Contents – Policies, Ethics, and Standards on Parentology
Editorial Mission
Ethics Policy
Conflicts of Interest
Diversity Policy
Verification and Fact-checking Standards
Corrections Policy
Editorial Mission
Kids think they know tech — how to use it, talk about it, and navigate through its many different worlds. What they don’t know is how to parent themselves within this new and ever-changing environment. Parentology is the information destination for parenting in the digital age, helping adults better understand and navigate these devices, terms, and online spaces that young people frequent so that they can raise better digital citizens. In short, Parentology is here to help parents muddle through the latest news, trends, and technologies that impact a family’s daily life.
Ethics Policy
Parentology subscribes to the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. In summary (copied from the original), Parentology writers must:
- Seek Truth and Report It
Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information. - Minimize Harm
Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect. - Act Independently
Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know. - Be Accountable
Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.
Additionally, if the accuracy and integrity of the reporting and writing could be compromised or called into question, the writer and editor will work together to reach a solution. If a solution cannot be reached, the final decision goes to Parentology’s Editor-in-Chief or the next highest manager, who will make a decision after consulting all company stakeholders.
Some questions to be asked include:
- What do I know? What are the facts?
- What is my journalistic purpose?
- What are my ethical concerns and do they conflict with the story?
- Have I reviewed different perspectives and diverse ideas in the writing?
- Do I have an inherent bias that unintentionally impacted the work?
- Who are the stakeholders — those affected by my decision? What are their motivations? Which are legitimate?
- How would I feel if the roles were reversed?
- Have I told the truth? Is there another way to tell the truth and minimize harm?
- Can I clearly and fully justify my thinking and my decision to all the parties involved, including the public?
- What are the next steps that need to be taken?
Conflicts of Interest
Parentology does generate some of its revenue through sponsored editorial. Sometimes those pieces will be written by the journalists or editors who have written other non-sponsored content on the website. In all cases, the reader must be clearly made aware of the relationship. In most instances, a tag is displayed at the top of an article that will say “Sponsored Content.” In other cases, such as articles that are legitimate non-sponsored stories but that may contain links to potential revenue-generating affiliate offers, an Editor’s Note in brackets will be placed by the link to inform the reader.
Diversity Policy
Parentology is committed to publishing content reflective of our diverse audience. Our goal is to provide accurate information that is inclusive of all ages, genders, races, religions, sexual orientations, and political affiliations where applicable.
Verification and Fact-checking Standards
Parentology writers hold the primary responsibility for reporting, writing, and fact-checking their stories. Stories are subject to review by one or more editors.
At the bottom of articles there is a “Sources” section with links to online sources that helped the writer with the creation of the story. In some cases, this is the name of the person or persons interviewed in the article. In other cases, it is a link to other news stories, studies, or articles that were used for reference. Our editorial team attempts to review those sources for accuracy; however, due to the sheer number of articles on Parentology, if there has been a change to a source article after the publication of a Parentology article, we do not have a way of knowing that. This is where we rely on reader feedback to help us keep content accurate and up to date.
We use Grammarly to check for plagiarism, and all images are obtained through publicists, public domain social media sites, stock photo agencies, etc. All images should be credited accordingly.
Expert Sources
We quote a lot of people in Parentology — both everyday parents as well as women and men who are regarded as experts in their given field. We strive to pull those experts and specialists from a diverse pool that reflects the diverse readership of our website.
If you are or know person who could be an expert source for Parentology, please contact us.
Corrections Policy
When a mistake or correction is brought to our editors’ attention, we strive to fix it as quickly as possible. Due to the fast-changing nature of the internet, if a simple mistake, typo, or small clarification is being corrected then we make the change without putting any notes within the story. If a major factual change is made, we will make the change within the copy and call out that change at the bottom of the article, citing what we incorrectly stated and how it was revised.
Developing Stories/Updates
Many times, often in the case of news stories, the story is developing and being updated regularly. If an article is updated with new facts, we will generally include a subheading marked “UPDATED” — often posted in another color to stand out on the page — and explain what the update is. Normally, this is also reflected in the headline and on social media posts.
Clarification
When the original reporting is factually correct but the language used wasn’t as clear or detailed as it should have been, we will rewrite the passage. Sometimes, this will simply be done and republished, or rewritten with an editor’s note placed in brackets. A clarification can also include information that was accidentally left out of the original story, or if an interviewee wanted a quote clarified within the text; in this case, an editor’s note in brackets will also be included.
Have a Correction?
Send us a note on the contact us form.