Our Ethics, Accountability, and Corrections Policies

Alexandra Sahara
Dec 23, 2022
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Ethics

Case By Case is an independent newsletter supported entirely by our writer’s time and our readers subscriptions. As such, we strive to maintain the highest standard of professional ethics. To that end:

  • When we make a mistake, we strive to correct the error promptly and disclose the correction to readers by updating the pitch on the site and in the next email blast. 

  • When requested by sources, we maintain the anonymity of sources when they are sharing information we believe to be in the public interest.

  • We do not, and would never, accept payment to write about or pitch a story about any company on Case By Case. Nor will we accept paid consulting assignments or speaking opportunities at the companies we cover.

  • Should we ever pitch a story that happens to cover a company where any writer has individual investments, we will disclose those investments at the top. We do have retirement accounts that invest in a wide range of stocks, but we have no control over their contents.

  • We pay for all of our own travel and expenses while doing anything related to the development of pitches for Case By Case.

  • We do not accept gifts of more than minimal value from companies, like the odd branded coffee cup, pair of socks, or T-shirt.

Accountability and Corrections

We have one purpose. To lead journalists down the right direction for a great story.

We do our absolute best to incorporate our own fact-checking process into every pitch, but of course, as Case By Case is run by only one person in our free time, mistakes are bound to happen.

So to hold ourselves to the highest standard and to curb any misinformation as early in the process as possible, we have developed a corrections policy that builds in real accountability into our publication.

  • If you find a mistake, we will provide you with a free subscription. The bigger the severity/spread of the mistake, the longer the period we will give away free services to make up for it. 

  • Uncharitable/unfair framing absolutely counts.

  • If we’re found to have misrepresented someone, we’ll add corrective damages as well. Additionally, we’ll award any income from the piece to the misrepresented party and/or a nonprofit representing their championed cause. For reference, we average about $4 per newsletter per paying subscriber. 

  • We’re happy to give ad hoc subscriptions as rewards for general improvement suggestions (e.g., adding a valuable perspective that isn’t quite a correction).

  • If we catch a significant mistake on our own, we’ll still make a donation with any income we made from the piece.

  • For cases where it’s just too murky for a definitive judgment, we’ll award an asterisked bounty anyway and then work with them to capture the competing views in a roundup post for later readers to judge for themselves.

  • All corrections will be tracked via a public Google Doc.

  • Corrections will be acknowledged with in-line edits and endnotes in the original piece.

  • Where the correction is serious, we will also tweet/write about it to make sure it doesn’t go unnoticed after most of the traffic has come and gone.

  • There are no rewards for minor typos. While edit suggestions are always appreciated, our aim is to tackle a meaningful mistruth or ambiguity.

Also… Credit where credit is due

This accountability policy is from a phenomenal writer named Jeremy Arnold who runs The Save Journalism Committee newsletter. He wrote his own corrections policy that served as the basis for ours. You can learn more about why he developed this model and the thought process behind holding yourself accountable to accuracy here.