The Borealian is a Canadian publication of argued commentary on national and international affairs.
What we publish
We publish commentary and analysis, not original reporting. Our writers argue from the public record.
Every column makes a case. Rather than attaching "Opinion" tags or boilerplate disclaimers, we let the reasoning show what kind of piece you are reading: the argument is stated early, the main opposing view is set out fairly, and the facts behind it are linked. Pieces fall into three modes: argued columns, which state a thesis and defend it; commentary, which weighs a development and offers a view; and satire. Everything in the Hodgepodge section is satire, though the facts it rests on are kept true and linked, and its exaggerations are meant to be plain. We do not put mode labels on pieces; the argument itself is the label.
Sourcing and fact-checking
Everything we tell you as fact should be something you can check for yourself.
- Primary sources first. We go to the original wherever we can: legislation and bill texts, Hansard, court and tribunal rulings, government releases and budgets, Statistics Canada tables, Bank of Canada and Parliamentary Budget Officer reports, regulatory filings, company reports, and official transcripts or video. Next come international institutions, peer-reviewed research and reputable news organizations, credited by name. Think tanks, advocacy groups and parties are identified for what they are.
- Linked inline. We link the source where the claim is made, to the specific page or document rather than a home page.
- No invented quotes or reporting. Quotations are copied word for word from the original and checked against it. We do not invent quotes, including "illustrative" or satirical ones put in a real person's mouth. We don't claim access we don't have: no "sources say", no "told The Borealian", no invented scenes, anecdotes, experts or composite characters, and no "our analysis" unless the data and method are shown.
- Contested claims are attributed and weighed. We say who is making a claim and what evidence they offer, and we separate what is known from what is suspected. Allegations against named people are described as allegations until a court or tribunal decides.
- Checked before publication. Names, titles, dates, figures, quotations and links are checked against their sources, and each piece is checked to make sure the argument doesn't go further than the evidence. A claim that can't be supported is cut or narrowed to what the evidence shows.
Pen names
Our columns appear under house pen names: Grant, Innis, Cartier, Beaverbrook and Leacock. We believe a publication should stand apart from those who write it and be driven by content rather than characters. Columns under these names may be written by guest contributors, and every piece is edited by The Borealian. The pen names honour earlier Canadian thinkers; they don't claim those thinkers' work, and they aren't presented as real individuals.
Use of AI
Some articles are drafted with AI assistance. Every piece is edited, fact-checked and approved by The Borealian's editors before publication. AI assistance is never used to present material as reporting, to invent quotations or sources, or to create images passed off as photographs.
Independence
The Borealian is a centre-right publication, but it is not bound by ties to any political party.
Advertisers and affiliate partners have no say over editorial content, and no one reviews our copy before publication on their behalf. Our writers don't cover a company or organization with a commercial relationship with The Borealian without an editor's approval and a disclosure in the piece. Advertising is always clearly marked, and affiliate links are disclosed.
Corrections
We correct factual errors promptly and visibly. A factual error includes a wrong name, title, date, figure, quotation or attribution, a wrong description of what a measure does, or a link that misrepresents its source.
- We fix the error in the text and add a dated correction note to the article saying what was wrong and what is right.
- The note normally appears at the foot of the article. It goes at the top when the error is central to the argument, affects a named person's reputation, or appeared in the headline or summary.
- If the error went out in our newsletter, the correction runs in the next newsletter.
We don't add notes for typos, formatting fixes or a dead link replaced with an equivalent one, as long as the meaning is unchanged. We never quietly edit a published piece to change its facts or its argument. Opinions are not corrected: if a writer's view changes, that becomes a new column.
Reporting an error
If you think we have something wrong, please use our contact form and choose the subject "Correction". Tell us which article and what is wrong, with a link to a source if you can.
Letters to the editor
We welcome letters, especially ones that disagree with us, correct us or add knowledge. Send them through the contact form with the subject "Letter". Selected letters appear in a periodic Letters roundup, run to about 250 words, and are signed with the writer's name and city or town. We may edit for length, clarity and style, but we keep the writer's meaning and argument. We don't publish abuse, defamatory material, letters about private individuals or campaign material, and every letter we publish comes from a real reader.