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Journalistic Ethics Statement

Last updated October 25, 2026

BLVD tells human-centred stories about the virtual professional community: the people building careers, businesses, culture and families through digital work. Readers, sources and partners trust us with their time, their stories and their names. This statement sets out the standards that protect that trust. It applies to everyone who reports, writes, edits, photographs, designs or produces work for BLVD, including editors, staff writers, contributors, freelancers, interns and anyone producing branded content with us, across the website, newsletter, social media, video, podcasts and events. Contributors agree to it, alongside our Terms, AI Usage & Disclaimers, PSEAH Policy and Child Protection Protocol, before their first story.

1. Truth and Accuracy

We publish what we have verified, not what we have assumed. • Facts, figures, quotes, names and titles are checked against reliable sources, documents, interviews or direct evidence before publication. • Every story goes through editing, proofreading, fact-checking and source verification before it is published. Editors may hold a story until it meets this standard. • We distinguish clearly between news, features, opinion and analysis. Opinion is labelled as such. • We do not invent, composite or embellish people, quotes, scenes or events. • Headlines, captions, images and social posts must be faithful to the story they represent.

2. Independence

Our editorial judgement is not for sale. • Decisions about what we cover, how we cover it and whom we feature are made by BLVD's editors, guided by public interest and our readers, not by advertisers, sponsors, investors, partners or the people we write about. • The Editor-in-Chief has final say over what is published, including the right to decline or withdraw any story. • Subjects of a story do not approve it before publication. We may check facts with them, but we do not give them control of the story.

3. Sponsored Content and the Editorial Firewall

Brands may sponsor or pay for content on BLVD. When they do, readers will know. • All sponsored, paid, partner or advertorial content is clearly and conspicuously labelled, in line with applicable advertising disclosure rules. • Sponsored content is kept separate from independent editorial work. Sponsors do not direct, review or influence our independent coverage, and buying advertising does not buy coverage. • Writers producing sponsored work disclose the relationship to their editor, and the label stays with the work wherever it is shared.

4. Rankings, Awards and Recognition

The Boulevard 100, the BLVD Index, the BLVD Awards and similar lists are editorial. • Selections are made by BLVD's editors on published criteria and merit. Places on a list cannot be bought, sponsored or traded. • Reader nominations are welcome and considered, but they do not decide outcomes. • Editors declare any personal or business relationship with a nominee and step back from that decision.

5. Conflicts of Interest

We avoid conflicts of interest, and disclose the ones we cannot avoid. • Contributors tell their editor, before writing, about any financial, family, professional or personal tie to a person, company or organisation in their story, including clients they work for as virtual professionals. • We do not accept gifts, payments, free services or travel that could influence, or appear to influence, our coverage. Review items and press access are disclosed where relevant. • No one may use information gathered for BLVD for personal gain.

6. Sources, Interviews and Consent

We treat sources fairly and honestly. • We identify ourselves as BLVD journalists when reporting, and tell people how their words may be used. • We record interviews only with consent, and quote people accurately and in context. • We name our sources wherever possible. We grant anonymity only when a source faces real risk of harm, and only with an editor's approval; the editor must know the source's identity. • We honour agreements we make with sources about attribution and embargoes. • We do not pay for interviews or information.

7. Fairness, Dignity and Representation

We report on people as people. • We give those we criticise or make serious claims about a fair chance to respond before publication. • We do not stereotype or stigmatise, including on the basis of work, class, region, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIESC), disability, age or migration status. • We take particular care with the communities we cover most closely: virtual assistants, freelancers, BPO and remote workers, migrants and their families. • We avoid sensationalism, and we do not mock or exploit people's hardship for attention.

8. Privacy, Harm and the Protection of Children

We weigh the public interest against the harm a story can cause. • We respect privacy and handle personal information in line with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173) and our Privacy Policy. Unpublished notes, interviews and source details are kept confidential. • We take extra care with survivors of abuse, people in crisis and others in vulnerable situations, and do not identify them without informed consent. • Stories, photos and videos involving children follow our Child Protection Protocol, including consent from a parent or guardian and protection of a child's identity where there is any risk of harm. • Conduct during reporting, editing and collaboration follows our PSEAH Policy.

9. Originality, Attribution and Credits

We credit other people's work, and we do not take it. • Plagiarism, including copying, close paraphrasing or reusing someone else's reporting without credit, is not tolerated. • We attribute information that comes from other publications, reports or people. • Every published photo and visual carries a caption and a credit. We do not publish uncredited visuals, and we use images only with the rights to do so. • Photographs presented as documentary are not altered in ways that mislead. Illustrations, composites and AI-generated images are labelled as such.

10. Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI may assist our journalism; it does not replace it. • BLVD's journalism is human-led, human-verified and human-accountable. AI is not a source, a reporter or an editor. • Contributors disclose the extent of any AI use (research, writing support or image generation) when they submit a story, and significant AI use is disclosed to readers. • Nothing produced by AI is published without human verification. • Full rules are set out in our AI Usage & Disclaimers.

11. Corrections and Accountability

When we get something wrong, we fix it openly. • We correct errors of fact promptly and note the correction on the story, saying what was changed and when. • Significant errors are corrected wherever the original appeared, including the newsletter and social media. • We do not quietly delete or rewrite published stories to hide mistakes. Stories are removed only in exceptional cases, such as legal requirements or serious risk of harm, and the removal is noted where possible. • Readers, sources and subjects can request a correction or raise a concern at hello@blvd.ph. We read and respond to every request.

12. Contributors' Responsibilities

Everyone who writes for BLVD is responsible for the integrity of their own work. By contributing, you agree to: • Submit only original work that you have the right to publish, and that is accurate to the best of your knowledge; • Keep notes, recordings and sources so that editors can verify your reporting; • Disclose conflicts of interest, sponsorships and AI use to your editor; • Accept that BLVD's editors may edit, hold or decline your work to meet these standards. Breaches of this statement may lead to a correction, removal of a story, or the end of a contributor relationship, depending on their seriousness.

13. Review

BLVD's editors review this statement at least once a year and when our work changes. When it is updated, the "Last updated" date above changes and contributors are asked to read and sign it again.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy, please reach out to us: