Best of Manchester uses AI as a writing and research aid. We use it to draft copy, organise the directory, and speed up research — always with human oversight.

What we stand for

We do not invent places, events, opening hours, prices, or reviews. Published content is checked for local relevance and facts. When something cannot be verified, we leave it out rather than guess.

Source Verification & Fact-Checking

AI models can misinterpret context or generate false claims ("hallucinations"). For that reason, AI is never treated as a factual source. Any fact, figure, historical detail, quote, or claim suggested by an AI tool must be independently verified against reliable, primary sources before publication.

All content created with the assistance of AI tools is subject to the same editorial standards and adheres strictly to the IMPRESS Standards Code, particularly regarding accuracy, privacy, and fairness.

Using other publications' reporting

When a story builds on another outlet's reporting, we aim to credit the original publication clearly in the article text – for example "as first reported by the Manchester Evening News" – and to link to their article.

We also try to add our own journalistic value, for example by checking key facts against primary sources such as police, councils, companies and official statements, adding context, or seeking comment where appropriate. We do not set out to republish other publications' articles, and we keep quotes short and attributed.

AI tools may help us draft from these sources, but we treat the other outlet's article and any AI draft as starting points, not proof, and an editor reviews the facts before publication. Mistakes can still happen – if you spot one, please let us know and we will correct it in line with our corrections policy.

How we use AI

AI may help with article drafts (including drafts based on published sources), headlines, listing descriptions, categories, and internal admin. Directory details (address, website, phone, email) are only updated when we have high confidence from a reliable source. For directory listings, photos must be real business images — not map screenshots.

News articles may be illustrated with licensed stock images. We clearly label any AI-generated imagery or graphics so readers are never misled into thinking they represent real photographs or events.

What AI does not do

AI does not publish in our name without approval. It does not send emails or newsletters for us without explicit go-ahead. Sponsored or paid content is clearly marked, whether or not AI helped draft it.

Accountability

Kasper Skov Jensen is the responsible editor-in-chief of Best of Manchester and has final responsibility for what we publish. Errors are corrected as soon as we find them. If an error occurs — whether due to human oversight or AI hallucination — it will be corrected promptly in accordance with our 

Privacy

We only use publicly available business information for the directory. We do not put subscriber or private personal data into AI tools outside our approved systems.

Copyright

We respect others’ text, photos, and logos. We aim to quote only short, attributed extracts from other publications, and we only use images we have rights to use (including licensed stock for news).

This policy may be updated as our tools and workflows change. The latest version is always the one published here.

Related policies: About us · Editorial Standards, Corrections & Complaints · Corrections · Monetized Links