Techreport’s Editorial Policy and Mission Statement

Here are the cornerstone values that dictate our management and operations, but also the ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘what’ of our editorial process.

Journalistic Ethos

We work according to journalistic standards and ethical best practices:

Techreport’s Fact-Checking Process

Our team is committed to accurate and reliable reporting in our coverage, which means we’ve made a number of improvements to our fact-checking process to ensure everyone is aligned with our goal to create helpful, accurate, and reliable content.

How information and stories are selected before we cover them

All of the topics we cover undergo a rigorous selection and fact-checking process, with more scrutiny being dedicated to YMYL areas. Whether it’s product reviews, technical specifications, emerging technologies, or informational content, we have seen first-hand how ambiguous information, incomplete information, and/or misinformation can impact people’s livelihood and well-being.

Our prioritization criteria include relevancy based on the number of people impacted by technology or development, legal or otherwise, as well as our audience’s preferences and interests.

How expertise and qualification play a role in fact-checking

Techreport’s fact-checking process is built and maintained by a team of qualified content professionals, people with experience in technology journalism and tech product content. From writers to editors and content managers, everyone on the team is a seasoned professional with industry expertise, and we’re all up-to-date with the latest developments.

When we encounter technical specifications or compliance issues where we lack in-house expertise, such as RF emissions compliance or import restriction gray areas, we consult with external experts to obtain accurate and authoritative information we can confidently reference in our hardware reviews and comparison articles.

What methods and sources do we use during fact-checking?

We have a systematic approach to ensure content accuracy:

Error correction process

We see correcting errors and inaccuracies as vital to our success as a publication, which is why we have a clear procedure for dealing with them.

The writer and/or editor responsible for a page where an inaccuracy was reported has to independently review the report, arrive at a conclusion regarding its validity, and then update the content accordingly alongside a correction notice to inform readers of the change. Then, a managing editor or the head of content reviews both the report and the fix to ensure editorial guidelines and due diligence in the fact-checking process.

Errors are logged in a separate journal where we can track their frequency and type. We then use this journal to inform our editorial operations, constantly improving our approach to ensure accurate and useful information.

How frequent are content reviews and updates

We have implemented periodic evaluations of existing content and aim to review high-visibility evergreen content every 45-60 days, and less frequented pages on a need-to basis, such as when we receive reader feedback, within the means of the resources at our disposal.

Regulatory changes that might impact our readers, such as new electronic waste disposal requirements or right-to-repair legislation in major tech markets, trigger immediate content updates on our hardware reviews and buying guides.

In addition to the above, we have a periodic, cross-site content audit to ensure alignment with search intent and best practices in terms of finding and providing accurate and useful information for our readers.

Who to contact for reporting inaccuracies

We have a culture of accountability on all levels and issues regarding factual inaccuracies are treated with the utmost priority. You can contact Vlad Melnic, our head of content, at [email protected] to report potential corrections or mistakes in our coverage.

We’re committed to responding to and resolving inaccuracy reports as soon as possible and get back to you with a response within two business days, legal holidays notwithstanding.

Content Made by People, Not AI

While we don’t expressly ban anyone on our editorial staff from using AI tools, our content is 100% written, edited, and fact-checked by our in-house human team. We believe people-made content is the only way to create high-quality content you can trust.

First-hand experience with PC hardware and operational software is central to how we develop our content to provide you with unbiased feedback, and we believe that having a real person behind every published article is key to our success.

If a hardware component, peripheral device, or software update impressed us, did not work as intended, or was completely broken, we won’t shy away from telling you that – this is our commitment to you, the reader.

Zero Tolerance for Duplicate or Thin Content on Techreport

We have zero tolerance towards content that is identical or substantially similar to other published materials, online or offline, internal or external, including but not limited to self-plagiarism. Everything we publish must be unique and pass a strict plagiarism check, which includes but is not limited to the usage of tools such as Copyscape and Grammarly, as well as human scrutiny from people on the editorial team.

Aside from fact-checking and alignment with our audience’s pain points and needs, our editorial process includes steep requirements in terms of creating value-driven content. Everything we publish must have actionable, useful insights, offer clear information, and be thoroughly researched and substantiated with the help of credible sources, which are always cited.

No Political Partisanship

In an age of heightened political polarization across the world, the only side we take is that of the individual.

Technical objectivity and brand neutrality are fundamental to our content unless we’re specifically examining shifts in industry standards or consumer protections, such as right-to-repair legislation or data privacy features in connected devices, as well as the practical implications these changes may have on hardware purchasing decisions and user experience.

Continuous Improvement at Techreport

We welcome and appreciate feedback from both readers and professionals. We may not agree with everyone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from them.

We’re committed to improving ourselves and our processes based on the feedback we get, and fresh eyes are always a great source of constructive criticism.

Individual Commitment and Pride In Our Work

Last, but certainly not least, we publish content we’re proud of: links we’d include in our track record and CVs, articles we’d happily share with our colleagues, friends, and family, knowing we advised them for the better.

Personal accountability underpins every step of our content operations, from ideation to publication, and every contributor is expected to take responsibility for their part.

Thank you for being our reader! We honestly appreciate your support.

The Techreport Editorial Team