Last reviewed: September 2026.
Our purpose
Hello Formby exists to provide the people of Formby with accurate, useful and genuinely local journalism.
We report on the news, people, businesses, developments, events and issues that affect life in Formby. We believe a strong local news service should celebrate the community while also asking questions, investigating concerns and holding organisations and decision-makers to account.
We are proud of Formby, but supporting the community does not mean ignoring its problems. Our aim is to report what is happening fairly, accurately and in the interests of local residents.
Editorial independence
Editorial decisions are made independently by Hello Formby’s editor, Andrew Brown.
Hello Formby is an independent local publication and is not part of a large media group. We are politically independent and do not endorse any political party.
We cover local politicians, councils, public bodies, businesses and community organisations without fear or favour. We may publish opinion and reader contributions representing different viewpoints, but these will be clearly distinguished from our news reporting.
Our editorial decisions are not controlled by advertisers, sponsors or commercial partners. Paying to advertise with Hello Formby does not guarantee editorial coverage, favourable treatment or approval over anything we publish.
The same principle applies to grants and other forms of external funding. Anyone funding or supporting Hello Formby has no right to direct our journalism.
Accuracy
We aim to be accurate in everything we publish.
We check facts before publication wherever reasonably possible and distinguish clearly between confirmed information, allegations, opinions and reports received from other people.
Local news can develop quickly. When further reliable information becomes available, we may update an article to ensure it remains accurate and useful.
If we make a significant mistake, we will correct it promptly and transparently. Corrections will be placed where readers are reasonably likely to see them and will not be deliberately hidden.
Sources and verification
Hello Formby receives information from residents, businesses, community groups, public bodies, social media and other publications.
Information appearing on Facebook or another social media platform is not automatically treated as verified simply because it has been published publicly. We will take reasonable steps to establish its accuracy before presenting it as fact.
We identify our sources wherever it is appropriate and safe to do so. If we rely on an unnamed source, we will satisfy ourselves that the person is credible and has a reasonable basis for knowing the information they have provided.
We distinguish between what Hello Formby has independently confirmed and what has been alleged, claimed or reported by somebody else.
We will not normally use deception to obtain information. It would only be considered in exceptional circumstances where there is a strong public interest and no reasonable alternative way of establishing the facts.
Community submissions and social media content
Hello Formby is rooted in the local community, and many of our stories begin with information, photographs, videos or eyewitness accounts supplied by residents.
Submitting information to us does not guarantee publication. We may edit contributions for length, clarity, accuracy and legal reasons while taking care not to change their meaning.
Where reasonably possible, photographs, videos and original information will be credited to their creator. We will not knowingly claim another person’s work as our own.
The fact that a photograph, video or comment has been posted in the Hello Formby Facebook group, or elsewhere on social media, does not remove the creator’s rights over that material. We will seek appropriate permission where required before reproducing it in an article.
We may quote relevant public comments when reporting matters of legitimate local interest. We will consider the context, the person’s reasonable expectation of privacy and whether identifying them is necessary.
Fairness and right of reply
When an article contains significant criticism of a person, business or organisation, we will normally give them a reasonable opportunity to respond before publication where it is practical to do so.
We will represent their response fairly, whether or not it answers every point raised. If they decline to comment or do not respond by a reasonable deadline, we may say so.
The absence of a response will not necessarily prevent publication, particularly where the information is already a matter of public record or there is a clear public interest in reporting it promptly.
We aim to give a fair hearing to different perspectives on matters of genuine public debate. Being community-focused does not mean taking sides in every local disagreement; it means reporting the issue honestly and proportionately.
Editorial and commercial content
Advertising, sponsorship and paid-for promotional content will be clearly distinguishable from independent editorial coverage.
Commercial articles and posts will be labelled using wording such as Advertisement, Sponsored, Promoted or Partner content, depending on the circumstances.
Businesses may provide press releases, photographs and information for consideration. Publishing such material is an editorial decision and does not necessarily mean that Hello Formby endorses the business, product or service concerned.
Our news coverage will not be produced, altered or withheld in response to commercial pressure. If an advertiser disagrees with our reporting or withdraws its advertising, that will not change our editorial judgement.
Conflicts of interest
We will disclose relevant conflicts of interest where they could reasonably affect how readers understand an article.
This includes significant commercial, personal or organisational relationships between Hello Formby, its editor and the subject of a story.
Not every routine interaction or local acquaintance amounts to a conflict. Where a relationship is sufficiently significant to call the fairness of our reporting into question, it will be disclosed or the story will be handled in another appropriate way.
Use of artificial intelligence
Hello Formby may use artificial intelligence and other digital tools to assist with tasks such as reviewing documents, transcribing material, researching background information, organising data and preparing initial drafts.
These tools do not make our editorial decisions. Every article published by Hello Formby remains the responsibility of its editor.
Information produced by AI is not treated as a reliable source in itself. Material facts should be checked against appropriate documents, direct sources or other credible evidence before publication.
We will not knowingly use AI to fabricate quotations, events, photographs or evidence. Any substantially AI-generated image used for illustrative purposes will be identified as an illustration where there is a realistic possibility that readers could mistake it for a genuine photograph.
Originality checks
Hello Formby runs an automated copying check on its own articles against posts on other local outlets that the editor links to them. Where the editor chooses to show it, the result appears on the article as a Copying check panel.
The check produces a copying score from 0 to 100: how much of the Hello Formby article’s substance reappears in the other post, after discounting anything a shared source, such as a council press release, would explain. A score of 24 or below means the two have little in common, 25 to 49 means parts of the story reappear, and 50 or above means the story is highly likely to have been copied. That verdict is only stated where Hello Formby published first.
The score is built from five weighted sub-scores: distinctive wording (35%), the reuse of phrases specific to our article; unique details (20%), facts, names and figures that only we reported; structure (15%), whether the paragraphs follow the same order; image (15%), whether the same picture is used; and publication order (15%), who published first and by how long. A sixth row, common source, records material explained by a shared source and lowers the score rather than raising it.
A check is a signal, not an accusation. The editor reviews every result before it is shown, and the panel can be hidden on any article.
Use by search engines and AI systems
Our robots.txt file states these terms in machine-readable form. Search engines and AI systems are welcome to index Hello Formby, to learn from our reporting and to quote or summarise it. Where our reporting is used, we ask for credit to Hello Formby and a link to the original article. The administration and preview areas of the site are not open to crawlers.
Privacy
We respect people’s privacy and will not publish private information unless there is a legitimate public interest in doing so.
Particular care will be taken when reporting on children, victims of crime, bereaved families, vulnerable people and individuals who have not sought a public profile.
The fact that personal information is available online does not automatically mean it should be republished.
We handle personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law.
Crime and court reporting
We will report arrests, charges, court proceedings and criminal investigations accurately and with due regard to the presumption of innocence.
A person who has been arrested or charged will not be described as guilty unless and until they have been convicted.
We will comply with legal reporting restrictions. We will not identify victims of sexual offences or children whose identities are legally protected.
Vulnerable people and sensitive subjects
Stories involving mental health, suicide, addiction, abuse, serious illness, bereavement and trauma will be approached with care and compassion.
Where appropriate, we will follow recognised guidance from organisations such as Samaritans and Mind and include details of relevant sources of support.
We will avoid unnecessary or sensational detail where it could cause further harm without adding meaningful public-interest value.
Children
We take particular care when publishing information or images involving children.
We will consider the child’s age, the nature of the story, parental or guardian consent, any legal restrictions and the potential effect publication could have on the child.
Consent from an adult does not automatically override our responsibility to consider the child’s welfare.
Comments and reader contributions
We welcome news tips, photographs, corrections, letters, opinions and other contributions from local residents.
We reserve the right to edit, decline or remove material that is inaccurate, defamatory, threatening, discriminatory, unlawful, needlessly intrusive or likely to encourage harassment.
Discussion in the Hello Formby Facebook community is governed separately by the group’s rules and moderation decisions. A comment being allowed to remain in the group does not mean that Hello Formby endorses it or considers it suitable for publication as journalism.
Complaints and corrections
If you believe something published by Hello Formby is inaccurate, unfair or in breach of this policy, please contact us using our contact form, entering Editorial complaint as the subject.
Please identify the article or content concerned, explain the issue and provide any relevant evidence.
We aim to acknowledge editorial complaints within three working days and provide a substantive response as quickly as reasonably possible.
If we establish that a material error has been made, we will correct the content promptly. Depending on the circumstances, we may add a correction note explaining what has changed.
Requests to remove accurate information will be considered individually, taking account of privacy, fairness, the passage of time and the continuing public interest. Publication does not create an automatic right to deletion.
Review
This policy is reviewed annually and will be updated when our practices or circumstances change.
It was last reviewed in September 2026.
Hello Formby is an independent local news and community publication serving Formby, Merseyside.