Our Editorial Ethics Policy

Credit: nft now

Web3 represents a singular opportunity to put power back in the hands of creators. With it, pioneers in technology and art are already redefining the creative economy. At nft now, our mission is to use storytelling and technology to uplift and amplify these contributions to build a diverse community that becomes a rising tide for all ships. 

However, the best advocates confront the arguments against their cause with honesty and transparency. At nft now, we know that this is the only way to secure true progress and earn stakeholders’ trust.

In this respect, honesty, transparency, and impartiality are paramount in all our storytelling. The purpose of nft now’s Editorial Ethics Policy is to ensure we live up to these standards, preserving the integrity of our content, our teams, and our publication. As our society and newsroom continue to evolve, our Editorial Ethics Policy will be updated to ensure it is up to date and meets the highest standards. 

Note: nft now has internal-facing policies centered on fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at our company and in our coverage.  We have engaged representative Web3 stakeholders to co-create transparent, external-facing policies that will be added to our ethics policy in the coming months.

Our promise to our readers

The following is a list of our promises to our readers, listeners, and viewers. Each item is followed by an explanation of the actions we take to uphold our commitment. If any of these policies are ever breached, management will immediately conduct an audit to identify lapses and update internal workflows to mitigate future occurrences.

  • We take responsibility for all the content we produce and everything we publish on our platforms. 
    • If our content is ever updated or corrected, it will be clearly noted and explained in prominent disclaimers. We will always offer audiences and stakeholders clear ways to tell us how we can improve. Email us here. 
  • We will be transparent about our funding and how we make money. 
    • All non-editorial content will be clearly labeled.
    • Links will only be used in editorial content if they add editorial value and will not be added simply for commercial value.
    • To ensure we only support those who are meaningfully contributing to the space and furthering our mission, our advertisers are subject to a thorough evaluation process, and all sponsored and partner content is produced by teams at nft now — not our clients or advertisers.
  • Our editorial choices and style will remain independent of commercial influence, including both advertisers and investors. 
    • To help guarantee nft now’s editorial independence and mitigate biases, the Executive Editor (who runs our newsroom) does not sell or own NFTs.
    • Editorial management has the final say on editorial content. Advertisers, partners, and investors do not influence our editorial reporting or have any involvement with our reporting processes.
    • The editorial team will not have non-public knowledge of any nft now financial affiliations, relationships, or partnerships. The editorial team will neither participate in investor relations nor be informed about the investment status of any individual or organization.
    • Editorial employees, freelancers, and guest contributors will not work for or provide consulting services to the organizations or individuals they cover. Editorial employees, freelancers, and guest contributors will not accept anything of value from the organizations or individuals they cover.
    • If an editorial employee, freelancer, or guest contributor owns stock or tokens from a company or project they are covering (including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, etc.), editorial management must be informed in order to review and ensure impartiality.
    • nft now compliance and legal teams will perform regular audits of editorial employees’ stocks, NFTs, crypto, and other assets to guarantee proper disclosures and ensure all necessary guidelines are followed.
  • We will be clear about where information is coming from. 
    • When we use facts that were gathered by another organization or individual, we will attribute them and include links whenever possible and relevant.
    • We will respect the pseudonymity of credible sources who have established reputations. We will not reveal any such person’s identity unless there is an overwhelming public interest in doing so.
    • The use of unidentified sources is reserved for only the most extenuating situations and must be approved by Editorial management.
  • Our content will be honest and impartial.
    • We understand that accuracy is more than just getting the facts right. We will actively seek a multitude of informed perspectives and present them honestly to ensure our content is fair and impartial.
    • nft now may report on news and events related to nft now. However, when reporting on nft now, we have a standing “off-the-record” policy for all team meetings, Slack conversations, emails, and other communications tools that our teams use to communicate with employees about internal matters.
  • Our content will report the truth. 
    • We fact-check all our claims and statements, backing them up with links and other relevant materials.
    • If a subject is being scrutinized or criticized, we will diligently seek them out to allow them to respond. If they have not responded prior to publication, we will include a note to that effect, and we will promptly update the content with any statement that we may receive after publication.
  • We will carefully consider what is worthy of coverage (learn more here)
    • We will follow established policies to help us determine what people, organizations, and events are worthy of coverage.
    • We will not be the arbitrators of justice, but we will follow established policies to help us ensure we’re not giving a platform to or uplifting figures and voices that have caused tangible harm.

Our official disclaimers and their meaning

Revenue and advertisements 

  • Presented by
    • The content was created by our editorial teams but was made possible (either in whole or in part) through the direct support of the named organization or individual. Organizations and individuals may choose the content they wish to fund, but they do not have any editorial oversight or participate in content creation. 
  • Sponsored content/In Partnership With
    • The content was created in collaboration with an advertiser who participated in content creation in specific, limited ways. For example, advertisers may participate in topic ideation and selection, suggest key points to focus on, etc. However, no advertiser controls the content, creates content, or has final approval rights. nft now reserves all of these rights. 
  • Affiliate content
    • This content contains affiliate links, meaning that nft now may receive a commission on items purchased through those links. 
  • #ad or #partner
    • If you see this tag on social media, it means the content was created in collaboration with an advertiser who participated in specific, limited ways.  For example, advertisers may participate in topic ideation and selection, suggest key points to focus on, etc. However, no advertiser controls the content, creates content, or has final approval rights. nft now reserves all of these rights. 

Editor’s notes

  • Correction
    • If a correction is required to improve the accuracy of our content, we update the content and add a “correction” disclaimer that outlines what the content previously said and what changes were made. The disclaimer generally follows this basic format, “Editor’s note: This content has been updated. It previously said X. This has been corrected to Y.”
  • Update
    • If additional information or commentary is added to content after publication (but does not impact or alter the accuracy of the original piece), we add an “update” disclaimer, which outlines what information or commentary was added. The disclaimer generally follows this basic format, “Editor’s note: This content has been updated to include X.”
  • AI disclaimer
    • If the content is created in collaboration with an AI system, we add a note to the content and name the system that was used. The disclaimer generally follows this basic format, “Editor’s note: This article was written by an nft now staff member in collaboration with *AI product name*.”

Conflicts of interest

  • Disclaimer
    • Conflicts of interest may include personal or professional relationships, financial interests, and similar matters. From time to time, editorial teams may cover our investors, advertisers, or an organization or project they have an active interest in. If there is ever an actual or potential conflict of interest, it will be disclosed with a “disclaimer,” which will outline the nature of the conflict. 

Last Updated May 12, 2023