Editorial standards, review and corrections
Trust comes from sources that can be checked, roles that are named and errors that can be corrected, not from confident wording. This page publishes the process.
What this policy covers
This page explains how Sugar Circle Watch chooses topics, checks sources, assigns authors and reviewers, handles corrections, and decides which funding it will not accept.
The About page describes the project and its limits. This page is the operating manual: the steps a piece goes through before publication and after a complaint.
How sources are ranked
Statutes, court documents, police notices and official government pages are treated as primary material. Public reporting, industry reports and academic work provide context.
A social-media screenshot, an anonymous tip or one person's account is a lead, not proof. Without a second source, the page does not present it as an established fact.
Prices, platform rules, hotline numbers and police procedure change. Pages name the check date and tell readers to confirm the current position with an official source.
| Material | How it is used | How it appears on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Statutes and official notices | Check the current text, effective date and scope | Name the provision and link to the official text |
| Reporting and research | Compare accounts and separate findings from claims | Label the source type; never treat one case as a trend |
| Cases and personal accounts | Anonymize, blur details and combine similar patterns | Marked as a composite, not a specific person |
| Screenshots and chat logs | Used as a lead that needs corroboration | Never the sole basis for an accusation |
Writing and wording rules
- Separate fact, allegation, judgment and advice; do not turn a guess into a conclusion.
- Use qualifiers such as alleged, possible or according to public reporting.
- Do not publish identifying details, redistribute private images or describe a scam in a copyable step-by-step form.
- Do not blame the victim or explain a loss with greed or stupidity.
- Label legal content as education; direct anyone in a medical or mental-health crisis to qualified help.
Four gates before publication
- Topic gate: Confirm the piece explains a phenomenon, a scam, psychology or legal risk. No matching, recruitment or transaction content.
- Fact gate: Check names, institutions, amounts, dates, provisions and figures. Remove or soften anything that cannot be verified.
- Review gate: Check legal wording, privacy exposure, case anonymization and the risk of secondary harm.
- Publish gate: Confirm title, summary, dates, author, reviewer, tags and internal links before generating the page and feed.
Who writes and who reviews
Articles currently carry a team byline rather than an invented individual expert. The review line names the standards desk, not a borrowed credential.
The author is responsible for structure, wording and citations. The reviewer checks facts, phrasing, privacy and legal boundaries. If they disagree, unverified material comes out first and the replacement is discussed second.
If an external specialist is added later, the page will state their real role, what they reviewed and any conflict of interest. The word expert will not replace a name.
See Author and review for the editorial roles, the checklist used before publication and the limits of the content.
Corrections, updates and withdrawals
Typos, broken links and layout faults are fixed once confirmed, and the page date changes.
A factual error, a wrong amount or a misquoted provision is checked against the original source, corrected in the text and explained at the foot of the page.
Material that exposes someone's privacy, involves a minor or could invite imitation is hidden or removed first and reviewed afterwards.
There is no paid deletion. A correction request receives the same treatment whether or not the person making it offers money.
Funding and independence
- No paid placement or sponsored copy from sugar-dating, matchmaking, MCN or companion agencies.
- No paid rankings, paid deletions or reputation laundering; reader leads are not for sale.
- No referral fees for sending someone to an agency, law firm or counselling service.
- Any future sponsorship will be labelled at the top of the page and will not change the findings.
How to send feedback
The feedback mailbox or form is still being set up. It will be announced here and on the About page. Until then, save the page URL, the exact paragraph and a screenshot.
Send only the minimum needed to check the issue. Do not attach ID documents, bank card numbers, private images or identity material belonging to a minor.
If someone is in danger now, call 110 first. Do not wait for a website reply.
Versions and dates
This policy is updated with the site. The date at the top shows the latest revision; article pages show publication and update dates separately.
The footer keeps a link to this page so a reader can return to the process from any article.
Common questions
How do I report an error?
Save the page URL, the exact paragraph and the source you are relying on, then use the feedback channel listed here. Do not attach identity documents, bank details or private images.
Why did only the date change after a correction?
Punctuation, layout and dead links are minor fixes and only reset the date. A change to a fact, an amount or a legal statement is explained at the foot of the page.
Can I ask for a case to be removed?
If a case could identify a real person or create a safety risk, point to the passage and explain the risk. Verified concerns are anonymized, revised or withdrawn.