Editorial policy

emDash Now exists to be useful to the people building websites and businesses on emDash, and to be on their side when the platform's interests and the reader's interests diverge. Independence is not a tagline here; it is the product. This page sets out the standards that make that claim verifiable, because a claim of independence that cannot be checked is worth nothing.

Who we are, and what we are not

emDash Now is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with Cloudflare, we are not sponsored by Cloudflare, and we are not part of the emDash project. We cover the emDash ecosystem because it is a consequential development for the people we write for, not because anyone pays us to be enthusiastic about it. When we are impressed, we will say so. When we are not, we will say that too, with reasons.

How we handle money

We intend to fund this publication through clearly-labelled advertising and sponsorship, affiliate relationships, and ecosystem services such as a directory. None of these change what we write.

• Sponsorship and advertising are always labelled. Any paid placement carries an unambiguous label. A sponsor never receives editorial coverage, a review, or a favourable verdict in exchange for payment. Editorial and commercial are separated by design, not by goodwill.
• Affiliate links are disclosed on the page that carries them. Where we link to a product through an affiliate arrangement, we say so on that page. An affiliate relationship never determines a verdict, a ranking, or whether a product is covered at all. If a tool we earn a commission on is the wrong choice for a reader, we will say it is the wrong choice.
• Reviews are earned, never bought. A review outcome is not for sale under any arrangement, and no advertiser or affiliate partner sees a review before it is published.

Conflicts of interest

The person behind this publication builds client websites, including on emDash. That is an asset, because it produces first-hand evidence no desk-bound competitor can fake, and it is a risk, because it is a commercial relationship. We manage it by disclosing it. When a piece draws on paid client work, or discusses a tool or service in which we hold a stake, we say so plainly in that piece. Our verdicts remain independent of any commercial relationship, and where we cannot keep them independent, we do not publish.

Accuracy and corrections

We would rather be right than first. When we make a factual error, we correct it visibly, with a dated correction note, rather than editing the page silently. If a correction changes a conclusion a reader may have acted on, we say so prominently.

The rule that overrides the others

When the platform's interest, a sponsor's interest, or our own commercial interest conflicts with the reader's interest, the reader wins. That is the whole basis of this publication, and every standard above exists to protect it.