Why we label sponsored content, and how
Commercial content pays for part of what we do; here is how it is marked, who writes it and what it is never allowed to touch.
Trading Floor News is funded by a combination of display advertising, sponsored content and reader subscriptions. Sponsored content is the part of that mix most likely to be confused with journalism, so it is the part we label most carefully. This post explains what the labels mean and where the line sits.
What counts as sponsored
Sponsored content is any article, guide or page for which a third party has paid, either directly or by underwriting a series. It includes pieces written by the sponsor, pieces written by a commercial team on the sponsor's behalf and pieces where the sponsor had approval rights over the content. It does not include our own editorial work that happens to mention a company, even if that company advertises with us.
How it is marked
Every sponsored piece carries the word "Sponsored" in the byline position, names the sponsor, and is set on a tinted background that distinguishes it from editorial pages. The label appears on the article page, on any listing card that links to it and in search results within the site. A sponsored piece never appears in the main news feed, on a desk front or in the featured slots reserved for editorial.
The label is not removable by the sponsor, and it stays with the piece for as long as the piece is online.
Who writes it
Sponsored pieces are produced by a separate commercial content team. Editorial staff do not write, edit or approve sponsored content, and commercial staff have no access to the editorial content system. The two teams sit in different reporting lines and are compensated on different measures.
Where a sponsored piece touches a subject we cover editorially, our reporters are not told about it in advance and are free to write about the same subject in whatever way the facts warrant.
What sponsors cannot do
A sponsor cannot influence the editorial coverage of its own business or its competitors. It cannot request that a story be held, softened or removed. It cannot see editorial content before publication. Advertising contracts include no provision on editorial coverage, and an advertiser that raises a complaint about coverage is directed to the editor, who handles it as she would any other complaint.
We have lost advertising over stories, and we expect to again. That is the cost of the labels meaning something.
Reviews and affiliate links
Our product reviews, of brokers, banks, apps and payment providers, are editorial. Some carry affiliate links, through which we earn a commission if a reader opens an account. Those links are marked, the commission does not affect the rating, and the methodology for ratings is published separately. A product that pays us nothing can score higher than one that does; several do.
Why we bother
Readers make financial decisions partly on what they read here. If they cannot tell what is journalism and what is marketing, they cannot weigh it properly. The labels are a small cost to us and a necessary one for them.