Trust depends on more than accuracy; it depends on how a publication behaves. This Ethics Policy sets out the ethical commitments that govern Chandler Weekly — the principles that shape how we treat sources, subjects, advertisers, and readers. It complements our Editorial Policy and Standards & Practices, and we publish it openly so readers can hold us to it.
Independence
Our journalism serves readers — not advertisers, affiliate partners, sponsors, or political interests. Commercial and editorial functions are kept separate, and no outside party is given influence over, or advance sight of, our reporting. When our editorial judgement and a commercial interest point in different directions, editorial judgement wins. How this works in practice, including how we are funded, is described on our About page and in our Affiliate Disclosure.
Conflicts of interest
We avoid situations where a personal, financial, or political interest could compromise — or appear to compromise — our work. Where a relevant conflict exists on a particular subject, it is disclosed to readers or avoided altogether. We do not cover matters in which the publication has an undisclosed stake, and we treat the appearance of a conflict as seriously as an actual one, because both erode trust.
Gifts and inducements
We do not accept payment, gifts, favours, or hospitality in exchange for coverage, and we do not allow the promise or the withdrawal of advertising to shape editorial decisions. An advertiser is a commercial relationship, never an editorial one, and it buys advertising space — nothing more.
Affiliate and sponsored content
Because Chandler Weekly is free to read and partly supported by affiliate commissions, we hold ourselves to strict disclosure. Affiliate relationships are disclosed above the article body on any piece that contains them, in line with U.S. Federal Trade Commission guidance, and our recommendations are made on editorial merit regardless of commission. Sponsored content is clearly labelled “SPONSORED” and is never disguised as independent editorial. We do not sell paid guest posts or participate in paid link marketplaces. See our Affiliate Disclosure and Sponsored Content Policy.
Fairness and accuracy
We treat the subjects of our reporting fairly. We represent viewpoints accurately, give people and organisations a reasonable opportunity to respond to significant criticism, and take care not to cause gratuitous harm. We correct the record when we are wrong, and we describe uncertainty honestly rather than manufacturing false confidence.
Sources and confidentiality
Named sources are always preferred. Where a source requires confidentiality and the information is of genuine public interest, we honour commitments made and protect the identity of sources who would face real risk if named. Confidentiality is granted deliberately, never casually, and never as cover for an anonymous attack.
Privacy of individuals
We are mindful of the privacy of private individuals, and we weigh the public interest before publishing sensitive personal information. Public figures acting in a public capacity are open to scrutiny; private people going about their lives are treated with more care.
Originality, plagiarism, and fabrication
Plagiarism and fabrication are the gravest breaches in publishing. We do not invent quotes, sources, statistics, product tests, or credentials, and we credit the work of others when we draw on it. Our content is produced with the assistance of AI tools and held to these same standards; our AI Content Policy explains our process transparently, and none of it licenses fabrication of any kind.
Advertising separation
Advertising is always clearly distinguishable from editorial content and labelled as such. We decline advertising categories that conflict with our mission — including gambling, betting, and speculative crypto-investment promotion — and we reserve the right to decline any advertiser or sponsor whose participation would compromise reader trust.
Respect and inclusion
We aim to cover communities accurately and without stereotype, to seek a range of voices and perspectives, and to describe people using the terms they use for themselves. Fair representation is part of accuracy, not separate from it. We do not discriminate in whom we cover or how we treat contributors and readers.
Accountability
When we fall short of these standards, we acknowledge it and put it right through our Corrections process. Ethics is not a page you publish once and forget; it is a practice, and we expect to be held to it. Concerns about anything on this page can be raised at [email protected].
Political neutrality
Chandler Weekly has no political line and no partisan agenda. Where public policy intersects our beats — tax rules, housing policy, workplace regulation — we explain how it affects the practical decisions our readers make, in concrete terms, rather than advocating for a party or an ideology. We aim to be trusted by readers across the spectrum precisely because we are not carrying water for any of them.
Financial and real-estate ethics
Because our money and property coverage can affect real financial decisions, we hold it to additional ethical care. We never present education as personalised advice, we never make specific investment recommendations or market predictions, and we never let an affiliate relationship steer a reader toward a product that is not genuinely a good fit. Where we discuss a financial product or service with which we have a commercial relationship, that relationship is disclosed, and our assessment is made on the merits. See our Disclaimer and Affiliate Disclosure.
Transparency as a habit
The through-line of this policy is transparency. We disclose our commercial relationships, we source our claims, we label opinion and sponsorship, we correct our mistakes in public, and we are explicit about how our content is produced. None of these are one-off gestures; they are the everyday habits that make an independent publication worth trusting. We would rather tell you more than you asked than leave you wondering.
Our promise to readers
Above every specific rule sits one commitment: we will not knowingly mislead you. That means we will not dress advertising as editorial, we will not inflate our expertise or invent credentials, we will not bury a conflict of interest, and we will not let the pursuit of clicks or commissions override our duty to give you accurate, useful, honest information. If we ever have to choose between what is good for the publication and what is good for the reader, the reader comes first. That is the standard by which we ask to be judged, and the one we hold ourselves to every week.