How The TEA works.
The TEA is an independent UK-wide constructive news project operated by Here/Now/Today Ltd. We deliberately make more room for useful progress, community action, generosity, creativity and public good, without pretending difficult things do not exist.
Where our stories come from
Every editorial story should have an identifiable factual source. Sources can include charities, councils, NHS organisations, universities, schools and colleges, community organisations, public bodies, businesses, cultural organisations, event organisers, direct contributors and credible news publications. Where a story began elsewhere, we retain and link to the original source.
Automated discovery and publishing
The TEA uses digital tools to search public web sources across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Automation may help identify stories, organise source material and produce an original first draft. A story is only eligible for automated publication when the system has a real source link, enough source material to support the central facts, a high confidence score and no obvious high-risk or disputed claims. Lower-confidence material stays in the newsroom for review.
Automated publication is not presented as eyewitness reporting or independent confirmation by a human reporter. The named source and backlink remain part of the record so readers and editors can trace where the information came from.
Verification
Source-grounded checks focus on names, dates, places, amounts, organisations and the central claim of the story. We do not use AI output as a factual source in its own right. Political allegations, crime claims, disputed accusations, medical advice, legal or financial guidance and other high-risk material are not suitable for automatic positive-news publishing.
Images and attribution
A photograph appearing on a public webpage is not automatically free to reuse. The crawler can retain a source image as a candidate together with its provenance, but The TEA should only publish it when the reuse basis and credit are clear. Where that is not clear, a TEA-owned branded image can be used instead.
Corrections and updates
If a material factual error is identified, we aim to correct it promptly. Significant changes should be made clear rather than silently changing the meaning of an article. Readers and source organisations can contact us to flag something that needs attention.
Constructive does not mean promotional
Routine marketing does not become news simply because it sounds cheerful. We look for a clear public benefit, human consequence, useful development or genuine achievement. We avoid outrage bait, partisan attacks, invented uplift and tragedy repackaged as inspiration.
Ownership and responsibility
The TEA is operated by Here/Now/Today Ltd. Responsibility for the publication, corrections and editorial systems remains with The TEA, including when digital tools assist with research or drafting.