.