Editorial Policy

Last reviewed: April 2026

Action News is a small, independent publication that writes long-form analysis of anime, manga and Japanese pop culture. This page documents how we research, write, edit, fact-check and update our articles. The policy applies to every published piece on the site.

1. What we publish

We publish long-form, evergreen articles — typically 1,500 to 2,500 words. Our pieces fall into a few defined formats:

• Watch-order guides — chronological and release-order viewing paths for franchises with non-linear timelines.
• Character studies— long-form analysis of a single character's arc, motivations and themes.
• Ending-explained articles — for shows with ambiguous or anime-original endings, we walk through what happened and what the manga / staff have said.
• Manga-vs-anime comparisons — adaptation analysis, scene-by-scene where relevant, with chapter and episode citations.
• Studio & industry deep-dives — production history of major studios and key animators.
• Theme essays — single-theme readings of a work, grounded in textual evidence.

We do not publish leaks, unverified rumours, scanlation links, or rapidly-aging seasonal news. Our pieces are written to remain useful for years.

2. Sourcing and citations

Our claims are grounded in three categories of sources, in roughly this order of preference:

• The work itself. When we describe what happens in a manga or anime, we cite specific episodes, chapters or volumes so readers can verify the claim.
• Statements from creators and staff. Director interviews, manga author afterwords, official Twitter / X statements, panel transcripts, and licensed Blu-ray booklets.
• Reputable secondary sources. Anime News Network, Crunchyroll News, Otaku USA, Animage, official studio sites and Japanese-language industry publications. We link to the source whenever practical.

We do not cite Reddit posts, fan wikis (beyond cross-referencing), unverified Twitter accounts, or scanlation sites as authoritative sources for factual claims.

3. How an article is produced

1. Outline. The writer drafts an outline including the scope (which seasons / arcs / chapters are in scope), spoiler level, and the specific claims the article will make.
2. Re-watch / re-read. For character studies and ending-explained pieces the writer re-watches or re-reads the relevant material in full, taking timestamped notes.
3. Draft. The full article is written, with in-line citations to specific episodes / chapters and external sources where relevant.
4. Edit. A second editor reviews for accuracy, spoiler hygiene, structure and tone. Major factual claims are spot-checked.
5. Publish. The article goes live with a clearly labelled spoiler scopeat the top, the author's byline and a last updated date.
6. Maintain.Watch-order guides and ongoing-series pieces are revisited when a new entry releases. The “last updated” line reflects real edits, not silent timestamp bumps.

4. Spoiler policy

Every article carries a spoiler scopenote above the first paragraph (e.g. “Spoilers up to Episode 12 of Season 1; manga readers, no spoilers beyond Volume 4.”). Headlines never contain late-arc spoilers. We don't spoil one show in another show's article unless directly comparing them, in which case we re-state the spoiler scope.

5. AI use

Action News does not publish AI-generated articles. Editors may use AI tools for narrow tasks — checking spelling, generating alt-text candidates, summarising press releases for our reference — but every published article is researched, drafted and edited by a named human writer. AI-paraphrased text is not acceptable source material.

6. Corrections

When we get something wrong, we add a visible correction box at the top of the article describing what was changed and when. Silent edits are not acceptable for factual changes. The full policy is on our Corrections Policy page; readers can request corrections at actionnews@actionnews.online.

7. Independence and disclosures

• We do not accept payment for reviews or feature placement. Articles are not influenced by advertisers or affiliates.
• Affiliate links to retailers, where used, are clearly marked within the article.
• Editors disclose personal involvement (e.g. friendship with a creator, paid translation work) when it could be perceived as a conflict.

8. Images and copyrighted material

Screenshots, panel scans and promotional art are used in accordance with fair-use principles for the purpose of criticism and commentary. Studios, distributors or rights-holders who have questions about specific use can contact us at actionnews@actionnews.online.

9. Reader engagement

We welcome reader tips, especially from manga readers who notice something we missed. Send corrections, suggestions and pitches to actionnews@actionnews.online or via our Contact page.