UAE CUE Sports aims to publish sports journalism and information with accuracy, fairness, independence, transparency and appropriate respect for the people and organizations covered.
This Ethics Policy explains the principles that guide editorial judgment across our specialist cue-sports coverage and our wider reporting on sport in the United Arab Emirates.
Ethical standards do not remove the need for editorial judgment. Different stories may require different decisions depending on evidence, public interest, relevance, sensitivity and available sources.
Editorial Independence
Independent editorial decisions should be based on relevance, evidence, source quality and reader value.
Advertisers, commercial partners, sports organizations, venues, academies, manufacturers and other outside parties do not have the right to control independent editorial conclusions.
Payment, advertising spend, access or a potential business relationship must not be exchanged for favorable independent editorial treatment.
Accuracy
UAE CUE Sports aims to verify material factual claims using sources appropriate to the subject.
Depending on the story, this may include checking:
- names;
- dates;
- scores;
- rankings;
- statistics;
- competition formats;
- qualification pathways;
- quotes;
- venue details;
- official decisions;
- organizational relationships.
Where information remains uncertain or disputed, the wording should reflect that uncertainty.
Fairness
UAE CUE Sports aims to represent relevant people, organizations and arguments fairly without creating artificial equivalence between claims that have very different levels of evidence.
Fairness may require:
- accurate attribution;
- relevant context;
- avoiding misleading quotation;
- distinguishing allegation from established fact;
- seeking a response to serious criticism where appropriate;
- avoiding unnecessary personal attacks.
Right of Response
When a serious factual allegation concerns an identifiable person or organization, UAE CUE Sports should consider whether the subject should be given a reasonable opportunity to respond before publication.
Whether a response is required depends on the significance of the claim, the evidence already available, timing and practical circumstances.
Failure to respond does not itself prove that an allegation is correct.
Sourcing
Named and identifiable sources are preferred where reasonably possible.
Depending on the subject, relevant sources may include:
- governing bodies;
- federations;
- official competition systems;
- official rankings and results;
- event organizers;
- athletes and coaches;
- clubs and teams;
- venues and academies;
- official documents and public records;
- direct statements;
- recognized data providers;
- qualified experts;
- reputable secondary reporting where appropriate.
A source's expertise, proximity to the information, possible interests and reliability should be considered when evaluating a claim.
Unnamed Sources
UAE CUE Sports rarely uses unnamed or anonymous sources.
An unnamed source should generally only be considered where:
- the information is significant;
- the source is positioned to know it;
- the source's identity is known to the relevant editor;
- there is a legitimate reason for confidentiality;
- the information cannot reasonably be obtained on the record;
- corroboration is sought where appropriate.
Anonymous sourcing should not be used as an easy route for publishing unsupported attacks or speculation.
More detail is available in the Unnamed Sources Policy.
Conflicts of Interest
Editors and writers should be aware of relationships that could reasonably affect, or appear to affect, independent editorial judgment.
Relevant conflicts may include:
- financial interests;
- commercial relationships;
- close personal relationships;
- professional involvement with the subject;
- significant gifts or benefits;
- other relationships directly relevant to the coverage.
A material conflict should be disclosed internally and managed appropriately. Public disclosure may also be appropriate where readers need the information to understand the context of the article.
Gifts, Hospitality and Access
Access to an event, venue, interview, product or hospitality must not guarantee favorable coverage.
Where a product, service or experience has been supplied for editorial consideration, the circumstances should not be hidden if disclosure is materially relevant to the reader's understanding.
Editorial conclusions should remain independent.
Press Releases and Promotional Material
Press releases, promotional statements and supplied material are sources, not automatically verified facts.
Promotional claims may require attribution, additional verification or more cautious wording.
Companies and organizations can submit news information without purchasing advertising.
Advertising
UAE CUE Sports currently displays advertising, including Google AdSense and related Google advertising technologies.
Advertising should remain distinguishable from independent editorial conclusions.
Advertisers cannot purchase:
- positive independent news coverage;
- a favorable review;
- a guaranteed recommendation;
- removal of legitimate criticism;
- preferred treatment in independent editorial rankings.
Sponsored Content
UAE CUE Sports does not currently offer sponsored content as a regular commercial publishing format.
If sponsored or partner content is introduced later, its commercial nature should be clearly disclosed.
Sponsored relationships must not provide control over unrelated independent coverage.
Rankings and Reviews
Official sports rankings should be distinguished from independent UAE CUE Sports rankings.
Independent rankings and comparisons should use meaningful criteria and should not disguise paid placement as editorial judgment.
UAE CUE Sports does not currently operate a regular affiliate-link program.
Sports-Specific Integrity
Sports journalism requires particular care with results, rankings, rules, disciplinary decisions, selection, qualification and performance claims.
UAE CUE Sports aims to:
- identify the relevant competition or governing body;
- use correct sport-specific terminology;
- distinguish official rankings from editorial rankings;
- avoid describing rumors as confirmed transfers, selections or results;
- distinguish allegations of misconduct from established decisions;
- avoid overstating athlete performance from inadequate evidence.
Cue-Sports Terminology
Snooker, pool and billiards are distinct cue-sports disciplines.
Accurate terminology is part of factual accuracy.
Competition units, rules, scoring systems and terminology should correspond to the discipline being discussed.
Sensitive Allegations
Allegations involving cheating, disciplinary misconduct, criminal activity, financial wrongdoing or other serious reputational issues require additional care.
UAE CUE Sports should consider:
- the strength of the evidence;
- source reliability;
- corroboration;
- clear attribution;
- the status of any official process;
- the opportunity for a relevant response;
- whether publication serves a legitimate editorial purpose.
Privacy and Dignity
Public interest in sport does not automatically make every aspect of a person's private life editorially relevant.
Personal information should generally be included when it contributes meaningfully to the story rather than simply because it is available.
Additional care may be appropriate when coverage involves:
- children or young athletes;
- medical information;
- mental health;
- family circumstances;
- private communications;
- victims or vulnerable individuals.
Health, Safety, Legal and Financial Topics
UAE CUE Sports is primarily a sports publication rather than a medical, legal or financial advisory service.
Sports reporting may nevertheless involve injury, safety, contracts, disputes, fines, prize money or other sensitive subjects.
Such reporting should avoid unsupported diagnosis, legal conclusions, financial claims or safety guarantees.
Discrimination, Stereotypes and Language
Editorial language should be relevant, precise and proportionate.
UAE CUE Sports aims to avoid unnecessary stereotypes, demeaning descriptions and identity references that are unrelated to the story.
Relevant characteristics may be included where they contribute materially to identification, context or understanding.
Images and Visual Material
Images should not create a materially false impression of what happened.
Captions should accurately describe the image when context is necessary.
Illustrative or synthetic imagery should not be presented as documentary evidence of a real event when it is not.
AI Use
AI-assisted tools are used only for creating, preparing or editing images and other visual materials. They are not used for editorial writing or rewriting, research, source summarization, fact-checking, source monitoring, translation, metadata, descriptions, tagging, categorization or biographies.
Synthetic visual material must not fabricate documentary evidence or create a materially false impression about a real person, event or incident.
Corrections
Ethical accountability includes correcting significant factual errors.
Corrections are based on evidence rather than commercial relationships or whether a correction is favorable to a person or organization.
Suspected factual errors can be sent to: corrections@uaecuesports.com.
Office
UAE CUE Sports
Office near Cue Sports Academy / Zayed Sports City
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
Reader Trust
Reader trust depends on identifiable ownership and authorship, source-based reporting, clear commercial disclosure, fair treatment of evidence and a corrections process that addresses material factual errors.