Ethics & Code of Conduct

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Shade Studios consists of separate divisions with different functions:

1) Original Content Development ("Content")
2) Commercial and Advisory Client Work ("Commercial")
3) Editorial and News ("Editorial")

As each of these divisions have diverse mandates, it is critical to the principals at Shade Studios to maintain independence and autonomy between the divisions.  Whereas Content and Commercial are primarily focused on revenue-generating opportunities, Editorial is focused on a select group of individuals with a desire to express their own, independent and unbiased opinions of their subject matter.

We take journalistic independence seriously for the Editorial team and we hold ourselves to the core principles of honesty, integrity, independence, accuracy, contextual truth, transparency, respect and fairness for the people we serve and the people we cover. We believe in the pursuit of truth with a team of diverse voices, especially those most at risk of being left out.

Covered individuals

All Editorial staff are bound by our Ethics & Code of Conduct. Editorial staff are defined as those who play a role in shaping the journalistic direction of the division.

This includes, but is not limited to, leadership, reporters, editors, producers, hosts and interns across the Editorial division, as well as contributors who shape editorially focused content. Contributors should adhere to the same standards, depending on what type of content creator they are.

Editorial Independence

To secure our audience's trust, we must make it clear that our primary allegiance is to the public. Any personal or professional interests that conflict with that allegiance, whether in appearance or in reality, risk compromising our credibility. We disclose to the public any circumstances where our loyalties may be divided - extending to the interests of spouses and other family members - and when necessary, we recuse ourselves from related coverage. Under no circumstances do we skew our reports for personal gain, to help Shade Studios' Content or Commercial teams' bottom line or to please clients of the Company. Decisions about what we cover and how we do our work are made by our journalistic leadership, led by an Editor-in-Chief and not by those who provide Shade Studios with financial support.

Conflicts of interest

It's not always easy to detect when something we have a personal or professional stake in might conflict — or appear to conflict — with our duty to report to the public the fullest truth we can. Conflicts of interest come in many shapes — financial holdings, romantic relationships, family ties, book deals, speaking engagements, and others. We regularly review how our connections are entangled with the subjects of our reporting if applicable, and when necessary, to take action.

In minor cases, we might satisfy an apparent conflict by prominently disclosing it, and perhaps explaining to the public why it doesn't compromise our work. When presented with more significant conflicts that might affect our ongoing work, our best response is to avoid them. But some conflicts are unavoidable, and may require us to recuse ourselves from certain coverage.

More specifically:

Guideline: We do not exploit our access to private information, or skew the news for our gain.

As journalists, we regularly acquire access to confidential information and in many cases under embargo. The only acceptable use of that information is to inform the public. This means we must scrupulously avoid any appearance that we've skewed our journalism to enrich ourselves.

These considerations obviously apply in straightforward conflict-of-interest cases, but we must also apply them when we discuss with leadership any potential media products that emerge from our reporting, such as books or movie coverage.

We do not share confidential information with anyone inside or outside of Shade Studios who intends to use that information for personal or institutional gain, excepting standard journalistic practices such as sharing information as a member of a news "pool."

Guideline: When to disclose, and when to recuse.

All Shade Studios Editorial, including those of us who work for the arts and music desks, must tell leadership in advance about potential conflicts of interest. When first assigned to cover or work on a matter, disclose to leadership any business, commercial, financial or personal interests where such interests might reasonably be construed as being in actual, apparent or potential conflict with our duties. This includes situations in which a spouse, family member or companion is an active participant in a subject area that you cover. In the financial category, this does not include an investment by you or your spouse, family member or companion in mutual funds or pension funds that are invested by fund managers in a broad range of companies (unless, of course, the assignment concerns those specific funds).

Interacting with Content and Commercial

Our journalism is made possible by a diverse coalition of funding sources, including creative advisory work, paid sponsorships and underwriting.  The focus of Content and Commercial are often with sectors unrelated to their work (such as entertainment companies).

We believe our strength as a business is premised solely on high-quality, independent journalism in the public interest. 

At Shade Studios, the editors – including leadership – have full and final authority over all journalistic decisions. We work with all other divisions of the company towards the goal of supporting and protecting our journalism. This means we communicate with our content and commercial departments to identify areas where we hope to expand our reporting. It also means we may take part in promotional activities or events.

But we observe a clear boundary line: Shade Studios editors interact with the other divisions only to further our editorial goals, not to serve the agendas of those who support us.

Guideline: Stick with storytelling. Steer clear of selling.

In all our interactions with internal commercial entities, we observe this boundary: We're there to tell our story, not to discuss the agendas of our supporters. This means we may describe the goals and ambitions of our editorial agenda, promote the value of our work and the worthiness of supporting it, or recount what we've experienced in our reporting.

We often spoken of a "Chinese wall" or "firewall" that separates the Editorial divisions journalists from the commercial sides of the business. Properly understood, the firewall is a useful metaphor. In engineering, a firewall isn't an impassable boundary, but rather a barrier designed to contain the spread of a dangerous or corrupting force. Similarly, the purpose of our firewall is to hold in check the influence our funders have over our journalism.

Guideline: When appropriate, disclose commercial relationships in related reports.

We are steadfast in disclosing conflicted relationships that might foster the perception that our supporters have influenced our work. At the same time, a laundry list of disclosures would clutter our programs, rendering appropriate disclosures meaningless, so we avoid rote disclosures each time a supporter is mentioned in our coverage. Whether or not to disclose a funder during the course of a particular story is a careful judgment made by editors and producers on a case-by-case basis. As always, we act carefully and thoughtfully to strengthen the public's confidence in the independence of our work. 

In situations where one of our editors or hosts is invited or appears as a guest or "influencer" at events meant to garner publicity (e.g. movie premieres), the editor or host recuses themselves from any editorial coverage of the event itself (e.g. the movie).  An editor clear of any perception of conflict in this situation is assigned by the Editor-in-Chief to ensure independence of thought and the maintenance of journalistic standards.  The editor or host is permitted to have a reaction on social media but is prohibited by Shade Studios leadership to write and publish an official review on behalf of the Company.