This policy sets out the standards that every PCMC24 journalist and editor follows. It applies to all our content in Marathi, English and Hindi.

Accuracy and verification

  • We confirm facts with official records, documents or people with direct knowledge before publishing.

  • Claims that could harm someone’s reputation are checked with at least two independent sources, and we ask the person or organisation concerned for a response.

  • We say clearly when information is unconfirmed, and we update the story when it is confirmed or disproved.

  • Reader submissions are treated as tips and are verified by our reporters before we use them.

Independence

Editors make our news decisions — not advertisers, sponsors, owners or political groups. Journalists must declare any conflict of interest and step away from stories where one exists. We do not accept payment or gifts in return for coverage.

Fairness and right of reply

People and organisations criticised in our reporting get a fair opportunity to respond, and we publish their response or say that they did not reply. People accused of crimes are described as accused: we attribute police and court statements and never present allegations as proven facts.

Protecting the vulnerable

As Indian law requires, we do not reveal the identity of survivors of sexual offences or of children involved in legal proceedings, whether by name, photograph, address or any other identifying detail. We take particular care when reporting on suicide, mental health and communal tension.

Sources and attribution

We name our sources whenever possible and tell readers where information comes from. We use anonymous sources only when there is no other way to report information of public importance, and an editor must know who the source is. When we follow up reports by other publications we credit them and write our own story; we never copy their text or photographs.

Use of AI and automation

We use AI tools to help with translation between Marathi, English and Hindi, summaries, headline suggestions and research. AI never publishes on its own: every AI-assisted draft or translation is reviewed, corrected and approved by an editor, who is accountable for it. We do not use AI to create realistic images of news events.

Photographs and video

We publish photographs taken by our staff, official handouts, licensed images and reader contributions shared with permission. Every image is credited. We do not alter news photographs beyond basic adjustments such as cropping and brightness.

Sponsored content and advertising

Sponsored stories and advertisements are always clearly labelled and kept separate from our journalism. Our Advertising Policy has the details.

Updates and corrections

When a story changes materially after publication we show the time of the update. We correct errors openly, as explained in our Corrections Policy.