About us

The Hackney Citizen is the borough’s independent newspaper. We’re here to hold power to account and to advocate for the people and communities of Hackney — reporting on how the borough is run and who its decisions affect, and giving a platform to the residents, campaigns and local concerns that shape what kind of place Hackney is. From planning and licensing battles to the community voices too often left out, we cover what matters here, for every resident, free.

Independent, and on the side of Hackney

We are independently owned and editorially independent. No political party, council or outside interest decides what we cover or what we say — our journalism answers to our readers and to the public interest, and nothing else. That independence is what lets us scrutinise those in power and stand up for the communities they serve.

Editorial policy

The Hackney Citizen is editorially independent. It is published by Citizen News & Media Limited, is not affiliated with any political party, campaign group or commercial interest.

The editor, Keith Magnum, is responsible for deciding what the Citizen publishes and how it is presented, in print and online. He can be contacted at editor@hackneycitizen.co.uk.

Standards. We are committed to abiding by the rules and regulations of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Editors’ Code of Practice, which governs accuracy, the opportunity to reply, privacy, the treatment of children, the reporting of court proceedings and the protection of confidential sources.

Independence from advertising. Advertising, sponsored content and statutory notices are sold and produced separately from editorial. Buying space in the Citizen buys no influence over what we report, and we cover the institutions that advertise with us on the same terms as anyone else. Paid-for and sponsored material is clearly labelled.

Accuracy and corrections. We aim to get things right, and to put them right quickly and visibly when we do not. Significant corrections are published on the article itself and, where the error appeared in print, in the following edition.

Fairness and right of reply. Where our reporting is critical of a person or an organisation, we put the substance of it to them before publication and allow a reasonable opportunity to respond. If no response is forthcoming, we say so.

Third-party copy. Some of our council reporting comes from the BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service. LDRS copy carries the reporter’s byline, is identified as such, and is edited to our own standards before publication.

Comments and complaints. Reader comments are governed by our community standards. If you believe we have fallen short of this policy or of the Editors’ Code, our complaints procedure sets out how to raise it with us in the first instance. Complaints we are unable to resolve may be referred to IPSO.