Advertising standards
Advertising, sponsorship, and affiliate standards
Visitors should be able to tell when money, sponsorship, partnership, affiliate economics, or promotional placement may influence what appears on the site.
Clear labels
CTE may publish advertising, sponsored placements, product information, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and partner programs. Paid or sponsored material should be identifiable to readers.
Labels should be placed where a reasonable visitor will see them, not hidden only in a footer or policy page.
Editorial independence
Paid relationships may support the business, but they should not be presented as independent editorial judgment unless the editorial team made the judgment independently.
Advertisers may provide materials, product information, artwork, claims, or links. The site may edit, reject, label, or remove material that is inaccurate, misleading, unsafe, infringing, or inconsistent with site standards.
Affiliate relationships
If the site uses affiliate links or referral compensation, those relationships should be disclosed before or near the affected recommendation or link.
Affiliate economics should not be used to hide a paid recommendation or imply that a product has been independently tested when it has not.
