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Mission & Editorial Policy

Effective: Revised draft of the policy in effect since 14 November

Vision

A world where the truth about Uyghurs cannot be erased, and every Uyghur can get free, trustworthy news in their own language.

Mission

Uyghur News Network restores free Uyghur-language journalism and documents what is happening to Uyghurs through independent, verified reporting in Uyghur and English.

Values

  • Independence: no government, party, donor or client directs our journalism.
  • Accuracy: we verify before we publish, and correct openly.
  • Transparency: we explain how we know what we report.
  • Safety first: people’s safety comes before speed or a story.
  • Courage: we report what others try to hide.
  • Integrity: we avoid conflicts of interest and keep our word.

What We Do

Uyghur News Network (UNN) is an independent, public-interest nonprofit newsroom. It was founded in 2025 by Uyghur journalists after Radio Free Asia closed its Uyghur Service.

We report on the Uyghur region and on policies that affect Uyghurs worldwide, including mass detention, enforced disappearances, forced labour, surveillance, family separation, and restrictions on culture, language and religion. We verify information with multiple independent sources and explain our methods.

We publish news, investigations, explainers and community stories in Uyghur and English, in the formats people use: web, newsletter, video, podcast and social media. Our audiences are Uyghurs in the region and around the world, and the journalists, researchers, policymakers and civil-society groups who need a reliable record.

Beijing wants the world to hear only its version of events in the Uyghur region. We publish the other side, checked and sourced.

Editorial Policy

1. Editorial Independence

  • UNN has full editorial autonomy. No government, political party, advocacy organization, corporation, donor or client may influence or direct our journalism.
  • Funding, paid services and partnerships never give editorial control.
  • Editorial decisions rest solely with UNN’s newsroom leadership.
  • Paying clients of any UNN service have no say over coverage, including coverage of themselves.
  • Staff and contributors must disclose and avoid conflicts of interest and keep their journalism nonpartisan.

2. Evidence-Based, Ethical Journalism

  • We follow the same standards as any serious newsroom: get it right, be fair, and do no unnecessary harm.
  • Depending on the story, our evidence may include primary testimony, open-source research, authenticated documents, official Chinese records, satellite imagery and expert opinion.
  • Sensitive claims are confirmed by at least two independent sources, or the limits of our evidence are stated.
  • Major investigations include a note explaining our methods.

3. Documenting Human Rights Violations

  • We report on arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, family separation, and the suppression of Uyghur culture and religion. We say what we know, how we know it, and what we could not confirm.
  • We want a researcher, a lawyer or a reporter to be able to cite our work and stand behind it.

4. Accuracy, Corrections and Accountability

When errors occur, we:

  1. Review the issue promptly.
  2. Correct it on every platform where it appeared.
  3. Add a clear, dated correction note.
  4. Keep a public corrections page.

Readers may request corrections at uyghurnewsnetwork@gmail.com. UNN retracts a story only when necessary, with a public explanation.

5. Transparency With Audiences

  • We explain why we use anonymous sources when safety requires it.
  • We explain limits on our reporting caused by censorship or lack of access.
  • We disclose how key evidence was verified.
  • We publicly list major institutional funders and state that they have no editorial influence. Individual donors are not named, to protect them and their families.
  • Where safety is at risk, identifying or operational details may be withheld.

6. Protecting Sources and At-Risk Communities

  • We use encrypted communications and secure handling of materials.
  • We grant anonymity to sources at risk.
  • We use trauma-informed interviewing.
  • We do not collect or store data that could identify sources or donors inside the Uyghur region.
  • Human safety always comes before speed of publication.

7. Countering Propaganda and Disinformation

  • We respond to false or misleading claims, including Chinese state propaganda, with verified evidence and published fact-checks.
  • We work with independent researchers and explain our methods so others can check our work.

8. Review and Improvement

UNN aims to review its work regularly through:

  • an annual editorial and accuracy review;
  • periodic security checks;
  • a log of citations of our work by media, NGOs, researchers and policymakers;
  • audience surveys when resources allow.

What UNN Won’t Do

  • Accept funding that comes with conditions on what we cover or how.
  • Take part in political or advocacy campaigns.
  • Publish rumours or unverified claims as fact.
  • Pay sources for information.
  • Let any paid service, client or sponsor shape editorial decisions.
  • Put a source, contributor or donor at risk for a story.

Statement of Commitment

We started UNN because Uyghurs lost their main independent news service in 2025. Every story we publish should be accurate, independent and safe for the people in it. If we get something wrong, we will say so.