I still recall my very first byline, it was for a story on India's publishing industry for 'India Business Report', BBC's first locally produced business show. I got the chance to interview Penguin India's David Davidar and author Upamanyu Chaterjee and it was the most thrilling experience to see you name in the story in the credits roll.
Last week, a young PR professional pitched a story idea that all stories must contain bylines as it became difficult to find the author and the source of an error that had crept in the story.
All PR folks are more than familiar with the pain of getting a journalist to correct a story, the lack of a byline, they say makes it that much more difficult to get any error corrected.
Should bylines be mandatory?
Vishal Thapa, head of PR and media relations at leading auto dealer AMPL Group, says, "Reporters’ bylines should be mandatory not only from an accountability perspective but also to facilitate corrective efforts, as they enable communication teams to directly reach the concerned journalist for genuine corrections, clarifications, or getting additional relevant information added. In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive digital journalism environment, stories are often published in haste to be first to break the news, leaving limited time for thorough fact-checking and increasing the risk of inaccuracies. Including the reporter’s name, and ideally an official email ID as well, on the story ensures timely and precise communication and avoids delays in identifying the right contact."
"Bylines should be the norm, not an exception. It should be waived only for clear, justified reasons. A byline brings accountability, credibility and trust in the reporting. It infuses a higher degree of professional ownership, and seeing one's own name nonetheless gives lesser mortals a next-level satisfaction. However, certain reporting or news, such as crime, stories involving large corporations or powerful personalities or institutions, is desirable to be anonymous or by a staff reporter without any individual representation", says Rahul Rakesh, a senior reputation consultant.
Shaila Olivia Pais, former DG at The US-India Importers' Council (USIIC), is clear that bylines should not be mandatory, "No! Bylines are for worthy articles and coveted!"
Senior corporate communications professional, Indu Anand, offers a different view saying, "Bylines are typically reserved for and a recognition of a unique story that a reporter has specifically scouted and developed and that sheds light on a subject that has escaped other’s attention/agenda. A bylined story indicates ‘ownership’ of the effort. Non-bylined stories are usually those that the outlet cannot claim as only its own, and versions of the news are widely reported across outlets. I imagine the desk handles these. As far as accountability goes, the editor is responsible. Interestingly, The Economist doesn’t byline at all."
That's on the ball as far as print journalism goes. A byline is usually for an exclusive story that offers new information and data. And the ultimate responsibility of the story. In January 2012, the Indian Express carried a startling front page piece on army movements. A story of this sensitive nature was credited to two names. The senior journalist Ritu Sareen and the Indian Express editor, Shekhar Gupta. The aim of this was clear, the editor, by including his byline, threw his support behind the story and his reporter.
Navel Nazareth, former journalist and co-founder & content head at Neo Aeon Media Solutions, says "Bylines absolutely play a role in accountability, but they also contribute to dignity in journalism. And in an industry where stories travel fast and platforms are evolving faster, that dignity shouldn’t get lost. In PR, we often rely on understanding who is shaping narratives, what their areas of interest are, and how they approach storytelling. When bylines disappear, that context disappears too, and it makes both reporting and relationship-building weaker.
That said, bylines shouldn’t be treated as pressure points. The value of a piece should always remain its reporting, not its author photo."
"Bylines are important for accountability and credibility, but they are not relevant in every situation. Desk stories, breaking news, agency copy, and heavily edited pieces are often collective efforts shaped by multiple hands. In such cases, insisting on a byline does not necessarily add value and can misrepresent how the story was produced", shares Anu Mishra, co founder, Malviya Factual Communication.
Readers look for credibility not bylines
"A byline is valuable when a story is driven by individual reporting or opinion, but it isn’t always necessary. Many industry stories are collaborative efforts shaped by editors, desks, and newsrooms and multiple thought leaders rather than a single voice.
To me, clarity, accuracy, and relevance to the reader matter far more than a named byline", says Bhuvana Subramanyan, marketing consultant, author at the CKA Birla Group
Today’s news is the outcome of collaborative newsrooms
Durgesh Tripathi, lead – corporate communications, Signature Global and curator – 'The Comms Circle', is a former journalist with HT who has also spent time at the copy desk of Danik Jagran and Amar Ujjala.
He says, "The relevance of a byline today depends on the nature of the story, not a rigid rule. While bylines are essential for opinion-led, analytical, or investigative pieces where individual accountability and voice matter, much of today’s news is the outcome of collaborative newsroom ecosystems—editors, desks, data teams, and real-time inputs working together.
In such cases, the credibility of the institution, the accuracy of information, and editorial rigour matter more than individual attribution. The focus should remain on transparency and trust for the reader, rather than treating bylines as a default mandate. Context, platform, and purpose should ultimately decide whether a byline adds value to the story.”
Global Comparison of Byline Policies (2026)
This consolidated table compares the byline and attribution policies of the world’s most influential news organisations. It highlights the balance between individual accountability and institutional protection.
| Outlet | Byline Philosophy | Stance on Pseudonyms | When Bylines are Omitted |
| Associated Press (AP) | Presence: Mandatory for field reports and stories with anonymous sources. | Strictly Prohibited. | Physical Safety: Removed in active conflict zones. |
| New York Times (NYT) | "Enhanced Trust": Adds context on how the reporter got the story. | Extremely Rare: Only for vital Op-Eds. | Retaliation: To protect reporters in authoritarian regimes. |
| Reuters | The "Trust Principles": Accuracy and objectivity over personal branding. | Prohibited. | Hostile Environments: To avoid "economic espionage" or security charges. |
| Financial Times (FT) | Market Responsibility: Names guarantee against market manipulation. | Strictly Prohibited. | Bureau Work: Technical briefs are often institutional credits. |
| The Economist | Collective Voice: Anonymity is the brand; the "hive mind" speaks. | No. | Default State: Articles almost never have names. |
| The Hindu | Paper of Record: High emphasis on "Special Correspondent" for sensitive beats. | No. | Source Protection: When naming the reporter would identify the source. |
| Times of India (TOI) | Commercial/Branded: Bylines are used to build reporter "celebrity" or sections. | Rarely Used. | TNN (Times News Network): Used for routine/collaborative news. |
| Dainik Jagran | Hyper-Local / Safety: Heavy use of "Nij Pratinidhi" (Own Representative). | Occasional. | Legal/Physical Safety: To protect rural stringers from local mafias/police. |
In 2026, the "byline" has evolved into a multi-layered Attribution Label. With the passage of the EU AI Act (August 2026) and India’s MeitY mandates, global networks have shifted from simple names to "provenance tracking."
The New Standard: The "Three-Tier" Byline
By early 2026, many major newsrooms (including NDTV, CNN, and The New York Times) have adopted a tiered attribution model to clarify the role of technology:
- Human Byline: The traditional "By Name." Signifies that the journalist did the reporting, interviewing, and writing without generative tools.
- Hybrid Byline (The "Co-Creator"): "By Name with AI assistance." This is used when AI helped with data analysis, translation, or drafting, but a human editor verified every fact.
- Synthetic Attribution: "Generated by [Platform Name] AI." Used for routine automated tasks like weather updates, stock tickers, or sports score summaries.
Why These Policies Exist
- The "Deepfake" Defense: By labelling all legitimate AI content, networks make it easier for viewers to spot unlabelled deepfakes. If it's not labelled "AI-Assisted" by a trusted brand like CNN or NDTV, the audience is trained to be skeptical.
- Legal "Safe Harbor": Under the 2026 AI laws in India and Europe, newsrooms that clearly label AI content are often protected from certain types of misinformation liability, provided they have a "Human-in-the-Loop" review process.
- SEO & Licensing: Search engines (Google/Bing) and AI aggregators (OpenAI/Meta) now prioritize content with clear "Metadata Bylline" (C2PA standards) that proves the content came from a verified human newsroom.
Researched and source checked via Gemini
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