This page is the standing order that every article on the site is written against. It covers what counts as a source, what an editor has to check before a piece publishes, how we fix mistakes, and where AI is and is not allowed near the copy. If an article ever drifts from these rules, the error is ours and we will correct it.
What we cover
Trending Sheet writes for people living in the UK. The remit is household impact: money, energy, housing, benefits, tax, strikes, transport, health, consumer rights, weather disruption, and the policy decisions that move any of those. Anything a reader will feel in their bank account or their week sits inside the lane. Anything that does not, does not.
The source hierarchy
Every fact in every article has to attach to a named source. We work down this order:
- Primary sources. A gov.uk page, the originating regulator or department, or the body that actually made the decision: HM Treasury, HMRC, the Bank of England, the Office for National Statistics, Ofgem, Ofcom, the Financial Conduct Authority, the NHS, Transport for London, National Rail, the relevant local authority.
- Tier-1 UK wire and mastheads. BBC News, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, Sky News, the Financial Times, The Times, Press Association.
- Direct statements on the record. Named company statements, named union statements, named MP or spokesperson statements, court filings and judgments.
A fact that does not attach to one of those does not appear in the article. If a claim only lives in a secondary aggregator or a press release summary we cannot locate the primary for, the claim is cut or the paragraph is rewritten against what we can stand behind.
What an editor checks before sign-off
- Every number in the piece matches the number in the primary source, including units, date ranges, and geographic scope.
- Every name, title, and date is spelled and formatted correctly against the primary source.
- Every quote is verbatim and attributed to a real named person or organisation.
- Where a figure is a forecast, estimate, or analyst consensus rather than a confirmed number, it is labelled as such in the copy.
- Where two credible sources conflict, both are named and the disagreement is explained in the article rather than smoothed over.
- The sources block at the bottom of the article lists every source used, with outbound links.
AI policy
A person writes the article. AI tools are permitted for copy editing and for generating illustrative imagery and short-form video narration. AI is not permitted to write the draft, select the story, verify facts, or generate opinion. The full breakdown lives on the AI and Editorial Disclosure page.
YMYL topics
Articles that touch health, tax, benefits, pensions, investments, or the law are Your-Money-Your-Life territory. On those, the editor works line by line against the authoritative source (NHS pages, HMRC guidance, the DWP benefits calculators, the Money Helper service, the FCA register, the Citizens Advice guidance) and does not publish anything that reads like advice. We report what a policy says and links to where a reader can get help. We do not tell a reader what to do with their own money, body, or legal position.
Anonymous sources
We do not base a story on an anonymous source unless the information is in the public interest, there is a good reason the source cannot be named, and the material has been independently corroborated. When we use an anonymous source, the article says so and explains why.
Right of reply
If we run a piece that names a person, a business, or an organisation in a way they take issue with, they can respond on the record. Send the response to the contact email below and we will either add the response to the article, amend the article, or run a follow-up, depending on what the facts need.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we want to know. We will correct the copy, add a correction note dated at the bottom of the article explaining what changed, and if the error was material we will flag it at the top of the piece. We do not silently edit published work.
To flag an error or send a right-of-reply request, use the Contact page.
Independence and advertising
Trending Sheet is independently owned. The site carries display advertising through Google AdSense and, on the newsletter, sponsorships through Beehiiv. Advertisers, sponsors, and AdSense have no say in what we cover or how we frame a story. Any sponsored placement in the main feed or the newsletter is labelled as sponsored. We do not accept payment for favourable coverage and we do not take down accurate stories on request.
Author accountability
Articles are signed off by a named editor. Where a piece uses the institutional byline Trending Sheet Editorial, that means the responsible editor for that piece has reviewed and approved it against this standard. The editor responsible for a given article is accountable for that article.