How we report.

What counts as a receipt

Every time we write something pointed about a named person, the claim has to be anchored to one of these four things:

1. A direct quote from the person — an on-the-record interview, a public statement, a post from their own verified account, or broadcast footage where the audio is them.
2. Footage that aired. If RTÉ, Virgin Media, the BBC, or a streamer broadcast it, and we have the clip, that's source. Reality TV edits count because they are, by design, what the producers chose to show.
3. A captured post with URL and fetch date. Social media moves, deletes, edits. When a post is the receipt, we archive the link, the full text, the timestamp, and the date we saved it. If it's later deleted, the archive still holds.
4. Public record. Court records, Companies Registration Office filings, IEDR whois on Irish domains, planning applications, company accounts, PPS filings, register of members' interests, electoral returns. If the State or a regulator published it, we can cite it.

If we can't tie a claim about a named person to one of the four, we don't publish it. That's the rule.

What doesn't count

• Anonymous tips without corroboration.
• "I heard from a mate in the industry" hearsay.
• Rumours that haven't surfaced in print.
• Screenshots we can't trace to a source URL.
• Allegations of sexual conduct, drug use, or criminal activity that haven't been admitted by the subject, charged by the Gardaí, or adjudicated in court.

Tips are welcome and often the first thread. But a tip only becomes a story when we find the receipt for ourselves.

Comment vs. fact

We distinguish between two registers and we mark the line clearly:

• Facts — what a person said, posted, or did on record. Stated plainly, with the source linked or embedded.
• Comment — what we make of it. Written in our voice, signalled by tone and phrasing, always honest opinion based on the facts we've just shown you.

If we describe someone's on-record behaviour, that's comment on fact — protected in Irish law as honest opinion on a matter of public interest. If we call someone a word your granny wouldn't like, we do it in our voice, labelled as opinion, about something they verifiably did.

Things we don't do

• We don't cover minors. Anyone under 18 is off the page, even if they're a Love Island contestant, a reality-show kid, or a TikTok star. No exceptions, no cleverness.
• We don't cover private individuals. If you're not a public figure — politician, broadcaster, creator with a meaningful public account, business owner trading on your name — you won't turn up here, full stop. Being a public figure's cousin, ex, or mate is not being a public figure.
• We don't publish leaked private DMs unless the conversation itself is a matter of public interest and the leak is already public, or the person has released them themselves. Private means private.
• We don't make claims about sexual conduct, drug use, or criminality that aren't admitted, charged, or adjudicated.
• We don't pay for information. No chequebook journalism, no bounty on tips.
• We don't do sponsored content. See Editorial & commercial disclosure for how we make money.

Corrections

We will get things wrong. When we do:

• We correct the article at the original URL, clearly marking what changed and when.
• We don't quietly edit. Every material correction carries a timestamp and a note at the foot of the piece.
• If the error is significant — wrong person, wrong claim, wrong quote — we publish a standalone correction note, not just an inline fix.
• Typos and minor factual tweaks (spelling of a name, date of a broadcast) get fixed silently and without drama.

Telling us we're wrong is not a threat. It's a tip. We'd rather find out from you than from a lawyer.

Right of reply

If we're writing a substantial piece about something a named person said or did, and the piece is likely to be negative, we'll offer them a right of reply before publication wherever it's practical.

• A right of reply means we tell you what we're running, name the specific claims, and give you a reasonable window to respond on the record.
• Your response will be included in the piece, in your own words, at a proportionate length.
• We don't give prior approval over the whole article. Your reply is your reply; our write is our write.
• If you decline, we'll say so in the piece (e.g. "X was contacted for comment and did not respond").

Email editor@lads.ie from an address linked to your public account and we'll get back to you within 24 hours on a working day.

Takedown requests and complaints

If you're the subject of a piece on lads.ie and you think we've got something wrong, read this carefully. It'll save both of us a lot of time.

Step 1 — tell us what's wrong, specifically

Email editor@lads.ie with:

• The URL of the piece.
• The specific sentence or claim you dispute.
• What you say is the correct version.
• The evidence or receipt that backs up your correct version.
• Your name and the capacity in which you're writing (the subject, a solicitor acting, etc.).

We'll acknowledge receipt within one working day.

Step 2 — what we do

We'll review the piece against our receipts. One of these three things happens:

1. We agree we got it wrong. We correct the article, log the correction with a timestamp, and publish a correction note. If it's serious, we apologise. This is fast — usually same day or next day.
2. We stand over the piece. We'll explain which receipt backs which claim. We don't take down accurate pieces because they're unflattering. Public figures get covered, honest comment is protected, and "I don't like it" isn't a complaint we can act on.
3. It's contested. If the facts aren't clear-cut, we'll look again, ask for your evidence, and if there's a genuine dispute we'll add a right-of-reply paragraph to the piece in your own words.

Solicitors

We take solicitors' letters seriously and we respond in writing. We don't respond to them by taking down accurate reporting. If you're a solicitor instructed on a matter on lads.ie, email editor@lads.ie and include the specific claims disputed and the evidence. Vague "your entire article is defamatory" letters without specifics won't move us.

Sources, anonymity, and the tip line

The tip line exists for people who know something and can't put their name to it. We will protect anonymous sources. We won't publish a story based on a single anonymous tip — we'll use it to find the receipt ourselves.

If you tip us:

• We don't share your identity with anyone outside the editorial side of the site.
• We don't store more personal data than is needed to get back to you. See Privacy.
• If what you're sending is a leaked document or private communication you weren't a party to, please think about whether publishing it is in the public interest before you hit send. We'll apply that test before we publish.

Advertising, affiliates, and commercial

See Editorial & commercial disclosure for the full breakdown. Short version: no sponsored content, no hidden affiliate links, commercial relationships disclosed in the piece.

Who we are

lads.ie is an independent Irish publication. Editorial contact is editor@lads.ie. The domain owner is the publisher under Irish law and accepts responsibility for everything we publish here.

This page is the editorial standards doctrine for the site. If an article on lads.ie doesn't meet the bar above, that's a bug and we want to hear about it. Tell us where it fell short and we'll fix it.

Last updated: 23 April 2026.