Corrections Policy

THE DEEP FILES
Investigations • Documents • Evidence

Last Updated: 23 September 2026

1. Our Commitment to Accuracy

Accuracy is fundamental to the work of THE DEEP FILES.

Our investigations may involve complex documents, corporate records, court proceedings, regulatory materials, scientific publications, correspondence, interviews, digital evidence, historical records, and conflicting accounts.

Despite careful research and verification, errors can occur.

When a material factual error is demonstrated, we are committed to correcting it transparently and appropriately.

We defend accurate reporting, and we correct inaccurate reporting.

2. What Qualifies as a Correction?

A correction may be appropriate when published material contains a demonstrable factual error.

Examples may include an incorrect:

Name;
Date;
Number or financial figure;
Quotation;
Job title or professional position;
Corporate relationship;
Description of a document;
Timeline event;
Attribution;
Legal or regulatory status; or
Other material factual statement.

The appropriate response depends on the nature, significance, and potential impact of the error.

3. What Does Not Automatically Require a Correction?

A correction is not automatically required merely because:

A person or organization disagrees with our reporting;
A subject disputes an interpretation;
A company objects to an investigation;
A lawyer sends a complaint or demand;
An allegation remains disputed;
A source changes its position;
New information becomes available after publication;
A reader disagrees with our analysis;
A party prefers different wording; or
An investigation raises questions that remain unresolved.

A challenge to published material will be assessed on the available evidence.

Where our original reporting remains factually supported, THE DEEP FILES may maintain the original publication while adding relevant responses, clarification, or subsequent developments where editorially appropriate.

4. Corrections, Clarifications and Updates

THE DEEP FILES distinguishes between several types of editorial changes.

Correction

A Correction addresses a factual error in the original publication.

Where the error is material, we may identify what was incorrect and provide the corrected information.

Clarification

A Clarification may be added when the original information was not necessarily incorrect but could reasonably be misunderstood or requires additional context.

Update

An Update adds significant information that became available after publication.

An update does not necessarily mean the original article was inaccurate.

Editor’s Note

An Editor’s Note may be used where significant context concerning the article, evidence, methodology, dispute, legal development, or editorial history should be explained to readers.

5. Material Corrections

Where a correction materially affects the meaning or understanding of an investigation, THE DEEP FILES seeks to make the correction transparent.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Correcting the relevant text;
Adding a correction notice;
Identifying the nature of the original error;
Recording the date of the correction; and
Explaining significant changes where appropriate.

We do not seek to silently rewrite material errors in a manner that conceals the fact that a significant correction occurred.

Minor typographical, grammatical, formatting, or stylistic changes that do not materially affect meaning may be corrected without a formal correction notice.

6. New Evidence After Publication

Investigative journalism develops as new information emerges.

After publication, THE DEEP FILES may receive:

New documents;
Additional evidence;
Responses from subjects;
Court decisions;
Regulatory findings;
Scientific developments;
Corporate disclosures; or
Information from additional sources.

New information does not necessarily mean the original reporting was incorrect.

Where appropriate, we may update the existing article, add an editor’s note, publish a follow-up investigation, or link the original article to subsequent reporting.

7. Right of Reply After Publication

A person, company, institution, or organization mentioned in an investigation may submit a substantive response after publication.

Late responses will be reviewed on their merits.

Where the response provides material information relevant to the investigation, THE DEEP FILES may:

Add the response or relevant portions to the article;
Summarize the position;
Link to a response;
Publish a separate update;
Correct information demonstrated to be inaccurate; or
Take no editorial action where the response does not materially affect the accuracy or context of the publication.

Failure to respond before publication is not treated as an admission of wrongdoing.

8. Requests to Remove Content

THE DEEP FILES does not automatically remove accurate reporting because it later becomes inconvenient, embarrassing, commercially undesirable, or disputed.

Requests for removal will be considered according to the circumstances, including:

Accuracy;
Public interest;
Privacy;
Applicable law;
Subsequent legal developments;
Safety concerns;
The rights of affected individuals;
The historical and journalistic value of the material; and
Any other relevant circumstances.

Where an article remains accurate but subsequent developments materially change its context, an update may be more appropriate than deletion.

9. Legal Proceedings and Subsequent Outcomes

Where an investigation discusses criminal, civil, administrative, or regulatory proceedings, significant subsequent outcomes may warrant an update.

For example, relevant developments may include:

Charges being dismissed;
Acquittal;
Conviction;
Settlement;
Reversal on appeal;
Withdrawal of allegations;
Closure of a regulatory investigation;
A regulatory finding;
A court judgment; or
Other material procedural developments.

THE DEEP FILES seeks to avoid leaving materially outdated information in a form that creates a misleading impression about the current status of a significant matter.

10. Source Corrections

If a source used in an investigation later corrects or withdraws information, THE DEEP FILES will assess the effect on our reporting.

We will not automatically delete reporting merely because a source changes its account.

Instead, we may examine:

The original evidence;
Supporting documentation;
Independent corroboration;
The reason for the change;
Other available sources; and
Whether the correction or withdrawal materially affects our conclusions.

Appropriate editorial action will depend on the evidence.

11. Corrections Involving Third-Party Information

An investigation may accurately report what another person, company, court filing, regulator, scientific paper, or other source stated.

If the underlying statement was subsequently corrected or disputed, we will consider whether our reporting requires an update or clarification.

Accurately reporting that a claim was made is different from independently asserting that the claim is true.

12. Artificial Intelligence and Corrections

THE DEEP FILES may use artificial intelligence as an editorial and research support tool.

AI involvement does not reduce our responsibility for material factual errors that reach publication.

If AI-assisted research, translation, transcription, summarization, organization, or language processing contributes to a material published error, the error will be assessed under the same correction standards as any other editorial error.

AI output is not treated as authoritative evidence merely because it was generated by an AI system.

13. Investigation Evidence

A correction request should, where possible, identify the specific statement being challenged and provide evidence supporting the requested correction.

Useful supporting materials may include:

Original documents;
Court records;
Regulatory records;
Corporate filings;
Official correspondence;
Complete recordings;
Scientific publications;
Verifiable data; or
Other relevant primary evidence.

Unsupported demands for removal or generalized statements that an article is “false” may not provide sufficient information to establish a factual error.

14. How to Request a Correction

Correction requests should be sent to:

contact@thedeepfiles.com

Please include, where possible:

The title of the article or investigation;
The URL of the publication;
The specific statement believed to be inaccurate;
An explanation of the alleged error;
The proposed correct information;
Supporting evidence or documents; and
Contact information for follow-up where appropriate.

Clearly identifying the disputed statement helps us review requests efficiently.

15. Review of Correction Requests

THE DEEP FILES will assess substantive correction requests based on the evidence available.

Submitting a correction request does not guarantee that an article will be modified or removed.

Where additional verification is necessary, we may seek further documentation, review original sources, contact relevant parties, or conduct additional research before determining whether editorial action is warranted.

The objective is not to favor the publication or the complainant.

The objective is to determine what the evidence supports.

16. Abusive or Manipulative Requests

THE DEEP FILES reserves the right to distinguish legitimate correction requests from attempts to intimidate, harass, manipulate, overwhelm, or improperly interfere with independent journalism.

The existence of commercial pressure, reputational concerns, legal threats, coordinated complaints, or repeated demands does not itself determine whether reporting should be changed.

At the same time, a complaint will not be disregarded merely because it is strongly worded or submitted through legal representatives.

Evidence determines whether a factual correction is warranted.

17. Correction Record

Where appropriate, material corrections may include a notice such as:

Correction — [Date]: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated [brief description]. The article has been corrected to reflect [correct information].

For significant updates:

Update — [Date]: This investigation has been updated to include [brief description of new development].

For clarification:

Clarification — [Date]: This article has been clarified to provide additional context concerning [subject].

The wording and level of detail may vary according to the circumstances.

18. Our Standard

Our corrections policy is based on four principles:

Accuracy over pride.
Evidence over pressure.
Transparency over silent alteration.
The historical record over convenient rewriting.

THE DEEP FILES will defend reporting that remains supported by evidence.

When we are materially wrong, we will correct it.

When new evidence changes the story, we will seek to reflect that development.

And when disagreement does not establish an error, we will not describe it as one.

Contact

THE DEEP FILES
The Hague, Netherlands

Corrections & Editorial:
contact@thedeepfiles.com

Website:
thedeepfiles.com