Editorial independence is the foundation of every IGT publication. We say it on the About page, we say it in our Affiliate Disclosure, and we say it here — but the meaningful version of the statement is how we structure operations to make editorial independence actually hold up under commercial pressure.
Three operational commitments
1. Editorial and commercial are separate functions
Editors do not see commission rates. Business development team members do not commission reviews. Affiliate revenue is reported at the publication level for transparency, but individual content decisions are made on editorial merit — not commission potential.
2. We publish unfavorable opinions when warranted
If a product underperforms in our testing, we say so — even when an affiliate relationship exists with the vendor. If a category leader has structural issues that hurt customers, we write about those issues. Reviews that conclude “this is not the right tool for this use case” are part of the work.
3. Disclosure happens everywhere it matters
In compliance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255: every article with affiliate links includes an in-content disclosure. Every publication footer links to the IGT-wide Affiliate Disclosure. We use plain language — “we may earn a commission from this link at no additional cost to you” — not buried legalese.
What we won’t do
- We don’t sell editorial coverage. Sponsored content, when it appears, is clearly labeled “Sponsored” and is produced by our commercial team, not our editors.
- We don’t accept payment for positive reviews. Vendors cannot pay to influence rankings, recommendations, or coverage.
- We don’t bury negative coverage. Unfavorable findings appear in the same articles, with the same emphasis, regardless of commercial relationship.
- We don’t hide commercial relationships. Every affiliate link is disclosed at the point of use and at the publication level.
Why this matters
The reader’s trust is the most valuable thing we own. Once it’s compromised, no amount of affiliate revenue makes the publication recoverable. Editorial independence isn’t just a principle we hold — it’s the only operating model that makes a long-term independent media business durable.
If you ever spot coverage that feels commercially influenced rather than editorially driven, write us at [email protected]. Pointed reader feedback is one of the strongest signals we have that the editorial firewall is working — or that it needs reinforcement.