Where advertising, sponsorship, or affiliate relationships apply, they are disclosed and clearly distinguished from editorial analysis. Commercial relationships do not determine our evidence, sources, conclusions, ratings, or editorial coverage.
The principle
The verdict follows the evidence, not the incentive.
A publication whose entire value rests on independent judgment cannot sell that judgment. Revenue exists to fund the investigation. It does not participate in it.
What a commercial partner never receives
- Approval rights over conclusions, verdicts, or ratings.
- Influence over which sources are consulted, cited, or excluded.
- Advance sight of findings in order to respond, prepare, or object.
- The ability to suppress, delay, or soften criticism of themselves or others.
- Any right to determine which subjects are investigated or avoided.
A partner who requests any of the above is declined. This is a condition of the relationship, not a matter for negotiation.
Protected zones
Advertising is permanently excluded from the following, regardless of revenue impact:
- the headline and opening thesis;
- direct quotations from sources;
- citation clusters and the source register;
- evidence tables and primary documents;
- the methodology statement;
- corrections notices;
- the affiliate disclosure itself; and
- the final verdict.
The reasoning is straightforward. A reader assessing evidence must not be reading advertising at the same moment. A verdict positioned beside a paid placement invites the suspicion that the placement bought it.
Separation of revenue from research
Commercial decisions are made after editorial decisions, never before. A case file is selected on evidentiary merit and public interest. Its monetisation is considered only once the findings are settled.
Disclosure
Material commercial relationships are disclosed in context, not buried. Sponsored material, where it exists, is labelled as sponsored and is never presented as editorial analysis. See Affiliate Disclosure for commercial links.
Accountability
If you believe a commercial relationship has influenced a conclusion, say so. Use the Corrections Policy route. Such a claim is treated as a serious editorial complaint, not as feedback.