1. Editorial Mission and Values
Daily Express Media Ltd, publishers of www.dailyexpress.co.ug, operates as a professional, independent news organisation committed to the universally recognised principles governing journalism and media practice. Our editorial mission is anchored in accuracy, balance, fairness, and independence. In the context of a rapidly evolving digital media environment, we also recognise speed and efficiency in news delivery, particularly for breaking news, as a core professional obligation, provided factual correctness is never compromised.
2. Public Interest and Editorial Focus
DailyExpress exists to serve the public interest. Our journalism shall inform, educate, and contextualise matters of national and international importance while providing a platform for informed and constructive public debate. Beyond the traditional roles of journalism, DailyExpress shall pursue investigative and enterprise reporting that sets the public agenda, exposes wrongdoing, and amplifies issues of broad societal concern. All editorial decisions shall be guided by relevance, impact, and public value.
3. Independence and Non-Alignment
DailyExpress maintains no political, ideological, or commercial affiliations. Our journalism shall remain independent of political parties, government actors, advertisers, sponsors, or business interests. Editorial content published on our platforms shall not be influenced by financial considerations or external pressure of any kind. Where content is sponsored, paid for, or produced in partnership with third parties, such material shall be clearly identified and labelled in the interest of transparency.
4. Freedom of Expression and Legal Responsibility
DailyExpress upholds freedom of expression as a fundamental democratic principle. This freedom shall, however, be exercised responsibly and within the framework of applicable laws and ethical standards. All content must comply with legal requirements relating to privacy, defamation, hate speech, incitement, contempt of court, and the protection of minors and vulnerable persons. Editorial discretion shall be exercised to balance public interest with the avoidance of unnecessary harm.
5. Accuracy, Truthfulness, and Attribution
Accuracy is the foundation of DailyExpress journalism. All content published on our platforms must be factually correct, contextually truthful, and fairly presented. Information must be verified through reliable sources, and facts should be corroborated before publication wherever possible.
Sources of information must be clearly identified to allow readers to understand the origin of the information presented. The use of unnamed or confidential sources shall be permitted only where unavoidable and must be justified by a compelling editorial reason, with the rationale known to the editors.
6. Editorial Style and Structure
All news content submitted to DailyExpress must conform to the organisation’s established editorial style and structure. Stories shall carry clear, factual headlines and open with direct lead paragraphs that state the core facts: who did what, where, and why, without narrative or anecdotal introductions. The first paragraph must include an italicised location dateline where applicable.
Reporting shall rely on strong attribution and clean, accurate quotations. Straight news stories shall not include opinion, commentary, or editorialising, and all stories shall end without a summarising or concluding paragraph.
7. Submissions Policy
DailyExpress welcomes unsolicited submissions from freelancers, guest contributors, and other writers. However, submission does not guarantee publication. All material received is subject to editorial review and discretion, and we reserve the right to accept, reject, edit, delay, or withdraw content at any stage and for any reason.
Decisions to publish or not to publish shall be based on editorial judgment, taking into account public interest, newsworthiness, timeliness, originality, writing quality, and compliance with DailyExpress standards.
8. Editing and Author Review
All accepted submissions may be edited for accuracy, clarity, legal compliance, length, and stylistic consistency. Due to newsroom production pressures and publishing timelines, authors are not guaranteed the opportunity to review or approve edited versions of their work prior to publication. Any such editing shall not alter the factual meaning of the content but may adjust structure and language to meet editorial standards.
9. Bylines, Datelines, and Credits
Bylines shall accurately reflect the author or contributor responsible for the content. Datelines are used to indicate where reporting was conducted and shall only be applied when the reporter was physically present at the stated location. Taglines may be used where necessary to clarify the nature of a contributor’s role.
Any misrepresentation of authorship or location constitutes a breach of editorial policy.
10. Language, Images, Tone, and Taste
DailyExpress shall publish content using clean, professional, and responsible language. Vulgar, obscene, or lewd expressions are not permitted. Decisions regarding taste and sensitivity shall be guided by prevailing social norms and editorial judgment. The publication of pornographic, indecent, or explicitly graphic images is prohibited. Photographs depicting dead bodies, mutilation, excessive bloodshed, or other disturbing scenes shall not be published unless there is an overriding public interest justification, and even then shall be handled with restraint and dignity.
11. Accountability and Audience Engagement
DailyExpress is accountable to its audience and values public trust. We encourage reader feedback on the quality, accuracy, and integrity of our journalism through official communication channels, including email, telephone, and our verified social media platforms.
Engagement with audiences forms part of our commitment to transparency and continuous editorial improvement.
12. Final Editorial Authority
Final editorial authority rests with the Editorial Management of Daily Express News. Submission of content to DailyExpress constitutes full acceptance of this editorial policy and all related editorial decisions made in its application.