Ethics Statement

Since it launched in 2018, EnvZone has operated under a strict ethics policy that ensures our editorial independence and the integrity of our journalism. All of our editorial staff are required to abide by the following guidelines, many of which exceed standards in our industry.

Earning and keeping the trust of our audience is, and always will be, at the core of EnvZone’s mission. In a world where information is distributed across countless platforms and formats, it’s more important than ever to promote clear ethical guidelines that allow audiences to know where that information comes from and whether it can be trusted.

Editorial independence

Our most valuable asset is the independence that allows us to publish stories without fear.

EnvZone is routinely critical of people and companies we cover, and we’re most proud of our work when we tell stories that people in power would prefer not see the light of day. We are able to enjoy this independence because every member of our editorial team is required to follow a strict code of conduct. Additionally, we enforce a strict wall between EnvZone’s editorial team and advertising team (addressed more in detail below).

Here are the core guidelines in our code of conduct:

  • We don’t accept things of value from companies or from their PR firms, period
  • We do not accept preconditions for coverage of a story that require us to say certain things
  • We do not give subjects of our reporting the ability to preview or approve interview questions, nor do we allow them to review our stories before we publish
  • We do not allow reporters to cover people or companies where they have a personal conflict
  • We do not make paid endorsements of any kind
  • We do not personally invest in companies we cover

Our policy against receiving anything of value from companies we cover includes, but is not limited to, things like gifts, meals, discounted services, or paid trips and junkets.

Professional conduct

In addition to standards that preserve our independence, EnvZone’s reporters are expected to abide by industry-standard ethical guidelines for reporting. This means that our editorial team takes great care to learn the truth and report it, minimize risk of harm, and strive for accuracy and honesty in everything we publish. We use the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics as a baseline for the professional conduct of our editorial staff.

Sourcing Standards at EnvZone

EnvZone maintains high standards for sourcing. Our reporters will always carefully explain our sourcing practices to you and strive to protect your confidentiality when appropriate.

If you are a communications professional, or talking to us in your official capacity, we will abide by the following definitions.

ON THE RECORD

“On the record” is the default for talking to reporters and editors at EnvZone. You say things, we record them, we can report who you are and quote what you said. We will expect corporate communications professionals and people speaking to us in an official capacity to be on the record in almost every single case, and you will have to tell us why you want to change this default every single time.

ON BACKGROUND

“On background” means you can talk to us and we will not specifically identify you, instead using a descriptor like “company spokesperson.” If you are a corporate communications professional speaking to us in your official capacity, we will not in any circumstances attribute you as “a source familiar.”

Going “on background” is an agreement between you and the reporters or editors you speak to at EnvZone. The general rules of an agreement apply: you may offer to go on background, and we will accept or deny your request. If we do not specifically accept, there is no agreement.

This means:

  1. You cannot email EnvZone reporters statements prefaced with “On background” and assume we will treat the material as if it is on background.
  2. You cannot tell us how a statement is to be attributed without asking.
  3. You cannot say things like “background not for attribution,” and we will not agree to that terminology. This is just off the record. Say what you mean.

A reminder: you have to ask, and we have to agree. Every single time.

OFF THE RECORD

“Off the record” is simple: you talk to us, we agree not to use anything we hear in any of our reporting unless we can source it otherwise. Like background, off the record is an agreement. If we don’t agree, you are not off the record.

We do not readily agree to off-the-record conversations with corporate communications professionals or people speaking in their official capacities without specific reasons.

Distributed platforms

EnvZone is a multimedia brand that is distributed across many platforms, including our own site on the web, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and others. Our editorial standards apply to all of our platforms.

Corrections and updates

Despite making every effort to be accurate in our reporting, sometimes we get something wrong. If we discover a mistake in a story, our editors will promptly issue a correction that removes the inaccurate information and adds a notice of correction that explains the error. In some cases, like if an inaccuracy is contained in a video, we may have to remove the original piece of content and replace it with a version in which the error is omitted.

Sometimes more information about a story we’ve published becomes available that either continues the narrative or clarifies the original story, but it is not a correction. In these cases, we may add and / or change elements of the original story. These updates will be clearly noted at the bottom of the story, indicating the time of the change and a note describing what was changed.

Additionally, we may remove content if we believe it infringes on the intellectual property rights of a third party, otherwise violates any third-party rights, or breaches any applicable law or regulation. These decisions are made in concert with EnvZone’s legal team.

Partnerships

From time to time, EnvZone’s Partnerships team engages with other businesses, brands, and organizations whose activities resonate with the company as a whole, or with one or more of our editorial teams. These partnerships do not impact the content that our editorial teams independently publish. Our Partnerships team, however, may create content as part of these partnerships, and we may publish this content on our editorial sites. In these cases, we will include a disclosure to describe the nature of the relationship between our editorial brand(s) and the partner(s) and the extent to which our editorial teams were involved in the creation of the content

Feedback

We’re always interested in hearing from you if you have a concern about our ethical standards. If you see something that doesn’t look right on EnvZone, please let us know.