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Express News — Editorial Guidelines

Published by Dateline Communications Private Limited Effective Date: 20 May 2026

Express News is a Bengali-language news service delivering television broadcast and digital news across West Bengal, Bangladesh, and beyond. These Editorial Guidelines set out the standards and values that govern our journalism across all platforms — our live channel, our website, our mobile application, and our presence on third-party platforms such as YouTube.

These guidelines exist to earn and keep the trust of our audience. Every journalist, editor, presenter, contributor, and freelancer working for or on behalf of Express News is expected to uphold them.

1. Our Mission and Editorial Independence

Express News is committed to providing accurate, fair, and timely news that helps our audience understand the events shaping their lives and their world. Our motto — "Questions that shape tomorrow" — reflects our belief that good journalism asks hard questions in the public interest.

Our editorial decisions are made by our newsroom on journalistic grounds alone. They are not dictated by advertisers, commercial partners, political interests, owners, or any other outside party. Where a story touches on the commercial or other interests of Dateline Communications Private Limited, we disclose that relationship to our audience.

2. Accuracy and Verification

Accuracy is the foundation of our credibility.

  • We make every reasonable effort to establish the truth of what we report before we broadcast or publish it.
  • We verify information against reliable, independent sources. Wherever practical, significant factual claims are confirmed by more than one source.
  • We do not present rumour, speculation, or unverified social media content as established fact. Where information is unconfirmed, we say so clearly.
  • We distinguish clearly between what we know, what we have been told, and what we are still confirming.
  • In fast-moving breaking-news situations, we report what we can confirm, attribute information to its source, and update our reporting as the facts become clearer. Speed never overrides accuracy.
  • Statistics, quotes, dates, names, and locations are checked for correctness before publication.

3. Fairness, Impartiality, and Balance

  • We report stories fairly and represent significant differing viewpoints, especially on matters of public controversy.
  • When our reporting makes allegations against a person or organisation, we make reasonable efforts to give them a fair opportunity to respond, and we reflect their response in our coverage.
  • We do not take sides in matters of party politics in our news output. Our role is to inform the public, not to campaign.
  • We are alert to our own assumptions and work to keep them out of our reporting.

4. Separation of News, Opinion, and Advertising

  • We clearly distinguish factual news reporting from analysis, commentary, and opinion. Opinion content is labelled as such.
  • Advertising, sponsored content, and paid promotions are clearly identified and kept separate from editorial content. Commercial considerations do not influence the selection or framing of news.

5. Sources and Attribution

  • We attribute information to its source so the audience can judge its reliability.
  • We use anonymous sources only when the information is of clear public interest, cannot reasonably be obtained another way, and the source has good reason to fear identification. Anonymity is approved by a senior editor.
  • We honour commitments of confidentiality to sources and protect their identity, in line with the ethical duty of journalists and applicable law.
  • We do not pay sources for information in ways that could compromise the integrity or accuracy of our reporting.

6. Visual and Video Integrity

As a video-first newsroom, we hold our footage and images to the same standard of truth as our words.

  • We do not stage, distort, or manipulate footage, images, or audio in ways that mislead the audience about what happened.
  • Archive, illustrative, or reconstructed material is clearly labelled as such.
  • Editing of interviews and footage preserves the original meaning and context; we do not edit to misrepresent what a person said or did.
  • Where we use material from third parties or user-generated sources, we verify its authenticity and origin before broadcast or publication.

7. Privacy, Sensitivity, and Harm

  • We respect individuals' privacy and intrude only where there is a clear public interest that justifies it.
  • We take particular care when reporting on grief, trauma, tragedy, and violence, avoiding gratuitous or sensationalised detail and imagery.
  • We protect the identity of children, victims of crime (especially sexual offences), and vulnerable people in line with the law and ethical practice.
  • We consider the potential for our reporting to cause harm — including incitement, panic, or risk to life — and weigh it against the public interest in disclosure.

8. Reporting Communal, Religious, and Sensitive Matters

Reporting across West Bengal, Bangladesh, and diverse communities carries particular responsibility.

  • We report on communal, religious, ethnic, and caste matters with care and accuracy, avoiding language or framing that could inflame tension or promote hatred.
  • We do not give a platform to content that incites violence or discrimination.
  • We follow the norms expected of responsible Indian news media, including the spirit of the Press Council of India's guidelines.

9. Conflicts of Interest

  • Our journalists avoid situations where personal, financial, political, or family interests could compromise — or appear to compromise — the integrity of their reporting.
  • Staff disclose to editors any interest that could create a real or perceived conflict, and remove themselves from coverage where appropriate.
  • We do not accept gifts, hospitality, or favours that could influence, or appear to influence, our reporting.

10. Originality and Plagiarism

  • Our journalism is our own. We do not plagiarise the work of other organisations or individuals.
  • When we draw on the reporting of others, we credit them.
  • We respect copyright and intellectual property in text, images, footage, and music.

11. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Express News uses artificial-intelligence tools in some parts of our workflow — for example, to assist with transcription, translation, research, formatting, captioning, or production efficiency. We use these tools responsibly and under human oversight:

  • Human accountability. A human editor is always responsible for the accuracy, fairness, and final approval of published content. AI does not have the final say.
  • Verification. Any factual material assisted or generated by AI is verified by our journalists before publication, to the same standard as any other source.
  • No fabrication. We do not use AI to create fabricated images, video, audio, or quotes that could mislead the audience. Where synthetic or AI-generated media is used for legitimate illustrative purposes, it is clearly labelled.
  • Transparency. Where AI use is material to how a story was produced, we are willing to be transparent about it.
  • Privacy and rights. We use AI tools in a manner consistent with our privacy obligations and with respect for intellectual property.

12. Corrections and Accountability

  • When we get something wrong, we correct it promptly, clearly, and transparently.
  • Significant corrections are acknowledged rather than quietly amended.
  • We are accountable to our audience and welcome scrutiny of our work.

13. Complaints

We take concerns about our journalism seriously. If you believe our coverage has fallen short of these guidelines, you can contact us:

Dateline Communications Private Limited Express Tower, R.B - 6, Street No. 31, Bengal Ambuja, Phase-II, City Center, Durgapur, Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal, India. Pincode - 713216

Email: support@datelinecommunications.com Website: expressnews.network

We aim to acknowledge complaints promptly and to respond fairly, investigating where appropriate and taking corrective action where our standards have not been met.

14. Review of These Guidelines

These Editorial Guidelines are reviewed periodically and updated to reflect evolving best practice, technology, and the law. The current version, with its effective date, is published on our website.