Last updated: May 22, 2026
This policy sets out the ethical standards that Totes Newsworthy editors, writers, and contributors are expected to uphold. It exists to keep our reporting honest, our sources protected, and our readers’ interests above all others.
Independence
Editorial decisions are made on news judgment, not on advertiser relationships, partnership agreements, or commercial pressure. No one outside the editorial team — including advertisers, affiliate partners, or business contacts — has approval over what we publish or how we frame a story.
Writers do not promise favorable coverage in exchange for access, gifts, sponsorships, or paid trips.
Conflicts of interest
Writers and editors disclose any personal, financial, or family interest in the subject of an article. When a conflict cannot be eliminated, the writer recuses themselves from the story, and the conflict is disclosed in the article if the story still proceeds.
Examples of conflicts that require disclosure or recusal:
- Owning stock in a company being reported on.
- Having a close family or personal relationship with a source or subject.
- Receiving paid work — past, present, or expected — from the subject of the story.
- A spouse, partner, or close relative who works for or financially benefits from the subject.
Gifts, hospitality, and trips
We accept review products (food, supplements, books, services) provided they are returned, donated, or disclosed within the review. We do not accept cash, vacations, paid trips, or gifts of significant value (over USD $50 retail) without editor approval. Where we accept hospitality — for example, attending a press event with provided meals or transportation — we disclose that in the article.
Paid content
Sponsored content, branded posts, and affiliate-driven articles are clearly labeled as such. They use distinct visual styling and a banner indicating the commercial relationship. Sponsored content is not produced by the editorial team and does not appear under editorial bylines.
Affiliate links within editorial articles are disclosed at the start of the article. We do not let affiliate relationships influence which products or services we recommend.
Anonymous sources
We name sources whenever possible. We grant anonymity only when:
- The information is in the public interest.
- The source would face retaliation, harm, or legal jeopardy if named.
- The information cannot be obtained from a named source.
- The editor is satisfied with the source’s reliability and motivation.
Anonymous sources are identified to the editor before publication, even if not in the article. We do not use anonymous sources for attacks on named individuals without strong corroboration.
Fact-checking
Every substantive claim in an article is verified before publication. Quotes are confirmed against recordings, transcripts, or contemporaneous notes. Statistics are checked against the original source. Names, titles, and dates are confirmed.
Editors review fact-checking on contested or high-stakes stories.
Plagiarism
We do not republish other publications’ work as our own. We quote and link generously when building on others’ reporting, and we credit the original outlet by name when their work materially shaped our story.
Suspected plagiarism by a Totes Newsworthy writer is grounds for immediate review and, if confirmed, removal of the article and termination of the writer.
Generative AI
AI tools may assist with research, outlining, summarization, and editing. Every published article is authored or edited by a named human. We do not:
- Publish AI-generated articles under human bylines.
- Use AI to fabricate quotes, sources, or events.
- Publish AI-generated images of real people without disclosure.
When AI plays a substantive role in an article (for example, analysis of a large dataset), we disclose that in the article.
Privacy
We respect the privacy of private individuals. We do not publish personal details — addresses, phone numbers, photos of private homes, names of children — unless there is a clear and overriding public interest.
For public figures, we cover the parts of their lives that are relevant to their public role. Private matters are reported only when they are directly germane to the story (for example, a public official’s undisclosed business interests).
Imagery and visual integrity
Photographs and videos used in articles are not manipulated in ways that misrepresent what they show. Cropping, color correction, and basic enhancement are acceptable. Composite images, AI-generated imagery, and dramatizations are labeled.
Stock photography is used where appropriate and labeled when the image is not of the specific person, place, or event being discussed.
Outside work
Writers may take outside writing assignments, paid speaking engagements, or other work that does not conflict with their Totes Newsworthy coverage areas. Outside work that creates a conflict — for example, paid consulting for a company a writer covers — must be disclosed and approved by the editor in advance.
Treatment of subjects
We give the subjects of negative or critical stories an opportunity to respond before publication. We include their response, even if brief, in the article. When a subject declines to comment, we say so.
We do not publish information obtained illegally. We do not impersonate or misrepresent ourselves to obtain information.
Mistakes
We do not pretend to be infallible. When we get something wrong, we correct it openly under our Corrections Policy. When we fall short of these standards in some other way, we acknowledge it.
Reporting concerns
Readers, sources, and the public can raise ethics concerns at ethics [at] totesnewsworthy [dot] com. Concerns are reviewed by the editor and, when warranted, by a second senior editor independent of the original writer.
Ethics questions or concerns: ethics [at] totesnewsworthy [dot] com
Editorial: editorial [at] totesnewsworthy [dot] com