Editorial standards
How we check facts, credit photographs, handle corrections and keep our coverage independent.
The Middle Eats is written for readers who work in, invest in or simply love the region’s restaurants. That audience needs information it can rely on, so these are the rules every story follows.
Facts and sources
Every name, award, figure and date in a story is checked against a published source before it goes live: the Michelin Guide, the 50 Best organisation, company filings and press releases, official tourism and venue websites, or established news outlets. Those sources are listed at the end of each story under “Sources & fact-check”. When sources disagree we use the most authoritative one; when we cannot verify something, we leave it out.
Quotes
We never invent or tidy up quotations. A direct quote appears only when it was published verbatim by a named source, and it is attributed to that source.
Dates and future events
Openings and events that have not happened yet are described as scheduled. When a date passes, we update the story.
Photographs
We use photographs under clear licences — Pexels, Unsplash and Creative Commons — and credit the photographer under every image and on our photo credits page. When a photograph shows the actual restaurant or dish in a story, the caption says so; when it is illustrative, the caption describes what it shows and nothing more.
Independence
We do not accept payment, free meals or gifts in exchange for coverage. Advertising and any sponsored content are kept separate from editorial work and are always labelled.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we fix it and say so at the foot of the story. To report an error, contact the editors with the link to the story and the correction.