Ethics Policy
Journalism depends on trust, and trust depends on conduct. This ethics policy sets out the rules that govern how Daily Watch Reports staff behave in their professional capacity — toward sources, subjects, advertisers, and the public. These are not aspirational guidelines. They are binding conditions of working here.
Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest arises when a journalist’s personal relationships, financial holdings, or outside activities could — or could reasonably appear to — affect their reporting. We take both actual conflicts and perceived conflicts seriously, because the appearance of a conflict can undermine a story’s credibility even when the reporting itself is sound.
Staff are required to disclose to the Editor-in-Chief any financial holdings in companies or sectors they cover, any personal relationships with sources or subjects of their coverage, any paid outside work, and any organizational memberships that could create a conflict. Disclosures are reviewed, and staff are reassigned from stories where a conflict cannot be adequately managed.
Reporters do not cover companies in which they hold equity. Editors do not make decisions about coverage of organizations to which they have personal or financial ties. These are hard rules, not judgment calls.
Gifts and Hospitality
Daily Watch Reports staff do not accept gifts, meals, travel, or hospitality from sources, subjects of coverage, or companies in industries they cover. The threshold is zero, not some modest dollar figure. A free dinner from a publicist is a gift. A complimentary product for review is accepted only when it is promptly returned or, for consumables, disclosed in the article. Press junkets funded by studios, companies, or governments are not attended unless the publication independently covers its own travel expenses.
Review copies of books, films, music, and software are accepted for coverage purposes and are not resold.
Paid Sources
Daily Watch Reports does not pay sources for information. No source receives compensation — direct or indirect — in exchange for providing access, quotes, documents, or tips. This policy exists without exceptions. Paying sources corrupts the incentive structure of reporting in ways that cannot be adequately disclosed.
Anonymous Sources
We use anonymous sources when, and only when, the following conditions are all met: the information is newsworthy and in the public interest; the source has direct knowledge of the facts, not secondhand or speculative information; the source faces a plausible professional or personal risk if identified; and the information cannot be obtained on the record through reasonable effort.
When we grant anonymity, we describe the source in sufficient terms for the reader to assess their credibility — their role, their proximity to the events described, and why they cannot speak on the record. “A person familiar with the matter” does not meet this standard. “A senior official in the agency who was present at the meeting and who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly” does.
Anonymous sources are known to the Editor-in-Chief. They are not known to readers, but they are not unknown to the newsroom.
Separation of Advertising and Editorial
The editorial and commercial functions of Daily Watch Reports are structurally separate. Advertisers do not know in advance what stories will run adjacent to their placements. Editorial staff are not told which advertisers have active contracts. No story is written, killed, softened, or timed in response to advertising relationships.
Sponsored content, when it appears on the site, is produced by the commercial team, is clearly and prominently labeled as advertising or sponsored content, and does not carry a news byline. It is visually distinguished from editorial content. Readers should never have to work to determine whether something they are reading is journalism or a paid placement.
Reporting on Competitors and Industry Peers
When we cover other news organizations, we apply the same standards we apply to any other subject. We do not go easy on media companies because we share an industry, and we do not apply stricter scrutiny because they are competitors. Coverage of media is covered by the same editorial and ethics policies as coverage of any other sector.
Personal Conduct Online
Staff social media accounts are personal, and staff are free to have personal lives. However, public statements — including posts, shares, and likes on professional-adjacent platforms — that express partisan political views, attack sources or subjects, or disclose unreported information create problems for the publication’s credibility and may constitute a disciplinary matter. Staff are expected to exercise judgment consistent with the reputation of the publication they represent.
Reporting Ethics Concerns
Staff who have concerns about potential ethics violations — their own or others’ — are encouraged to raise them with the Editor-in-Chief. There is no penalty for raising a concern in good faith. Concerns can also be submitted by readers to [email protected].