Journalism &
editorial work
What I report on, how a story is put together before it reaches print, and the standards I hold every line of it to.
Four subjects, one purpose
Almost everything published under my byline falls into one of four areas. They overlap more often than not — a crime story is usually a civic story, and a civic story is usually a human rights story.
Crime & justice
Cases as they move through complaint, investigation and court — reported from the ground rather than from a press release. The aim is to follow a matter after the first headline has faded, when the people involved most need someone still paying attention.
- Criminal cases and police action
- Court proceedings and their outcomes
- Follow-ups on matters that stalled
Human rights
Reporting alongside citizens whose rights, dignity or safety are at stake — and who rarely have the means to be heard on their own. This work has drawn appreciation from human rights councils and community bodies across India.
- Complaints that went nowhere
- Rights of workers, tenants and the displaced
- Access to redress for ordinary families
Civic affairs & accountability
Governance where it actually lands — water, roads, sanitation, permissions, public money. Holding an office to account is not an attack on it; it is the ordinary business of a free press, and it is where reporting does the most practical good.
- Local governance and public services
- Use of public funds and tenders
- Civic issues raised by residents
Community & welfare
Relief work, social initiatives and the people who quietly keep a neighbourhood standing. Much of my own service work — recognised with Corona Warrior honours through the pandemic — began as stories on this beat.
- Relief and humanitarian efforts
- Social workers and volunteer groups
- Health, education and welfare access
From a phone call to the front page
Most stories reach FAC News as a call, a message or a walk-in. This is the path each one takes before it is printed — and the point at which many of them are dropped.
The first account
Someone comes to us with a complaint, a document or a claim. It is written down in full, with names, dates and places, exactly as given — before anyone decides what it means.
Going to the place
Reporting happens on the ground. A locality is visited, neighbours and witnesses are spoken to, and what can be seen is recorded first-hand rather than taken on trust.
Documents and record
Claims are matched against what exists on paper — complaints, orders, notices, official responses. A story that cannot be tied to record does not run as fact.
The other side
Anyone named in an unfavourable light is approached for their response before publication, and their answer — or their refusal to give one — is carried in the report itself.
Editing and legal care
Copy is checked for accuracy, for language that overstates what was found, and for anything that could identify a vulnerable person who did not consent to be identified.
Publication and follow-up
The report goes out in print and online. Where a matter is still moving, it stays on the list — the follow-up is usually the story that changes something.
The rules I work by
These are not decorations. They are the conditions under which a report carries my name.
- Verify before you publishNothing runs as fact on a single unsupported account. If it cannot be confirmed, it is either held back or reported plainly as an allegation.
- Carry the other sideEvery person or institution criticised is given a fair chance to respond, and that response is printed with the report — not buried afterwards.
- No paid or favoured coverageReporting is not for sale, and it is not traded for access, advertising or goodwill. A story runs on merit or it does not run.
- Protect the vulnerableVictims, witnesses and minors are not identified without clear reason and consent. A source who asks for protection gets it.
- Correct openlyWhen we get something wrong, we say so in the same place we said it — promptly and without argument.
- Report the person, not the communityWrongdoing belongs to the individual who committed it. It is never attributed to a caste, faith or community.
Corrections & right of reply
If something published by FAC News is inaccurate, incomplete or unfair to you, write to us. Send the report or a link to it, the specific point you are disputing, and anything that supports your account.
Every complaint is read. A confirmed error is corrected in print and online, and a person named in a report may ask for their reply to be carried.
info@mohammedsayeedshaikh.com
+91 99300 26943
Print, online and on the record
The registered newspaper I founded in 2016 and continue to edit. Read about the publication →
Reporting is filed and published in Hindi and English for readers across Maharashtra.
The printed edition, fightagainstcriminal.com, and video reports on the FAC News channels.
Have a story that deserves reporting?
Tips, documents and complaints are read personally. If you need your identity protected, say so at the start — it will be respected.