Advertising Disclosure
How advertising would be labeled and separated from editorial work.
Current status
State of Emergency currently carries no advertising. There is no ad network on the site, no sponsored content and no paid placement. This page sets out the rules that will apply if that changes.
Why this page exists before the advertising does
Publishing an advertising policy before selling any advertising might look premature. It is deliberate.
The rules a publication sets when it has no revenue at stake are the honest ones. Writing them down now — while nothing is being lost by writing them strictly — makes them harder to quietly relax later, and gives readers something concrete to hold us to.
Native advertising and affiliate content
The hardest case in commercial publishing is not the banner ad, which readers recognise instantly. It is content that reads like editorial and is not.
Our position: any paid content is labeled above the content, the sponsor is named, and it is visually distinguishable from editorial work. Affiliate recommendations are editorial — written to our own standards — but carry a disclosure near the top of the page because a reader is entitled to weigh the incentive.
A reader should never have to work out which they are reading. If that question can arise on a page, the labeling has already failed and the page needs fixing.
How the site is funded
The site is independently operated. The intended revenue model is affiliate commissions on commercial pages, and potentially display advertising. Reader donations, paywalls and subscriptions are not part of the model.
We will not describe a revenue mix we do not have. When advertising is introduced, this page will name the mechanism before the first ad is served.
Editorial and advertising separation
Advertisers have no access to editorial planning, no advance sight of coverage and no ability to require, block or alter a conclusion.
Sponsored and partner content
Any paid content that resembles editorial content will be labeled with plain words a reader actually understands:
- Advertisement
- Sponsored
- Paid Partner Content
The sponsor is named. We will not use vague labels — presented by, in association with, partner spotlight — that blur the line for the reader.
What we would and would not accept
Stating a policy before there is money on the table is easier than stating it afterwards, which is exactly why it belongs here now.
Categories we would not accept advertising from, because they conflict with the purpose of this site:
- products making unsupported medical or protective claims
- emergency or disaster-related fear marketing
- political or advocacy advertising
- products whose safe use we would have to misrepresent to advertise
- any placement conditioned on editorial coverage, ranking or a favorable review
What advertising would look like to you
If display advertising is introduced, it will be visually distinct from editorial content, labeled, and outside the article body rather than styled to resemble it.
Sponsored content would carry its label above the content, not below it, with the sponsor named. A reader should never have to work out whether they are reading editorial or paid material — if that question can arise, the labeling has already failed.
Advertising also brings tracking technology, which is why the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy would be rewritten, and consent mechanisms deployed, before the first ad is served rather than after.
Product placement
If payment ever affects which products are displayed, their order, or their inclusion in a promotional module, that will be disclosed on the page in question. We will not claim payment never affects placement unless it is true.
Editorial conclusions
Recommendations and reviews are written to serve the reader making a decision. Advertising and affiliate relationships do not determine them, and a brand cannot purchase a verdict.