Editorial Policy

Stand Up For Southport

Last reviewed: August 2026

Our purpose

Stand Up For Southport exists to serve the people of Southport with accurate, independent, community-rooted journalism. We cover the town’s news, people, businesses, culture, arts, events, and civic life — and we believe that good local journalism is one of the most important things a community can have.

We are proud of Southport. That pride shapes how we cover the town — we look for the full story, we report what’s actually happening and we hold people and institutions to account. Being proud of a place is not the same as looking away from its problems.

Editorial independence

Stand Up For Southport’s editorial decisions are made independently by our editor, Andrew Brown, and the Stand Up For Southport team.

We are proud of our editorial independence. We are not part of a big media group and will work hard to progress the positive interests of Southport.

Stand Up For Southport has always been and will remain politically independent and does not endorse any political party. We will continue to cover local issues without fear or favour while offering platforms for local people to have their say on local issues.

This applies equally to organisations we have commercial relationships with. A business or organisation that advertises with us, buys our PR or social media services, or supports us through sponsorship has no entitlement to editorial coverage, favourable treatment, or editorial sign-off. Our commercial relationships and our editorial judgements are kept entirely separate.

Our editorial independence extends to any public funding we receive, including grants. Funders do not direct our coverage.

Accuracy

We aim to be accurate in everything we publish. We check facts before publication where it is possible to do so, and we correct errors promptly and transparently when we make them.

If you believe we have published something inaccurate, please contact us (see Complaints, below). We will investigate and, where we find an error, publish a correction as quickly as possible. Corrections are placed prominently — not buried.

Sources and verification

We identify our sources wherever possible. When a source is quoted anonymously, we will say why and we will have satisfied ourselves that the information is reliable.

We distinguish clearly between what we have verified and what is alleged, claimed, or reported by others. We do not publish as fact things we cannot stand behind.

We are transparent about how we obtained information. We do not use deception to gather information except in exceptional circumstances where there is a clear public interest and no other reasonable method is available.

Fairness and right of reply

When we report criticism of a person, organisation, or business, we will offer them a reasonable opportunity to respond before publication where it is practical to do so. We will represent their position fairly, whether or not they choose to respond.

We aim to give a fair hearing to different perspectives on matters of public debate. Being community-rooted does not mean taking sides in every local argument — it means reporting them honestly.

Separating editorial from commercial content

We clearly label all sponsored, paid-for, and advertorial content so that readers can distinguish it from our independent editorial coverage. Content produced in a commercial context — including promotional articles, sponsored posts, and content produced as part of our PR and marketing services for clients — will always be labelled as such.

Our news and editorial content is never produced, amended, or withheld in response to commercial pressure. If a business withdraws advertising because of our coverage, that will not change what we report.

Conflicts of interest

We disclose relevant conflicts of interest where they arise. If we are reporting on an organisation or event with which Stand Up For Southport or a member of our team has a significant commercial, personal or organisational relationship, we will say so.

Where a conflict of interest is significant enough to undermine impartial coverage, we will arrange for the story to be reported by someone without that conflict.

Privacy

We respect the privacy of individuals and will not publish personal information that is not in the legitimate public interest. We are particularly careful about the privacy of children, victims of crime, and people who have not sought a public profile.

We comply with UK data protection law in how we gather, store, and use personal information.

Vulnerable people and sensitive subjects

We approach stories involving vulnerable people, mental health, suicide, addiction, and trauma with care and compassion. We follow the relevant guidelines — including those of the Samaritans and MIND — when reporting on sensitive topics.

We will not identify the names of victims of sexual offences or children involved in criminal proceedings without their consent or a lawful basis for doing so.

Comments and reader contributions

We welcome reader contributions, letters, and guest pieces. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length and clarity. We do not publish content that is defamatory, unlawful or that incites hatred or harassment.

We do not operate an unmoderated comments section. Reader correspondence published on the site is always attributed.

Complaints

If you have a complaint about something we have published, we want to hear from you.

Please contact us at [email protected]with the subject line Editorial complaint, setting out what you believe is inaccurate, unfair, or otherwise in breach of this policy.

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and respond substantively as quickly as possible. If you are not satisfied with our response, we will explain what further steps are available to you.