Editorial Policy and Standards

Dotdash Meredith is committed to creating newsworthy, accurate, helpful content that represents and serves all people. Our editorial teams strive for accuracy and integrity in our reporting and researching processes, and we are committed to working with a diverse group of writers and editors representing a wide range of ages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and abilities, all which reflects in our content.

Dotdash Meredith, an operating business of IAC, is the largest digital and print publisher in America. From mobile to magazines, nearly 200 million people trust Dotdash Meredith to help them make decisions, take action, and find inspiration. Dotdash Meredith’s over 40 iconic brands include PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, Verywell, FOOD & WINE, The Spruce, Allrecipes, Byrdie, REAL SIMPLE, Investopedia, Southern Living, Lifewire, and The Balance. Each brand is led by individual editorial and business teams, but united by the Dotdash Meredith Content Integrity Promise. Learn about the Dotdash Meredith leadership team.

The Dotdash Meredith Content Integrity Promise

We are committed to the quality and trustworthiness of our content and editorial processes. Our team of writers, editors, fact checkers, illustrators, photographers, and medical and financial professionals rigorously researches and reviews all content on an ongoing basis to ensure it is up to date, accurate, and puts the needs of our readers first.

Each article features a byline that includes the name, a brief description, and a link to more information about those who contributed to that piece. The date indicates when the piece was most recently updated with new information. Some articles also have a tagline at the end to provide additional information on research or authorship.

Original illustrations, graphics, images, and videos are created by internal teams, who collaborate with experts in their fields to produce assets that represent diverse voices, perspectives, and context. Periodic review by editors as well as by Medical, Financial, Anti-Bias or other Review Board members as appropriate, ensure the quality, accuracy and integrity of these assets. Photos and videos are not edited in any way that may cause them to be false or misleading.

We correct any factual errors in a transparent manner and strive to make it easy for our readers to bring errors to our attention.

All of our writers, editors, and contributors are responsible for disclosing any potential conflicts of interest.

Our editorial content is not influenced by our advertisers. We maintain a strict separation between advertising and editorial content and clearly differentiate editorial content from advertising content.

Fact Checking

Our writers and editors investigate claims and verify all information and data gathered for all articles, including news. We consult relevant, diverse, qualified sources to ensure we’re providing proper context and background to the reader.

All of our news and information is thoroughly reviewed by a staff editor and fact checked by staff or a member of our experienced fact checking team. Articles are rigorously evaluated for accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

If you have noticed an issue you would like to bring to our attention, please let us know by emailing corrections@dotdashmdp.com.

Accuracy and Corrections

The accuracy of our verified information and news articles is core to every Dotdash Meredith brand. So too is our commitment to accountability to our readers and transparency about our accuracy and corrections practices.

Our rich library of “evergreen” educational service content is routinely updated, reviewed by our professional review boards, and fact-checked to ensure ongoing publication of accurate, complete, relevant, and up-to-date useful information. Following our rigorous and systematic updating and verification process, articles in our content library are date-stamped to indicate to readers that the information is complete and accurate. News articles often cover a distinct event in time and are not part of our routine update process.

At Dotdash Meredith, we are committed to telling readers when an error has appeared, and to correcting it. When we discover a significant error of fact, we will correct the article as quickly as possible and append a correction note. All corrections will be clearly labeled, dated, and include information about what was corrected.

We welcome our readers’ participation in our ongoing commitment to accuracy and fact-checking. If you believe we have published a factual error in any of our content, please let us know and we will investigate and take appropriate corrective and/or updating measures. You can report a possible error by emailing us at corrections@dotdashmdp.com.

Sourcing

Our writers and editors adhere to strict journalistic standards for article sourcing. We rely on current and reputable primary sources, such as expert interviews, government organizations, and professional and academic institutions and studies. All data points, facts, and claims are backed up by at least one credible source.

We strongly discourage use of anonymous or unnamed sourcing, as this can erode transparency and reader trust. In the rare instance where an unnamed source is used, we will disclose to readers the reason behind the anonymity and provide necessary context.

A cornerstone of our reporting and sourcing is to consider often overlooked perspectives from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women. Our content strives to serve all communities and reflect diverse voices and perspectives.

The Anti-Bias Initiative

Dotdash Meredith believes that every human being deserves respect, representation, and opportunity. In service of Dotdash Meredith’s mission to represent, serve, and help all people, Dotdash Meredith has established an Anti-Bias Review Board made up of educators, advocates, public health specialists, journalists, researchers, financial experts, and other professionals, each with a background in supporting diversity, inclusion, and racial justice initiatives. Additionally, each Dotdash Meredith brand has articulated a Diversity & Inclusion Pledge.

Anti-Bias Review Board members review content and images across Dotdash Meredith, using research and their expertise and judgment to advise Dotdash Meredith brands on language, images, themes, and tone. The Anti-Bias Review Board supports each brand in the creation of inclusive content for readers of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, religions, and socioeconomic circumstances.

The Anti-Bias Review Board

Mackenzie Price, Ph.D leads the anti-bias program at Dotdash Meredith.

As the Director for Anti-Bias Initiatives, Mackenzie Price, PhD works across Content Integrity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Editorial teams to develop content standards that weave inclusion and bias-free language into content. Dr. Price first came to Dotdash Meredith in 2020 as an Editorial Advisor for Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Price is a linguist (a social scientist studying language and communication) and brings more than a decade of experience in the strategic communications and research sectors to Dotdash Meredith.  Mackenzie Price also leads the Dotdash Meredith Anti-Bias Review Board. 

The Anti-Bias Review Board is an advisory panel of more than 15 subject matter experts. The board includes  educators, advocates, public health professionals, journalists, researchers, content creators, financial experts  with backgrounds in supporting diversity, inclusion, and racial justice initiatives. Anti-Bias Review Board panelists review content and images across Dotdash Meredith, using research, their expertise and judgment to advise Dotdash Meredith brands on inclusive language, images, themes, and tone.  If you notice content you would like to bring to the review board's attention,  please write to antibias@dotdashmdp.com

Diversity & Inclusion Pledges

To learn more, please review each brand’s Anti-Racism Pledge: All Recipes, Better Homes & Gardens, Brides, Byrdie, Daily Paws, Health, Investopedia, Lifewire, Liquor.com, Martha Stewart, MyDomaine, Real Simple, Serious Eats, Shape, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, The Balance, The Spruce Crafts, The Spruce Eats, The Spruce Home, The Spruce Pets, ThoughtCo., Treehugger, TripSavvy, Verywell Family, Verywell Fit, Verywell Health, Verywell Mind

If you have noticed an issue that you would like to bring to the Anti-Bias Review Board’s attention, you may contact us at antibias@dotdashmdp.com.

Independence and Impartiality

Dotdash Meredith is committed to independent, impartial, fair journalism. Our editorial content is not influenced by our advertisers. Every Dotdash Meredith staff member and contributor is held accountable to a high standard of honesty and transparency.

We maintain a strict separation between advertising and editorial content. Our “Sponsored Content” is labeled to make clear that such content is provided by or on behalf of an advertiser or sponsor. In line with our mission to provide useful information that helps people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired, we are dedicated to publishing unbiased, comprehensive reviews of products and services. Our product and service reviews are wholly independent and based on robust research and product testing. When readers visit “affiliate links” within our content, Dotdash Meredith may receive commissions from purchases, but we never receive any compensation or consideration for the content of our recommendations.

Dotdash Meredith writers and editors are prohibited from giving preferential treatment to any outside resource (company, publication, video, affiliate, website) based on their relationship with the person or company who authors or owns that resource.

All of our writers and editors are responsible for disclosing any potential conflicts of interest—any relationship, financial, or personal, with any source or resource that may compromise their ability to provide fair and impartial information. As with many publishers, our writers and editors are sometimes provided with complimentary products or services for review purposes. We are transparent and disclose when any valuable products or services are provided to our editorial teams. Our editorial staff and editorial contributors must not solicit gifts or services for personal purposes.

Originality

Our goal at Dotdash Meredith is to provide original, useful, and unbiased content. All information must be verified, properly attributed, and may not infringe the copyright or anyone’s intellectual property rights. Any suggestion of plagiarism is investigated fully and is grounds for dismissal. We expect all contributors on the network to abide by all applicable laws, standards, and accepted journalistic practices including: