Our standards

How we source and verify

We start from documents, records and on-the-record accounts, not from rumour. Every claim in a published piece is checked against at least one source we can point to, and traced back to where it first appeared. Where we could not verify something, we say so in the piece rather than dropping it quietly or asserting it anyway.

Evidence, shown where it's safe

Wherever it can be done without putting anyone at risk, we publish the document, dataset or record behind a claim alongside the article, not just a description of it. Where a source can't be shown — because it would expose a person, a method, or an ongoing thread — we say it is held on file rather than pretend it doesn't exist.

Protecting sources

People take real risks to bring us information, some of them inside Iran. We keep identifying details out of a story wherever a source asks us to, and a byline is left off a piece where putting a reporter's name on it would endanger them. We do not promise a technology we haven't built; we promise a policy we follow on every piece.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we fix it in public. A correction is printed on the article itself, with the date and exactly what changed — never edited away without a trace. If you believe something we published is wrong, tell us at contact@ashaarchives.com with what you think is incorrect and, where you can, what shows it. We read every message.

Right of reply

Anyone named in our reporting who believes something is wrong can write to contact@ashaarchives.com. We will review it and publish corrections or responses where warranted.

Independence

ASHA Archives reports independently of ĀSHA Collective, the shop, and of ASHA Initiative, the non-profit. Coverage decisions are not made to help sell a product or support a fundraising claim, and we do not report on our own sister ventures as if we were a neutral outside outlet.

Images and illustrations

Photographs show real people and places. Where we use an illustration rather than a photograph — including illustrations made with AI — it is labelled as an illustration, not presented as documentary evidence of an event.

No paid content

Nothing on ASHA Archives is paid for by its subject. We do not run sponsored or paid-for coverage, and we do not accept payment for what we do or do not report.