Editorial Independence Policy | Transparency & Integrity

1. News Aggregation Model

Content Sources

Our news aggregation draws from the following types of sources:

• Steel company RSS feeds: Official announcements and press releases from steelmakers worldwide
• Industry associations: News from organisations such as worldsteel, Eurofer, AISI, and regional steel associations
• Trade publications: Curated feeds from established steel industry news sources
• Regulatory bodies: Official announcements from trade authorities and government departments

Source Selection Criteria

We add news sources based on:

• Industry relevance and authority
• Geographic coverage and market significance
• Reliability and consistency of RSS feed
• Technical accessibility and feed quality

Commercial relationships do not influence source selection. Companies that advertise with us receive no preferential treatment in news aggregation.

Automated Aggregation

Our news aggregation system operates automatically, monitoring RSS feeds and displaying content without human editorial intervention in the selection process. This ensures:

• Consistent, unbiased coverage across all monitored sources
• Real-time updates as sources publish new content
• No subjective filtering based on story content
• Equal visibility for all sources in their respective categories

2. Separation of Commercial and Editorial Functions

Clear Boundaries

• Advertising does not influence content: Clients cannot request addition or removal of news sources, nor influence how their news appears relative to competitors
• News aggregation is automated: Commercial staff have no access to modify aggregation algorithms or source prioritisation
• Analysis is independent: Our original research and market analysis is conducted without commercial influence
• Consulting is confidential: Information from consulting engagements is never used in public databases or analysis without explicit permission

3. Conflicts of Interest Management

Potential Conflicts

We recognise potential conflicts of interest in operating both an information platform and consulting services. We manage these through:

• Separation of data: Consulting projects operate under strict confidentiality with data maintained separately from public content
• Disclosure: Where our consulting work relates to public content, we disclose this relationship
• Firewalls: Technical and procedural barriers prevent confidential client information from influencing public analysis
• Source attribution: All data in public databases derives from publicly available sources as detailed in our Research Methodology

Company Sponsorships vs. News Content

Steel companies may advertise on our platform or sponsor specific sections. This relationship:

• Does not grant sponsors any control over news aggregation
• Does not influence which news sources we monitor
• Does not affect how their news or competitors' news is displayed
• Is clearly labelled where sponsored content appears

Sponsored content (such as company profiles or case studies) is clearly marked as "Sponsored Content" and is visually distinguished from news aggregation and independent analysis.

4. Original Analysis & Research

While our news operation is based on aggregation, we also publish original research and analysis including:

• Market analysis and forecasts
• Cost benchmarking studies
• Investment analysis
• Industry reports

Independence Standards for Original Content

• Data integrity: All analysis based on publicly available data sources detailed in our Research Methodology
• Commercial independence: All research conclusions reached independently without commercial influence
• Transparent methods: Analytical approaches and data sources clearly documented
• Clear labelling: Original analysis distinguished from aggregated news content

5. Corrections Policy

Corrections Process

• Aggregated news: If RSS feeds contain errors, we encourage users to contact the original publisher. If our aggregation system misattributes or mislabels content, we correct this promptly
• Original analysis: Errors in our research, analysis, or commentary are corrected quickly with clear notation of the correction and date
• Technical issues: Problems with feed processing, display, or categorisation are addressed as technical maintenance
• Transparency: Significant corrections are noted clearly rather than silently editing content

Reporting Issues

Users can report technical issues, misattributions, or errors through our contact page. We aim to respond to all reports within 48 hours.

6. Data Governance

Public vs. Confidential Information

We maintain strict separation between:

• Public databases: Built entirely from publicly available sources as documented in our Research Methodology
• Consulting work: Conducted under appropriate NDAs with data maintained separately and never used in public content without explicit permission

Information Flow

Information flows one way: public data informs our platform, but confidential client information never enters public databases or analysis. Technical and procedural controls enforce this separation.

7. Use of AI Tools

Artificial intelligence is part of how many organisations now research, draft and edit content, and we believe transparency about this is an extension of the same editorial independence principles set out above.

Where AI Is and Isn't Used

• News aggregation: Our news content is not written or generated by AI. It is sourced directly from publisher RSS feeds, as described in Section 1, and displayed with clear source attribution.
• Original analysis and research: AI tools may assist with drafting, research support, formatting, and technical tasks such as schema markup. They are not used to generate independent analytical judgements - including competitive assessments, cost model outputs, or market forecasts - without review and approval by a named human expert.
• Podcast narration: Where AI-generated voice narration is used for podcast episodes, this is separately disclosed on the podcast homepage.

Human Oversight

Final editorial judgement on all original content remains with our named consultants and researchers, consistent with the named authorship attached to our technical and analytical content. AI-assisted drafts are reviewed for accuracy before publication in the same way as any other draft.

Reporting a Concern

If you believe AI assistance has resulted in an inaccuracy anywhere on this site, please let us know through our contact page - the same corrections process described in Section 5 applies.