Editorial policy: how we work
Benefits Desk is an industry briefing for South African employee-benefits professionals. This page sets out how we choose, source, label and correct what we publish.
Labels you can see
Every piece carries one label. News reports what happened, sourced to primary documents. Analysis explains why it matters and what to watch, and says what we don't know. Explainer is evergreen orientation on rules and practice. Opinion is a stated view, either the unsigned Benefits Desk view or a named guest with written consent. Sponsored is paid placement and is always marked as such.
Stance lives in Opinion, or in a clearly marked "What we think" box at the end of an Analysis. News stays straight. Labels and disclaimers are never tested or varied between readers.
Press Code principles
We follow the principles of the Press Council of South Africa's Code of Ethics and Conduct for South African Print and Online Media: accuracy and fairness, keeping news separate from comment, and prominent, prompt corrections. We are not a member of the Press Council; that is a later decision.
How we source
Primary sources first: FSCA notices and conduct standards, the Government Gazette, National Treasury, SARS, Pension Funds Adjudicator determinations, court judgments, the Information Regulator, ASISA statistics and fund or administrator documents.
Press releases are claims, not facts. Where we cannot check a claim against a primary document, we say "according to [organisation]'s statement" and link it.
Industry surveys are cited by name, edition and year, with the publisher, sample and method, and a caveat line. We do not compare surveys with different methods as if they were like-for-like.
Statements on X are used only after a six-step check: official handle confirmed from the organisation's own site, badge checked, statement cross-checked, archive link saved, exact quote with date and time, and a parody check. A post is a statement, not proof of the fact claimed.
International stories must say why they matter in South Africa. No South African link, no story.
We also use court and tribunal rulings, Adjudicator determinations, FSCA enforcement actions, parliamentary replies, Stats SA releases and academic papers, and we state the limits of each.
Hypothetical examples always use Fund A / Fund B. We never publish fee tables we cannot source.
How we work
Drafting at Benefits Desk is AI-assisted. Every piece is checked against its primary sources and passes an editorial gate before it is published. Videos with a synthetic voice say so on the page.
What we will not do
We do not give financial, legal or FAIS advice, recommend funds or products, rank providers, or tell readers what to do with money. Opinion pieces can criticise a rule, a practice or a deadline; they cannot recommend a product.
Corrections
When we get a fact wrong we fix the text and add a dated Correction note at the foot of the piece (and at the top if it is material), and log it on the corrections page. A Clarification is logged the same way. An Update for new facts is marked on the piece but is not a correction.