Editorial Standards

Accuracy and sourcing

We publish what we can stand behind. Species identifications, scientific names, locations, dates, seasons, population figures, competition results and technical specifications are checked against primary sources: the photographer, the organiser, the manufacturer, the park authority, the peer-reviewed literature. Where a claim rests on a single source we attribute it. Where we cannot verify a detail we either say so plainly or leave it out.

Interviews are conducted on the record and quotations are checked for accuracy, not approval. We do not grant copy approval to subjects, sponsors or partners.

Corrections policy

When we get something wrong we fix it quickly and visibly. Material corrections (a wrong species, location, date, attribution or figure) are made in the text and noted at the foot of the article with the date of the change. Minor typographical fixes are made silently. We do not quietly remove articles to avoid correcting them.

To report an error, email hello@wlife.bio with the page address and the detail you believe is wrong. Corrections are reviewed by an editor before any change is made.

Image rights and credits

Photographers own their work. WLIFE publishes images only with the permission of the copyright holder or under a licence that permits it, and every image carries a credit naming the photographer, the source and the licence. Our full attribution record is published on the image credits page.

The sample images on the preview version of this site are open-licensed photographs from Wikimedia Commons, reproduced under their respective Creative Commons licences and credited accordingly. They are demonstration content, not WLIFE commissions, and are being replaced as licensed and commissioned work is added.

An image whose rights are not yet confirmed is never published. We do not strip metadata, crop out watermarks or alter an image in a way its licence does not allow.

AI policy

AI tools may assist our team with research, transcription, translation and early drafting. They do not report, they do not publish, and they do not decide. Every piece that appears on WLIFE is reviewed, edited and approved by a human editor who is responsible for its accuracy.

AI-generated imagery is never presented as documentary wildlife photography. If a generated or substantially AI-altered image is ever used for a graphic, a brand asset or an illustration, it is labelled as such. We do not accept generated images in submissions for Photo of the Week, Behind the Shot or photographer profiles.

Sponsored content

Sponsored content is disclosed on every piece, at the top of the page, in the newsletter and on social. WLIFE writes and edits all sponsored copy; partners may brief and check facts but do not write our words or dictate our conclusions. Reviews cannot be sponsored by the maker of the product under review, and payment never influences a verdict, rating or recommendation.

Affiliate links are marked rel="sponsored" and accompanied by a disclosure line. The full policy is on our affiliate disclosure page, and partnership formats are described in the media kit.

Conflicts of interest

Editors and contributors declare any financial, personal or professional interest in a subject they cover: an ambassadorship, a loan of equipment, a free or discounted trip, a family connection. Where an interest exists it is either disclosed in the piece or the writer is reassigned. Loan equipment is returned or purchased at normal terms; hosted travel is disclosed in the article it informs.

Wildlife ethics

No photograph is worth harming the animal in it. WLIFE expects the following of the work it publishes and of its own team in the field:

• No undisclosed baiting. Where food, scent or calls have been used to attract a subject, the caption says so. Baiting that harms, habituates or endangers an animal is not accepted at all.
• No disturbance. No approach that changes an animal’s behaviour, no interference with nests, dens, roosts or young, no pursuit, no flushing, no flash where it causes distress.
• Captive animals are labelled. Images of captive, controlled, rehabilitated or game-farm animals must be declared on submission and are captioned as such. Presenting a captive animal as wild is grounds for removal.
• Local law and local guidance come first. Park rules, protected-species regulations and the instructions of guides and rangers are followed without exception.

Sample and demonstration content

During the build and preview of this site some articles, photographer profiles, destinations and expedition concepts are sample content: realistic in form, assembled to demonstrate the publication, and not the product of WLIFE reporting. Sample content is marked as such in our records and is kept separate from verified journalism. It is removed or replaced before the corresponding section goes live, and nothing marked as a sample should be relied on as fact.

Questions about any of these standards can be sent to hello@wlife.bio.