Among the many hot-button issues to emerge from the recent election cycle is the rise of fake news. In an era when almost anyone can post almost anything online without oversight or editorial vetting, we felt like the time was right to offer up a statement of guidelines that we use to operate as a media outlet and as a company.
While I would hope that most of our readers and advertisers already have a sense that we follow the principles outlined here, it just seemed worthwhile to formally state them. After all, I still get the question several times a year while fielding article queries from PR and communications people: “Is there a charge to place an article?” Nope. Our editorial’s not for sale. (Note to self: Maybe I’ve been doing it wrong all these years. Make those checks payable to Joseph Rydholm!)
Plus, in the current reality of the publishing world, where marketers are seeking new and different ways beyond traditional display advertising to connect with readers and get their messages out, we, like most media outlets, are navigating the landscape of paid or sponsored content (see page 11!). And as we do so, it’s even more important to reiterate our long-held position that our regular editorial content must be as objective as pos-sible and also state that we will clearly mark any paid or sponsored content.
I’ve occasionally had readers (usually on the vendor side) question our editorial objectivity, with some variation of “You publish articles about focus groups written by moderators. How is that objective?” Our mission has always been to advance the use and understanding of marketing research and thus we are invariably going to be pro-research in our articles – not the most unbiased position, I grant you. Where we aim for objectivity in editing articles submitted by authors from vendor firms is by eliminating or minimizing any mentions of their company’s proprietary products or services. In that way, we can be comfortable, for example, publishing a piece on best practices for mobile research from an author who works at a firm that sells mobile research capabilities as long as that person keeps things vendor- or product-agnostic.
As I have said in this space many times, Tom Quirk stressed the need for quality and objectivity when he started the magazine in 1986. Those watchwords have served us well so far and I’m confident they will continue to do so.
Quirk’s Pledge to Readers
1. We are objective and independent. Neither staff members nor shareholders consult for, own shares in or sit as board members on any marketing research firms.
2. We have no agenda. We are unashamedly pro-research but because we have no financial stake in any research companies, we have no need to drive the industry in any specific direction.
3. We are not pay-to-play. While we could not exist without our valued advertisers, we don’t allow them to influence our editorial content in any way. We do not sell or rent our subscriber list.
4. We are picky. Articles that appear under the Quirk’s banner are chosen on merit and relevance to our core audience of corporate marketing researchers.
5. We strive for quality. Our content is vetted and edited by a team of professionally-trained journalists.
6. We don’t chase clicks. We love healthy SEO numbers for our Web site but we do not publish misleading headlines or substandard content just to get attention.
7. We clearly mark sponsored content. Sponsored content can add interest and be a good addition to a publication’s regular editorial but readers deserve to know if content is paid-for before they begin reading.
8. We support the industry. Everything we do is designed to promote the use, value and understanding of marketing research. So, in addition to providing free access to all of our content and keeping our events cost-effective for corporate researchers to attend, we partner with and/or belong to the MRA, QRCA, ESOMAR and other industry organizations.
9. We believe in giving back. For 20+ years we have given money to help support schools, orphanages and clinics in Haiti and Jamaica. Quirk’s is also actively involved in the Marketing Research Education Foundation.
10. We value transparency, honesty and integrity. In a world of fake news, clandestine business partnerships, questionable data and marketing disguised as information, we want to stand apart.