Editorial Policy

Last updated: 26 September 2026 · Applies to nirnaytv.com and NIRNAY TV on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and all other platforms.

On this page:

1. Who is responsible
2. Our principles
3. How we choose stories
4. How we check facts
5. Sources
6. Fairness and right of reply
7. Headlines, photos, video and AI
8. Crime, courts and children
9. Suicide, disasters and sensitive events
10. Elections and politics
11. Advertising and sponsored content
12. Conflicts of interest and privacy
13. Corrections and updates
14. Complaints and grievance officer

1. Who is responsible

NIRNAY TV is an Odia-language digital news publisher. Every story, video, post and headline is approved by the NIRNAY TV Editorial Desk. The Editor has final responsibility for what we publish. This policy applies to all our staff, reporters, stringers, video editors, social media producers and outside contributors.

2. Our principles

• Accuracy: getting it right matters more than being first.
• Independence: no government, party, advertiser or owner decides our news judgement.
• Fairness: we give people a chance to respond before we publish serious claims about them.
• Public interest: we report what people need to know, not just what gets clicks.
• Humanity: we treat victims, families and communities with respect.
• Accountability: we explain our decisions and correct our errors.

3. How we choose stories

We give priority to news that affects people in Odisha: government decisions, public services, safety, weather, farming, jobs, education, health, prices, culture and local issues that bigger outlets miss. We also cover important India and world news. We ask: Does this matter to our readers? Is it true? Is it fair? We do not report on people’s private lives unless there is a clear public interest.

4. How we check facts

• Go to the source. We rely on official documents, orders, FIRs, court records, data and direct statements wherever possible.
• Two sources for serious claims. Allegations of crime, corruption or wrongdoing need at least two independent sources or a primary document.
• Viral videos and photos. Before using them, we check who made them, when and where (including reverse image search). If we cannot verify them, we either don’t publish them or clearly say “this video could not be independently verified”.
• Numbers. Deaths, injuries and other figures are attributed to officials and updated as they change.
• Breaking news. We publish only what is confirmed, mark the story as developing, and update it with the time of each update.
• Social media posts. We check that an account really belongs to the person or office before quoting it.

Read more in our Fact Check Policy.

5. Sources

• We prefer named, on-record sources and tell you who said what.
• We use anonymous sources only when the information is important, the source would face real harm if named, and the Editor knows who the source is. We tell readers why the source was not named.
• We protect confidential sources.
• We never pay for news or interviews.
• Press releases are clearly attributed and are not presented as our own reporting.

6. Fairness and right of reply

• Before publishing a serious allegation against a person or organisation, we make a genuine effort to contact them and include their response. If they do not reply, we say so, and we add their response later if it comes.
• News and opinion are kept separate. Opinion, analysis and commentary are clearly labelled.
• We use neutral words. We do not call anyone guilty before a court decides.

7. Headlines, photos, video and AI

• Headlines and thumbnails must match the story. No clickbait, no misleading images, no exaggeration.
• We do not edit photos or videos in ways that change their meaning. Old or file footage is labelled “file photo” or “file video”.
• We credit photos and videos made by others and respect copyright.
• We may use AI tools for tasks like transcription or translation, but a human editor checks everything before it is published. We never publish AI-generated fake quotes, people or events as real. AI-generated or AI-altered images are clearly labelled.

8. Crime, courts and children

• Anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We use words like “accused” and “alleged”.
• We never reveal the name, photo, address, school or any detail that could identify a survivor of rape or sexual assault (Section 72, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), or a child who is a victim, witness or accused in a legal case (POCSO Act and Juvenile Justice Act).
• We follow court orders and do not speculate in ways that could affect a fair trial.
• We do not show dead bodies, graphic injuries or violence. Such images are blurred or not used.

9. Suicide, disasters and sensitive events

• Suicide: we follow Press Council of India guidelines. We do not describe methods, show photos of the scene or suicide notes, or sensationalise the story. Where relevant, we share help: Tele-MANAS national mental health helpline 14416 (free, 24×7).
• Disasters and cyclones: we share official information from IMD, OSDMA and the district administration, avoid causing panic, and do not run commercial sponsorship on disaster coverage.
• Communal or caste tension: we avoid provocative language and rumours, verify every claim, and do not identify communities in a way that could inflame violence.

10. Elections and politics

• We cover all parties and candidates fairly. We do not accept “paid news”, meaning money or favours in exchange for coverage.
• Political advertisements are clearly labelled and, during elections, need pre-certification from the Election Commission’s Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC).
• We follow Election Commission rules, including restrictions before polling and on exit polls.

11. Advertising and sponsored content

• Our news team decides what is news. Our ad team has no say in news coverage, and advertisers never see or approve stories before they are published.
• Every ad is labelled “Advertisement” and every paid post is labelled “Sponsored”. We never present an ad as news.
• We refuse misleading, illegal or harmful ads. See Advertise With Us for our ad rules.

12. Conflicts of interest and privacy

• Staff must tell the Editor about any personal, family, business or political interest in a story, and must not cover it.
• We do not accept gifts, money or favours that could influence coverage. Details of who owns and funds NIRNAY TV are on our Ownership & Funding page.
• We respect privacy. We do not publish personal phone numbers, home addresses or private information unless there is a strong public interest. Hidden cameras or recordings are used only in exceptional public-interest cases approved by the Editor.
• On their personal social media, staff must not share unverified information or behave in a way that damages trust in our reporting.

13. Corrections and updates

• When we get something wrong, we fix it quickly and add a note at the end of the story saying what was corrected and when.
• We do not quietly delete stories to hide mistakes. Content is removed only for legal reasons, safety, or a court or government order.
• Found an error? Tell us through Contact Us. Full details are in our Corrections Policy.

14. Complaints and grievance officer

NIRNAY TV follows the Code of Ethics for digital news publishers under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and the Norms of Journalistic Conduct of the Press Council of India.

Please include the link to the story, what you think is wrong, and any evidence. We treat every complaint seriously and fairly.

Related policies

Ethics Policy · Fact Check Policy · Corrections Policy · Ownership & Funding · About Us · Contact Us

We review this policy every year, or sooner if the law or our work changes.