Editorial Policy

Minerva Medical Treatment Pvt Ltd( “Minerva” or “we”) which operates medicaldialogues.in and its subdomains (hereafter collectively called Medical Dialogues) is committed to provide its readers with updated, accurate, verified medical news ,health news, fact-checks and information through the medium of its content. Our content including news articles, opinions, blogs, informative videos, video interviews and fact-check articles which is created and/or edited by our expert team, that includes doctors, healthcare researchers and scientific writers, who review all medical information to keep them in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines by established medical organisations of the world. All medical content is reviewed by a registered physician in line with AACI certification guidelines

Our mission is to empower various stakeholders of healthcare by providing them with relevant, authentic, trustworthy medical and health news and information in a timely manner. We aim to bridge the gap in health literacy by providing accessible and reliable content in multiple languages, ensuring that it reaches a broad audience across the country.

Our ongoing endeavor at Medical Dialogues is to ensure that our content meets the highest journalistic/editorial standards, focusing on fairness, non-partisanship, accuracy, independence, transparency, and objectivity. Medical Dialogues’ editorial content, including news, features, fact checks or any other content type is developed independently of the advertising and promotional content available on any of the websites, all of which is clearly labeled as such in accordance with our advertising policy and editorial policy for sponsored content.

TYPES OF CONTENT

Medical Dialogues content types include:

1. Medical News and Health Information:

         

             ○ Medical News and articles: Our medical news and articles are crafted by a dedicated team of medical journalists, scientific writers, doctors, scientists and medical professionals. The content is based on credible sources such as peer-reviewed journals, hospitals, medical colleges, and respected medical organisations to ensure that the information is credible, relevant, and contributes to the medical community's body of knowledge. Each piece of medical news and article undergoes a rigorous review by registered physician in line with the AACI certification guidelines to ensure its accuracy and reliability before publication.

            ○ Health News: Health news covers the latest developments in the healthcare sector and has no medical science element. This is produced by out network experienced health journalists who utilize their extensive connections across the country to bring forth health news updates that are relevant to the daily lives of our readers.The focus is on making health news both understandable and actionable for all healthcare stakeholders. While we draw from diverse sources, our unwavering commitment to accuracy ensures that each piece is carefully edited by our seasoned editors, meeting the highest standards of clarity, relevance, and reliability.

            ○ User Generated Content: At Medical Dialogues, we do take contributions from leading healthcare professionals across the country, who may/may not be members of medical dialogues- in the form of blogs and/or opinions. However, any external content/contribution published on Medical Dialogues is first reviewed by our editorial team including doctors. Our editors review all content prior to publication to ensure adherence to scientific accuracy, our editorial standards , including disclosure of any relevant financial relationships of expert contributors.

Medical Dialogues editorial team reserves the sole right to decide what external contribution is going to be published on the website and further we reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.

If you wish to contribute content or have any editorial enquiries, feel free to reach our editorial team at editorial@medicaldialogues.in

Medical Dialogues does welcome comments on various stories, however, reserve the right to delete comments we deem offensive, inaccurate or misleading, as well as those that do not comply with our Terms of Use. If a member posts something misleading or inaccurate, we'll make our best efforts to identify and immediately delete it,

Video Content and Webinars: Our videos and webinars are expertly produced to provide insightful, educational, and up-to-date content for healthcare professionals and other stakeholders of healthcare. Each video is developed in collaboration with leading medical experts, ensuring that the information presented is both accurate and relevant to current medical practices. Our webinars feature discussions with top healthcare professionals, offering deep dives into various medical topics, recent advancements, and practical insights that can be applied in clinical settings. Before being made available to our audience, all video content undergoes thorough review by our editorial team, including doctors, to ensure it meets our stringent standards for scientific accuracy and educational value. This process ensures that our viewers receive reliable, actionable information that can enhance their understanding and application of medical knowledge.

Sponsored Content: Medical Dialogues does take sponsored content from various relevant organizations and companies wanting to reach out to the medical and healthcare fraternity in India. The sponsored content is posted as per the advertising policy of Medical Dialogues and is clearly identifiable by the readers by the mention of the word “Sponsored Post” in the source section of each article.

We do take meaningful steps to help ensure that our readers do not confuse Sponsored Content (content that is influenced by the named sponsor) with content that is original to Medical Dialogues or content developed by the Medical Dialogues team editorial team or even the normal user generated content . This content is published in a Separate Section called MD Brand Connect Section.

Note- There is no sponsored content in the fact checking space of medical dialogues, nor Medical Dialogues or its any team member will entertain any such request 

            ○ Fact Checks- Medical dialogues produces fact-checks in the field of health/medicine and medical education. Our fact-checking process is a cornerstone of our commitment to providing trustworthy medical information. At Medical Dialogues, we independently verify medical claims with the help of leading doctors and experts in the field. Each fact check is conducted with rigorous attention to detail, ensuring that all information is cross-referenced with credible, evidence-based sources, including peer-reviewed journals, official guidelines, and expert opinions. Our dedicated fact-checking team works tirelessly to debunk misinformation and provide our audience with accurate, clear, and reliable insights. All fact checks undergo a final review by our editorial team, including registered physicians, to ensure they meet the highest standards of accuracy, transparency, and relevance. This meticulous process helps us to combat the spread of health misinformation and reinforce trust in the medical information we provide.

 Process of fact-checking

Identification of Claims

Our fact checking team proactively works towards debunking health and medical misinformation. Our team monitors various sources, including social media platforms, news outlets, press releases, public statements by officials, and user-submitted content, to identify viral claims that are widely circulated or have the potential to influence public opinion. Further, as we work with a number of medical practitioners and health experts, they also help us identify misinformation in the form of claims or myths that their patients may believe in . Additionally, our readers also help us identify claims by mailing us at factcheck@medicaldialogues.in or calling/messaging/whatsapping us at our bureau number +91 9958001389

Alternatively, you can submit a claim for fact-checking at this link

Verifying the Claims

Once a claim is identified, our fact-checking process begins with thorough verification. We also try to seek the claimant’s reaction, if possible, to gather initial insights as well as try to take insights from concerned other parties if involved, like government officials, orgisations, official documents, etc, as the case may be.

Our team then begins by conducting comprehensive research to gather evidence, using both primary and secondary sources.

Primary Sources: We prioritize primary sources such as official statements, clinical studies, government databases, and direct communications with subject matter experts. These sources are considered the most reliable as they provide firsthand information that is directly relevant to the claim being checked.

Secondary Sources: In addition to primary sources, we also consult reputable secondary sources, including peer-reviewed journals, academic publications, and trusted media outlets. These sources help us cross-check the information and provide additional context or interpretations that might be relevant to the claim.

Our team meticulously examines all gathered evidence, ensuring that every piece of information is accurate and credible. We assess the reliability of each source, the consistency of the data, and the relevance of the information to the claim. This rigorous analysis allows us to determine whether the claim is true, mostly true, false, mostly false, half true or misleading

Finally, all findings are reviewed by our editorial team, which includes experienced medical professionals, to ensure that the verification process adheres to the highest standards of accuracy and integrity. This multi-layered approach ensures that our fact-checks are thorough, reliable, and trustworthy.

Wherever applicable and feasible, we use fact-checking tools such as Google Reverse Image Search, InVid, Stalkscan, Foller.me, and Whois. We include screenshots and hyperlinks in our stories to help readers verify the authenticity of the information and evidence provided.

Classification of Claims

After a thorough investigation, our team evaluates the claim and assigns it a classification based on the evidence collected. The classifications and their explanation are as follows:

• True: The claim is accurate and supported by solid evidence without any significant inaccuracies.
• Mostly True: The claim is generally accurate but may have minor inaccuracies or lack full context.
• Half True: The claim contains some elements of truth, but it is either missing critical information or is misleading in its presentation.
• Mostly False: The claim has some basis in truth but is largely inaccurate or misleading.
• False: The claim is completely inaccurate and not supported by any reliable evidence.
• Misleading: The claim may contain some elements of truth but is presented in a way that is likely to mislead or confuse the audience, often by omitting key details or distorting facts.

This classification system helps readers quickly understand the validity of the information and the extent to which a claim is supported by evidence.

Dissemination of Fact Checks

Once a fact check is completed and verified, we ensure it reaches a broad audience through various channels. Our fact checks are circulated via our newsletters, shared across our social media platforms, and published on our website. Additionally, Medical Dialogues has a partnership with Inshorts, a popular news app that delivers concise news summaries to millions of users, where our fact checks are featured in the "Fact Check" section

Moreover, our fact checks are integrated with Google’s ClaimReview, a tool that allows our fact checks to appear prominently in Google Search results and Google News, enhancing their visibility and ensuring that users searching for related topics are presented with accurate, verified information. This multi-channel dissemination strategy ensures that reliable information is easily accessible to the public, helping to effectively combat misinformation.

Collecting Feedback and Updating Our Content

At Medical Dialogues, we value the input of our readers and stakeholders to help us maintain the highest standards of accuracy and reliability. We actively encourage feedback and take it seriously as part of our commitment to delivering trustworthy information.

When feedback or concerns about our content are received, our editorial team carefully reviews the relevant material. We re-evaluate the evidence, consult with experts if needed, and make necessary updates to ensure the information remains accurate and current. In cases where corrections are made, we clearly indicate the changes within the content to maintain transparency.

Additionally, recognising that medical science is constantly evolving, we proactively review and update our content to reflect the latest research and developments. This ongoing process ensures that our readers have access to the most reliable and up-to-date medical information available. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please reach out to us at corrections@medicaldialogues.in.

Editorial Independence and Non partisanship

Editorial Independence and Integrity:

Despite the differences in their processes, all our content teams share a common foundation of editorial independence and a commitment to unbiased reporting. At Medical Dialogues, we are steadfast in our commitment to editorial independence and non-partisanship, ensuring that all content we produce is free from external influence or bias. Our editorial decisions are made independently, without any interference from advertisers, sponsors, or affiliated organisations. This guarantees that the information we provide is accurate, objective, and reliable.

We take great care to ensure that the affiliations of our writers, editors, and contributors do not impact the quality or impartiality of our content. Whether we are reporting on medical news or health updates or fact checks, our primary focus is on delivering information that is evidence-based and aligned with the highest standards of journalistic integrity.

At Medical Dialogues, we are deeply committed to maintaining non-partisanship in all aspects of our reporting. Our content is produced with strict neutrality, ensuring that no political, commercial, or special interest influences our editorial decisions. We are neither affiliated nor endorse or oppose any political parties, candidates, or policy positions commercial, or special interest groups or religious sects, except for advocating transparency and accuracy in public discourse.

Our fact-checking and reporting processes are designed to apply the same rigorous standards to all claims, regardless of their source. By remaining non-partisan, we ensure that our audience receives balanced, fair, and unbiased information, allowing them to trust that the content we provide is driven solely by evidence and not by any external agendas. This commitment to non-partisanship is central to our mission of delivering reliable and trustworthy health and medical information.

Downloading content:

Our website is designed to facilitate access to a wide array of resources without hosting files for direct download. Instead, we offer external links to relevant content and, in certain cases, upload files to a designated Google Drive. This method allows us to share valuable information and resources with our users efficiently while ensuring secure and accessible distribution.

Taking screenshots, downloading, copying, or reproducing any content from Medical Dialogues even in the form of small snippets without explicit permission is strictly prohibited, ensuring the protection of our intellectual property and the exclusivity of the information we provide.