Editorial standards

HerPrey is a database, not a tabloid. The case files we publish are intended to be a credible reference work — the kind of thing a journalist or researcher can cite. This document describes the rules we hold ourselves to.

What we publish, and how

Case files (the database)

Each case file is a sourced account of a single criminal incident. We restrict ourselves to facts reported by named primary sources: court records, police reports, contemporaneous newspaper coverage, public registry entries, or on-record statements from the parties involved. Sources appear at the bottom of every case file.

We do not publish speculation, motive reconstruction, or unverified rumour in a case file. If we cannot source a claim, we omit it.

The Dossier (theory and conjecture)

The Dossier is a clearly-separated editorial column for theory, pattern analysis, and unverified-but-credible reporting that does not meet the case-file bar. Every Dossier page carries a "Conjecture, not record" banner so readers and search engines can tell the difference. The Dossier complements the database; it does not replace it.

Documentaries

Our original documentaries follow the same sourcing standard as case files, with additional fact-checking before release. Where a documentary advances a theory, that theory is labelled on screen.

Names and identities

We publish the names of convicted offenders and credibly-named suspects only when their identification has been reported by primary sources (court records, named law-enforcement statements, established news organizations). We do not publish names sourced only from social media, forum threads, or anonymous tips.

We withhold identities when:

• The accused has not been charged and the report does not survive our sourcing standard.
• Naming would identify a victim, especially a minor or a victim of a sexual offence.
• A court order, settled jurisdiction-specific reporting convention, or other legal constraint requires non-publication.

Pages for withheld identities are tagged as such and are not indexed by search engines.

Victim protection

Victims are never named in our case files. Identifying details about victims (school name, exact address, social-media handles) are redacted or omitted, even when those details appear in publicly-accessible court records. We aggregate to the level needed for editorial context — age range, relationship to the offender, jurisdiction — and no further.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we correct it in public. Every material correction — a wrong sentence value, a misidentified person, a mistaken date — appears on our corrections page with the date the change was made and what changed. We do not silently rewrite history.

Minor typographical fixes and formatting changes are not logged as corrections.

Removals and reclassifications

A case file may be removed or reclassified when:

• A conviction is overturned on appeal. We update the case to reflect the appellate outcome; we do not delete the record of the original proceeding.
• New primary sourcing materially undermines the basis on which we published.
• A court order requires it.

Reasoned requests for review can be sent via our contact page.

Conflicts of interest

Editors and contributors with a personal connection to a case recuse themselves from work on that case. Material conflicts of interest that affect published work will be disclosed on the relevant case page.

Independence

HerPrey is independent. We do not accept advertising on the public site. Subscriptions fund the editorial work. We do not allow subscribers to influence what we cover or how we cover it.

Tips and contributions

We accept tips through our tip submission page. Every tip is independently verified against primary sources before publication. We do not pay for tips. Tipsters are not credited unless they explicitly request it.

Comments

Comments are moderated. We remove content that names suppressed identities, identifies victims, threatens or harasses individuals, or is otherwise inconsistent with these standards. Comment moderation decisions are at our discretion.