Code of Ethics
This Code of Ethics statement sets the tone for all Simpler Media Group, Inc. (“SMG”) and covers our general conduct and the way by which we operate our editorial websites (“SMG Sites”), including CMSWire.com and Reworked.co.
Our Mission and Principles
Our mission at SMG is to advance the careers of our members through high impact information, networking and recognition. As such we always strive for accuracy and independence in the development of our editorial, events and research content.
We strongly support the four main principles of the Society of Professional Journalists’ ethics statement:
- 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.
Editorial Independence, Disclosures and Conflicts of Interest
SMG’s editorial team makes independent choices about what to publish and is structured in manner as to be almost entirely unaware of the nature of SMG commercial relationships.
Any links in SMG’s editorial content will server to further the topic at hand, and will never be part of any link payment scheme, link exchange or otherwise.
We do occasionally accept travel, lodging and meals as part of our live event coverage, but only if those accommodations are determined to be reasonable and bring value to our audience through coverage opportunities.
SMG employees have been known to accept t-shirts, pens, bags and other swag, but do not accept any monetary compensation or items of significant value.
Swag, travel, meals and any other items or services received from external contacts do not factor into our coverage considerations or opinions.
Any person writing for SMG editorial purposes will disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest (e.g., financial, employment-related or any other relationship that could potentially influence their perspective) related to the subject of the content.
Editorial Corrections and Updates
Although it is always our intention to report accurately, mistakes happen.
We correct any errors in stories and disclose what was corrected. Note that minor typos and grammatical errors may be exempt from this kind of disclosure, but if the meaning or context is changed by an update, we will disclose what was altered.
If additional context becomes available after a story is originally posted, any additions will be clearly denoted within the content.
Attribution, Sourcing and Plagiarism
While we strive to use original sources whenever possible, in cases where stories are based on secondary sources, we will give clear credit and link to the original story if possible.
We take plagiarism very seriously at SMG. Our writers agree to uphold our standards by giving proper attribution to the words and unique ideas of others, whether citing a direct quote or a paraphrased idea.
Facts or common knowledge do not require attribution.
When in doubt, synthesize any material and thoroughly rewrite everything. Changing a few words or the order of words is not enough.
Unless specifically noted as a quote, content produced on SMG Sites is original and unique. All quotes will be properly attributed.
Any images that are used in SMG’s editorial content will be images that either SMG has created or SMG has licensed for this specific use.
We do not pay sources for special access, knowledge or news. On the very rare occasion we use an anonymous source, we will verify the source’s validity before publication and will protect that source’s identity.
Occasionally we may determine an unverified story is important enough to report. In these circumstances we will identify such stories as rumor or speculation as well as reach out to other sources to either confirm or deny.
Embargoes and NDAs
We see products and services throughout their lifecycle and in some cases before the product or service is released. While our editorial team respects embargoes and NDAs, we will not agree to or allow any limitations on coverage or tone.
Contributed Articles
At SMG, we believe it’s important to hear from a variety of industry voices. We therefore believe it is both necessary and good to bring in industry practitioners (software vendors, agencies, analysts and consultants) as a way to deliver more impactful and authoritative content.
In these cases, we provide a brief bio of the author to reveal any connections the author may have with the industry. We further work actively to prevent any promotional messaging coming through via these contributed articles. We do not accept payment for any contributed articles.
Sponsored Articles
Digital media business models have been increasingly disrupted and challenged over the past decade. As part of our ongoing monetization experimentation SMG currently offers “Sponsored Articles” as a commercial product.
The SMG team publishes between 100 and 200 total articles per month per publication. We have decided to allow a maximum of 10% of these articles to be sponsored. So our readers will see a maximum of 10-20 such articles in a given month in each publication. However, historically we have never published anything close to that amount of sponsored content.
Sponsored articles are conceptually developed in collaboration with the sponsor, then produced by the SMG Studio team. Our Studio team is meant to be independent from our Editorial team, but as a small organization there are some occasions of overlap. Over time we intend for the two departments to achieve full independence.
Sponsored articles appear on the homepage, article feeds and in our daily emails. We aim to present this content in a transparent way, clearly indicating when an article is sponsored and who the sponsor is.
General Conduct, Safe & Respectful Workplace
SMG is committed to providing a safe and respectful work environment free from unlawful harassment, discrimination and retaliation. We will take all reasonable steps to maintain a workplace that fosters positive working relationships.
We prohibit any form of discrimination and harassment in the workplace, including harassment based on sex or any other personal characteristic protected under federal, state or local law. We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to prevent and address such behavior. Our commitment extends to all persons involved in our operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment by and against worksite employees, interns, job applicants, contingent workers, vendors, others providing services in the workplace pursuant to a contract, clients, volunteers or visitors.
Feedback Options
We stand by the statements we’ve made here and are happy to receive any feedback or suggestions about how we could do a better job (or really any feedback at all). You can reach our editors via [email protected] and you can reach our founder and publisher, Brice Dunwoodie, via [email protected].
If you feel you need to report a general conduct issue to SMG’s management, you may send a note to [email protected] and we will respond in at timely manner.
Last Revised: 22-Nov-2022