IE Media aims to uphold the highest standards of ethical and professional journalism.
In our coverage we seek to be independent, fair and accurate. The main purpose of this policy is to preserve the neutrality IE Media stands for and the integrity it provides in all aspects of its content.
Content should be non-partial and neutral at all times. Employees are expected to keep their content and posts in compliance with the company policy and be respectful, unbiased, and authentic. Avoiding inappropriate, violent, and biased content is a must for all outlets connected to IE Media.
All of our employees are subjected to complying with all aspects of this policy. All new members are required to read this policy before taking on their positions. The matters addressed in this code are important, so any violation of rules within the areas covered below is considered serious enough to require disciplinary action.
The emergence of AI has sparked debate over its use in journalism. At IE Media we are always open to new technologies, however this does not supersede our commitment to upholding the highest standards of journalistic integrity and transparency. Our policy on AI is outlined in our AI Usage Policy.
Stories are never sent to sources in advance of publication. Journalists may however choose to provide a copy of direct quotes with a source in advance of publication to check for accuracy.
Named sources are preferable to anonymous ones, but there may be occasions where we publish information from unnamed sources, provided we are satisfied that they have a good reason to remain anonymous and are providing us with high-quality information.
Our journalists have a duty to protect confidential sources.
We do not agree to conditional access i.e., we don’t agree to an interview if the interviewee insists we avoid specific topics.
We reach out to subjects for fact-checking, but we only allow them to verify relevant facts and quotes. We do not allow them to review content prior to publication.
We avoid undue prominence when contributors discuss their work, especially if it has the potential to have a monetary impact. Any references to a contributor’s artistic creations, business, products, etc. must be editorially justified and limited.
Information that has not been independently verified should be attributed to the source it has been taken from. Quotes which we have not gathered ourselves should be attributed to a source.
Journalists must not use for their own profit financial information they receive in advance of its general publication, nor should they pass such information to others.
They must not write about shares or securities in whose performance they know that they or their close families have a significant financial interest without disclosing the interest to the editor.
They must not buy or sell, either directly or through nominees or agents, shares or securities about which they have written recently or about which they intend to write in the near future.
Editorial teams must not accept anything of value (including travel expenses or items to review) from companies or people we cover or from any organizations or individuals acting on their behalf.
Editorial employees are not permitted to work for or provide consulting services to the companies we cover.
If an employee has a close personal relationship with an individual, company, etc. we cover, they will not participate in coverage of that company or in any part of the coverage process (topic ideation, headline ideation, etc).
Any potential conflict of interest must be clearly disclosed at the bottom of the article in question.
Any content paid for by an advertiser is clearly labeled as such using words such as “sponsored”, “advertising” or “advertorial”. Content which is editorially independent but created with the help of specific funding from an advertiser may be presented with the words “in association with” or “supported by”.
Only employees in the sales and marketing departments are allowed to make deals with third parties on behalf of IE Media. It is not allowed for anyone other than employees in the sales and marketing department to make deals using the company name in return for promotions/links, etc.
Links may only be added to content if they are of editorial value and may not be added if they have commercial value.
It is forbidden for our journalists to copy information from other sources without attribution.
Getting permission before publishing an image or a video is necessary, as a result of the copyright and trademark laws. The team is expected to comply with the legal terms of the websites and other entities IE Media works or partners with.
While IE Media always strives for perfection and accuracy, we can make errors from time to time. Then, IE Media is prepared to take responsibility for correcting the said error and will maintain a high level of transparency to make sure all feel confident that the incorrect information does not spread.
In order to achieve the level of accuracy, perfection, and clarity, these are the steps to follow: