Editorial Standards
How we report, how we correct mistakes, and how we handle coverage that someone has paid for. In plain English, because rules written to be unreadable are not rules.
Original reporting only
Everything published here is written for this publication. We do not republish other outlets' articles, in whole or in part, and we do not run machine-rewritten versions of someone else's work. Where we build on another outlet's reporting, we say so in the copy and link to it.
Sourcing
Claims about named people are attributed in the piece. Where a source is not named, the article explains why. We grant anonymity when a source faces a real professional or legal risk, not as a convenience, and an editor other than the writer knows the source's identity in every case. We do not publish speculation about a person's private life, health or finances as though it were established fact.
Use of artificial intelligence
[SECTION WITHHELD PENDING A DECISION. The copy deck drafts a clause stating that no article here is written by a language model and that every byline belongs to a person who can answer for it. That is not currently true of this archive, so publishing it would put a false claim on the one page whose purpose is establishing trust. Resolve the bylines and publish the clause, or rewrite the clause to describe what actually happens, and then replace this placeholder.]
Paid features
Some coverage on this site is paid for by its subject. Every such article carries a visible Paid feature label above the headline, and any link from that article to a business or website the subject controls is marked rel=sponsored so that search engines do not treat it as an editorial endorsement.
A paid feature does not buy a particular verdict, and it does not buy coverage of anyone else. We will decline a commission rather than publish something we believe to be false. Paid features are commissioned by our commercial side and reviewed by an editor for accuracy before they run.
Conflicts of interest
Writers disclose to their editor any financial interest, family connection or professional relationship with a subject before they are assigned. Where a conflict is real but the writer is still the right person for the piece, the connection is disclosed in the article itself. Nobody on the editorial side trades on information gathered for a story, and we do not accept payment, gifts or travel from the subjects of our reporting beyond what is needed to attend an event we are covering. [Confirm your travel and screening policy before publishing this sentence.]
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we correct it on the article itself and note what changed and when. Substantive corrections are not made silently. To report an error, use the contact page and include the article URL. We aim to respond to correction requests [within two working days].
Images
Every photograph we publish is licensed or supplied with permission, and carries a credit. If you believe an image has been used here without the right licence, contact us and we will take it down while we check.
Right of reply
Where an article makes a critical claim about a living person or an active business, we approach them for comment before publication and record their response, or record that they declined. We give a reasonable window to reply, and we say in the piece how long that window was.
Ownership and funding
Hollywood Standard is owned by [ENTITY] and funded by advertising and paid features. [No studio, streamer, agency or production company holds a stake in this publication.] Where we report on a company that has a commercial relationship with us, we disclose that relationship in the article.
Complaints
If you think we have breached these standards, write to us through the contact page with the article URL and what you believe is wrong. An editor who was not involved in the piece will review it and reply to you [within ten working days]. If we were wrong, we will correct it publicly and tell you what we changed.