Editorial policy

Sourcing

We prefer primary material. That means DGSM licence and cadastre records, statements and reports from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, parliamentary papers and committee minutes, company filings and audited figures, and interviews carried out in the districts we write about.

Where a story rests on reporting by another publication, we name that publication in the text and link to it. Readers should always be able to reach the original.

Company material

Companies routinely send us announcements. We treat them as claims, not findings. When an article draws on company material, the copy attributes it plainly, for example 'the company says' or 'according to the operator', and we note where a figure has not been independently verified.

We do not publish supplied text as our own reporting, and we do not accept payment for coverage.

Verification

Numbers on production, employment, investment and licence status are checked against a second source where one exists. Where we cannot verify a figure, we either leave it out or say clearly that it is unverified.

Photographs used to illustrate general subjects are marked as illustrative and are not presented as documentary records of a named site or event.

Right of reply

Anyone criticised in our reporting is offered a chance to respond before publication where that is practical, and afterwards where it is not. Replies are added to the article rather than buried elsewhere.

Corrections

We correct errors of fact promptly. A material correction is noted on the article itself with the date, so readers can see what changed. Substantive updates to a continuing story are marked with a 'last updated' date rather than being made silently.

To report an error, write to corrections@ugandamineraltrust.com with the article title and the specific line.

Conflicts of interest

Contributors do not hold positions in, or accept work from, companies they cover, and they declare any prior relationship to the editor before taking an assignment. Travel and access arranged by a company is disclosed in the article.

Language and style

We write in British English. We use plain language, avoid promotional adjectives, and keep the distinction between what has been reported, what has been claimed and what has been established.