The Evening Times joins a campaign to fight fake news

In the past 12 months there has barely been a single global event – including the election of the President of the United States – that has not been infected by the suggestion that fabricated information designed to deceive had been circulated via social media.

The role of independent newspapers such as the Evening Times to report and explain the issues in an entirely neutral, honest and balanced way has never been more important.

At the Evening Times we seek to:

Provide trusted news

Campaign on behalf of our communities

Expose wrongdoing

lEnsure that the voice of residents and the business community is heard with clarity and authority

Fake news takes many forms and operates at several levels.

At its most extreme, it comprises maliciously contrived statements which are cynically distributed in the guise of real news with the aim of deceiving for political or financial gain.

More frequently, it is an unsubstantiated rumour indiscriminately posted on social media sites which rapidly gains credence, to the distress of those featured in it and the alarm of all who read it. Repetition through ‘shares’ and ‘likes’ adds an undeserved authority.

Global social media conglomerates sit outside all normal regulation that holds traditional media to account and they are often immune from legal action.

Unlike social media and major digital platforms, this newspaper and its website are accountable for every single word we publish.

We have signed up to a comprehensive Editors’ Code of Practice and we and all our staff have contractually bound themselves to its requirements.

This code encompasses everything from accuracy to privacy, harassment, intrusion into grief or shock, protecting children, reporting crime, and the use of clandestine devices and subterfuge.

It is explicit in the sensitivity we show in reporting suicides and protecting the most vulnerable in society, not least the victims of sexual assault.

As a result, virtually all the content that we generate ourselves is produced by journalists trained to the highest industry benchmarks. These reporters are qualified in a range of skills – from newspaper law and ethics to shorthand, to ensure we get every quote right.

Every story they write is checked by qualified, senior experts and if we do make a genuine mistake, you can contact us immediately – we are real people, based in Glasgow, living in our shared communities. We’re not some digital algorithm.

We are passionate and professional about the way in which we hold decision makers to account, represent our city, and provide news and information that is suitable for whole families.

We are honest brokers of local information, upholding the values that you share with us, seeking always to do the right thing no matter how difficult that can sometimes be in fast changing times.

That all costs money. When you buy our paper you are supporting the very journalism and quality that keeps integrity at the heart of all we do.

We make a real difference. As a consequence of stories we have run, streets have been cleaned up, potholes filled-in, services improved and citizens better served by public agencies.

This newspaper has been in existence since 1870 and has been a catalyst for social change, the conscience of our community and the defender of its truth.

Our masthead and title piece are hallmarks for our core value.

With pride, we provide trusted news and thanks to the tireless diligence of our editorial staff you can be confident that our stories are what they purport to be: the genuine article.

Fact – not fake.