SCENE 49 Editorial Standards
SCENE 49 is an independent Canadian entertainment and culture publication covering film and television,
music, books and publishing, comedy, theatre, performing arts, festivals and events, and the people and
ideas shaping Canadian culture.
Our purpose is to provide accurate, fair and useful journalism about the artists, creators, organizations, productions, cultural institutions, events and issues we cover.
We believe journalism carries a responsibility to the public. That responsibility applies whether a story concerns a major production, a well-known artist, a small arts organization, an independent creator, a publisher, a venue or an individual contributor.
These standards apply to SCENE 49's owner, editor, reporters, freelancers, photographers and regular contributors. They guide our original reporting, editing, photography, commentary, submitted material and use of information from other sources.
No policy can anticipate every editorial decision. When circumstances are not specifically addressed here, we will apply the principles of accuracy, fairness, independence, transparency, proportionality and public interest.
Accuracy
Accuracy is the foundation of our journalism.
We make reasonable efforts to verify information before publication. The level of verification required depends on the nature of the information, the reliability of its source, the seriousness of the claim and the potential consequences of getting it wrong.
We check names, dates, locations, titles, quotations, figures and other verifiable details. Whenever reasonably possible, we consult original documents, direct participants and knowledgeable sources rather than relying entirely on summaries or secondhand accounts.
Speed does not excuse avoidable inaccuracy. In a developing situation, we may publish what has been reliably confirmed while clearly identifying what remains uncertain. We will update the story as credible new information becomes available.
We distinguish between:
facts we have independently verified;
information attributed to a source or document;
allegations that have not been proven;
analysis or interpretation;
and opinion.
Press releases, government statements, police announcements, social-media posts and statements from organizations are sources of information. They are not automatically treated as independent proof of every claim they contain.
Headlines, photographs, captions, social-media posts and promotional descriptions must accurately reflect the journalism they accompany. A technically accurate headline should not create a substantially misleading impression.
Verification of digital material
Information found online is subject to the same standards as information obtained elsewhere.
Before relying on photographs, videos, social-media posts or other digital material, we consider:
who originally created or posted it;
when and where it was created;
whether it has been altered or taken out of context;
whether the account or source is authentic;
and whether other evidence supports what it appears to show.
The fact that material is publicly available online does not necessarily mean it is accurate, ethically appropriate to republish or free from copyright restrictions.
Fairness
Fairness requires more than repeating competing statements. It requires presenting significant facts and perspectives honestly, in proportion to the available evidence.
People and organizations facing serious criticism or allegations will ordinarily be given a reasonable opportunity to respond before publication. We will provide enough information about the criticism for them to respond meaningfully.
The amount of time allowed for a response will depend on the urgency of the story, the complexity of the allegations and the person's reasonable availability. We will not allow a source to indefinitely prevent publication by refusing to respond.
When someone declines to comment, cannot be reached or does not respond by the publication deadline, we may say so. We keep reasonable records of attempts to obtain responses.
When an important response arrives after publication, we will consider whether the story should be updated.
Fairness does not require us to treat every claim as equally credible. We will not create false balance by presenting unsupported assertions as equivalent to established evidence.
People who are the subjects of journalism do not have a general right to approve a story before publication. In some cases, we may check a technical passage, chronology or specific fact with a knowledgeable source. This does not give that source editorial control.
Independence
SCENE 49 makes editorial decisions independently.
Advertisers, sponsors, governments, political parties, public officials, businesses, arts organizations, publishers, promoters, donors and sources do not determine what we report or how we report it.
Buying advertising or sponsored content does not entitle anyone to favourable news coverage, advance notice of unrelated stories, approval of independent reporting or removal of accurate information.
SCENE 49 may report critically on an advertiser, sponsor, production, organization or individual with which it has a business relationship. Editorial decisions are based on newsworthiness, evidence and public interest.
Acceptance of government, foundation or journalism-program funding will be publicly disclosed when appropriate. Funding will not give the funding body control over individual editorial decisions.
Conflicts of interest
Journalists and contributors must avoid conflicts that could improperly influence their work or reasonably undermine public confidence in it.
Potential conflicts may involve:
personal or family relationships;
employment or business relationships;
financial interests;
political activity;
membership in an organization being covered;
public advocacy concerning the subject of a story;
gifts, travel, discounts or services;
or any expectation of personal benefit.
Relevant conflicts must be disclosed to the editor before an assignment is accepted. Depending on the circumstances, the journalist may be removed from the story, additional reporting or editing safeguards may be used, or a disclosure may be included for readers.
The owner and editor of SCENE 49 is subject to the same principle. A material personal, financial or organizational connection to the subject of a story will be disclosed when it is relevant to readers' assessment of the journalism.
We do not use information obtained through journalism for improper personal, political or financial advantage.
Community relationships
Journalists covering Canadian arts and entertainment frequently know the people and organizations they cover. Familiarity with a creative community can improve reporting, but it can also create pressure to avoid difficult stories or favour familiar sources.
SCENE 49 will not withhold legitimate journalism solely because the subject is a friend, colleague, advertiser, source, industry contact or acquaintance.
Where a personal or professional relationship is substantial enough to affect, or reasonably appear to affect, editorial independence, it will be disclosed to the editor and handled in accordance with our conflict-of-interest standards.
At the same time, coverage should not become needlessly adversarial. We will scrutinize public decisions and claims while treating sources, subjects and readers with basic respect.
Criticism of our reporting will not affect whether a person or organization receives fair future coverage.
Gifts, travel and hospitality
SCENE 49 does not accept gifts or benefits that could reasonably be understood as payment for coverage or an attempt to influence journalism.
Incidental refreshments, routine access to public events and items of negligible value may be accepted when refusal would be impractical or discourteous and no editorial obligation is created.
Travel, accommodation or other substantial assistance provided by a source or organization must be disclosed to the editor. When accepting such assistance is necessary to report a story, that support may be disclosed to readers.
Review copies, screeners, tickets and media access
Entertainment and culture journalism routinely involves advance or complimentary access to creative work and events.
SCENE 49 may accept review copies of books, advance screeners, music, press tickets, festival accreditation, media passes and similar access when they are provided for legitimate journalistic purposes.
Providing access does not guarantee coverage, favourable coverage or a positive review.
Artists, studios, publishers, promoters, publicists, venues, festivals and other organizations do not have the right to approve independent journalism before publication.
Embargoes may be honoured when their terms are clear, reasonable and agreed to in advance. SCENE 49 is not bound by restrictions that were not accepted before information or material was provided.
Access may be declined when the conditions attached to it would compromise editorial independence.
Reviews and criticism
Reviews and criticism represent the writer's independent assessment of a work, performance, production or event.
Complimentary tickets, screeners, review copies, press access or promotional materials do not affect the critic's obligation to provide an independent judgment.
Factual statements within reviews remain subject to SCENE 49's accuracy standards. Critics should distinguish factual claims from interpretation, taste and artistic judgment.
A negative review does not require a right of reply merely because the artist, creator or organization disagrees with the critic's assessment. Material factual allegations made within criticism remain subject to the same standards of verification and fairness that apply elsewhere in SCENE 49.
Sources and attribution
Named sources are preferred because they allow readers to assess the origin and credibility of information.
We identify the sources of factual claims, quotations, statistics and documents whenever doing so is relevant and safe. Attribution should be sufficiently clear that readers can distinguish the source's statements from facts independently established by SCENE 49.
We do not present information first reported by another news organization as our own original reporting. When another outlet's journalism contributes materially to a story, we credit it.
Public records, reports, studies, databases, press materials and other original documents should be described accurately. When appropriate, we link readers to the original material.
Reporters should make clear whether a conversation is on the record before sensitive information is exchanged. Arrangements involving background information, anonymity or confidentiality should be discussed explicitly rather than assumed.
Anonymous and confidential sources
Anonymous sources are used cautiously.
We may withhold a source's identity when:
the information serves a meaningful public interest;
the source could face a credible risk of retaliation, harm or serious professional consequences;
the information cannot reasonably be obtained through an identified source;
the reporter knows the source's identity;
the source is in a position to know the information;
and the source's credibility and possible motives have been considered.
Important information from an anonymous source should be corroborated whenever reasonably possible.
Readers will ordinarily be given as much information as possible about the source's position and reason for anonymity without revealing the person's identity.
Anonymity will not normally be granted merely to allow a source to make personal attacks, promote an agenda without accountability or avoid embarrassment.
A promise of confidentiality is serious. Reporters must not make promises they may be unable to keep. The terms of confidentiality should be understood by both the source and the journalist.
Interviews and quotations
Reporters identify themselves and SCENE 49 when conducting interviews unless an exceptional public-interest investigation justifies another approach.
Quotations must accurately reflect what a source said and meant. Minor editing may be used to remove obvious verbal repetition or improve readability, but not to change meaning, tone or context. When substantial editing is necessary, the information should generally be paraphrased rather than placed inside quotation marks.
A source cannot ordinarily withdraw an accurate on-the-record statement after the interview because the person later regrets making it. We may nevertheless consider requests involving personal safety, trauma, misunderstanding, vulnerability or other exceptional circumstances.
Recording interviews can improve accuracy. We will comply with applicable Canadian law and use additional care when a source may not reasonably understand the permanent and public nature of the interview.
Bylines and contributions
Original SCENE 49 reporting will ordinarily identify the reporter or reporters responsible for the story.
A SCENE 49 Staff byline may be used when several people made substantial contributions, when a short news item was compiled from official information, or when individual attribution would not accurately reflect how the item was produced.
Additional reporting, photography or material assistance may be credited at the end of an article.
Submitted announcements, press releases and material supplied by outside organizations will not be presented as independently reported staff journalism. The source of the material will be made clear through the byline, label or text of the article.
Journalism republished from another organization will carry the original journalist's and publication's credit as required.
News, analysis, opinion and submitted material
Readers should be able to understand what kind of content they are reading.
SCENE 49 may publish:
News: Reporting based primarily on verified facts, documents, observation and interviews.
Analysis: Journalism that uses evidence and subject knowledge to explain the meaning or likely consequences of events. Analysis may contain interpretation but is not personal advocacy.
Opinion or commentary: A writer's argument, assessment or personal perspective.
Editorial: An opinion expressed on behalf of SCENE 49.
Review or criticism: An independent assessment of a creative work, performance, production or event.
Letter to the editor: A reader's view, selected and edited for publication.
Submitted announcement: Material supplied by an organization, business, government body or member of the public.
Sponsored content: Material produced or published in exchange for payment or another commercial benefit.
Labels should be clear and visible. Opinion, reviews and submitted material remain subject to standards concerning factual accuracy, legality, disclosure and respectful treatment of others.
Publication of a letter, column, review or submitted contribution does not mean SCENE 49 endorses every view it contains.
Advertising and sponsored content
Advertising and sponsored material must be distinguishable from independently produced journalism.
Paid material will be labelled with terms such as Sponsored, Advertisement, Paid Business Profile or another description that clearly communicates the commercial relationship.
Sponsored material will not be designed or described in a way intended to mislead readers into believing it is independent news reporting.
Advertisers may review sponsored material for factual accuracy and fulfillment of the commercial agreement. They do not have approval rights over independent journalism.
Commercial relationships do not guarantee future news coverage.
Affiliate relationships
SCENE 49 may occasionally use affiliate links or other arrangements through which the publication can receive a commission when a reader makes a purchase.
When such a commercial relationship exists, it will be disclosed clearly to readers.
Affiliate relationships do not determine what SCENE 49 covers, what we recommend or how we assess a product, book, event, service or creative work.
Corrections, clarifications and updates
SCENE 49 corrects significant factual errors promptly and transparently after they have been verified.
A correction addresses information that was materially wrong.
A clarification addresses wording or context that was incomplete, ambiguous or capable of creating a mistaken impression.
An update adds important information that became available after publication.
Significant corrections will ordinarily include a note explaining what was wrong and providing the correct information. The original error will not be silently replaced when doing so could conceal a meaningful change to the published record.
Minor spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting or style changes that do not alter the substance of an article do not normally require a correction note.
We will also correct material errors in headlines, captions, photographs, newsletters and social-media posts when reasonably possible.
Readers may report a possible error through the SCENE 49 contact page. A correction request should identify the article, the disputed information and any supporting evidence.
We will review complaints fairly. We will not alter accurate reporting merely because it is unwelcome, embarrassing or disputed by someone involved.
Developing stories
News can change after an article is published.
We may update developing stories as new information becomes available. Material additions or changes will ordinarily be identified with an updated publication time or a note describing the development.
An update does not necessarily mean the original story contained an error.
When the subject of an earlier report changes significantly, we will consider whether fairness and the public record require an update to the original article or a new follow-up story.
Unpublishing and removal requests
Publishing creates a public record. Accurate journalism will not ordinarily be removed because a person later regrets participating, experiences embarrassment or disagrees with the coverage.
Requests to remove or substantially alter published material will be considered individually. Relevant factors may include:
whether the information remains accurate;
its continuing public importance;
the seriousness of the harm;
the age and vulnerability of the person involved;
personal safety;
legal restrictions;
whether circumstances have materially changed;
and whether a less drastic remedy is available.
Possible alternatives include a correction, clarification, update, follow-up story, removal of unnecessary personal information, anonymization or, in exceptional circumstances, changes affecting search-engine indexing.
Complete removal is reserved for unusual cases, including journalism that is fundamentally false, legally prohibited or likely to cause severe and disproportionate harm that clearly outweighs the continuing public interest.
Significant alterations to archived journalism will be explained to readers.
Privacy and public interest
Journalism sometimes requires reporting information that individuals would prefer to keep private. We balance privacy against the public importance of the information.
Factors may include:
the person's role in public life;
the seriousness of the issue;
whether public money, authority or safety is involved;
whether the information reveals wrongdoing or hypocrisy;
the person's reasonable expectation of privacy;
and the likely consequences of publication.
Something being interesting to the public is not necessarily the same as being in the public interest.
SCENE 49 does not pursue private relationships, family matters, rumours, private communications or celebrity sightings solely because they involve a public figure. Personal information may be reported when it has a legitimate connection to a person's public work, conduct or a matter of genuine public interest.
We avoid publishing private details that do not materially contribute to the story. We take particular care with home addresses, medical information, family circumstances, financial hardship and personal characteristics unrelated to the issue being reported.
Children and vulnerable people
Children and vulnerable people may not fully understand the reach or permanence of online publication.
We take additional care when interviewing or identifying children, people experiencing trauma, people with cognitive or communication barriers, survivors of violence and people facing significant power imbalances.
Parental or guardian permission may be appropriate when interviewing a child, but it does not replace consideration of the child's own wishes, maturity, safety and dignity.
The public interest in identifying a child must be strong enough to justify the possible harm.
Crime, courts and allegations
A person accused of an offence is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
We distinguish clearly between investigation, arrest, charge, trial, conviction, acquittal, withdrawal and dismissal. We do not report allegations as established facts.
SCENE 49 complies with publication bans and other legal restrictions. We take care not to identify protected complainants, young people or others whose identities cannot lawfully be published.
The decision to name an accused person may depend on the seriousness of the allegation, the reliability and public nature of the information, the person's role in the public sphere, public-safety considerations and the possibility of disproportionate harm.
When we report charges or proceedings, we will make reasonable efforts to report a significant final outcome.
Serious allegations made outside court or another privileged public proceeding require careful verification and a meaningful opportunity for the person accused to respond.
Death, trauma and grief
We approach death, serious injury and trauma with accuracy and compassion.
We do not declare a cause of death without reliable confirmation. Information from witnesses, social media or community discussion will not be treated as official confirmation merely because it is widely repeated.
Reporters should identify themselves clearly when approaching grieving people and should respect a person's decision not to speak.
Graphic or intimate details will be published only when they contribute meaningfully to public understanding.
The privacy and wishes of a family are important considerations, but they do not automatically override a compelling public interest.
Suicide and self-harm
Suicide may be reported when there is a legitimate public-interest reason, but coverage requires particular care.
We avoid sensational language, simplistic explanations, romanticization and unnecessary description of the method or location. We recognize that suicide is complex and should not be attributed to one event without reliable evidence.
Support and crisis information may be included when appropriate.
Photographs, video and audio
News photographs and video must not be manipulated in a way that changes their essential meaning or misleads readers.
Routine cropping and technical adjustments are permitted when they do not materially alter the scene. Removing or adding objects, combining separate events or staging an image as though it were candid is not acceptable unless the result is clearly labelled as an illustration.
Captions must accurately explain what an image shows, when it was taken and, when relevant, who supplied it.
File photographs will be identified when their date or context could otherwise be misunderstood.
Images supplied by governments, businesses, publishers, production companies, artists, arts organizations, community organizations or members of the public will be credited accordingly.
Graphic images will be used only when their journalistic value outweighs the likely harm. Warnings may be provided where appropriate.
Artificial intelligence
SCENE 49 may use artificial-intelligence tools for limited administrative and production tasks, such as transcription, organization of notes and other routine workflow assistance.
Our journalism begins with human reporting and editorial direction and ends with human review and editorial responsibility. Artificial intelligence does not replace reporting, sourcing, verification, editorial judgment or accountability.
Diversity and community representation
Canada includes communities with different histories, cultures, identities and relationships to public institutions.
We seek coverage that reflects the diversity of Canadian arts, entertainment and culture rather than concentrating only on the largest markets or most recognizable names.
We aim to include people directly affected by cultural decisions and developments, not only executives, officials and institutional spokespeople.
We avoid stereotypes and unnecessarily emphasizing a person's race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or other personal characteristic.
These details may be reported when they are relevant to understanding the story and handled with accuracy and respect.
No individual should be assumed to speak for an entire community.
Indigenous coverage
SCENE 49 recognizes that it reports across the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples and that Indigenous governments, communities and citizens are not interchangeable.
We seek accuracy in names, titles, legal distinctions, histories, cultural references and territorial references. We do not describe Indigenous artists, governments, communities or issues solely through the perspectives of non-Indigenous institutions.
When reporting on Indigenous rights, governance, culture, land or community matters, we make reasonable efforts to consult appropriate Indigenous sources and recognize that some cultural knowledge, ceremonies and locations may not be appropriate for unrestricted publication.
Political and civic coverage
When SCENE 49 covers governments, elections, public institutions or public policy in connection with arts, entertainment or culture, that coverage must remain independent of partisan and personal interests.
News reporting will not favour a candidate or party in exchange for access, advertising, friendship or political agreement.
Candidates and public officials are subject to the same standards of verification and fairness. Equal treatment does not always require identical amounts of coverage; editorial decisions may reflect newsworthiness, public significance and the availability of verified information.
Political advertising and submitted campaign material will be clearly identified.
Opinion and editorial content concerning elections or public policy will be labelled separately from news reporting.
Journalists covering a political issue should avoid public activity that would create a reasonable doubt about their ability to report independently.
Complaints and accountability
Readers may raise concerns about accuracy, fairness, attribution, conflicts of interest, privacy or other aspects of our journalism through the SCENE 49 contact page.
A useful complaint should identify:
the article or material involved;
the specific passage or decision being challenged;
the nature of the concern;
and any evidence that may help us assess it.
Complaints will be reviewed by the editor. We may seek additional information from the complainant, reporter or other people involved.
A disagreement with the subject, tone or conclusion of a story is not by itself evidence of an ethical breach. When a complaint identifies a factual error or a failure to meet these standards, we will take appropriate corrective action.
Threatening, abusive, discriminatory or persistently bad-faith communications may not receive a response.
Review of these standards
These standards are intended to guide responsible decisions rather than provide automatic answers to every situation.
SCENE 49 will review this policy as journalistic practices, technology, law and the needs of the communities it serves evolve.
Adopted: September 2026
Last reviewed: September 2026