Our Editorial Independence

The Thinking Crowd is editorially independent. No government, political party, corporation, advertiser, or donor has any influence over what we publish, how we frame a story, or what positions we take. Our editorial decisions are made solely by the editorial team based on journalistic merit, public interest, and factual accuracy.

Advertising and sponsorship revenue does not — and will never — determine editorial content. Advertisers are made aware of this policy before they engage with us. If a sponsor attempts to influence our coverage, the sponsorship arrangement is terminated.

Accuracy and Verification

We are committed to factual accuracy in everything we publish. Before publication, factual claims are verified against primary sources, official documents, data, and — where possible — direct interviews or correspondence with the subjects of our reporting.

Where a claim cannot be verified, we do not publish it as fact. We clearly distinguish between verified fact, informed analysis, and opinion. When we are uncertain, we say so.

If we make an error, we correct it promptly, transparently, and without burying the correction. Corrections are noted at the top of the affected article with the date of correction.

Opinion and Analysis

The Thinking Crowd publishes opinion and analysis alongside factual reporting. Opinion pieces represent the views of the individual author or the TTC editorial team — not objective fact. All opinion content is clearly labelled as such.

We publish opinion that challenges all political parties, all governments, and all public figures equally. We do not give preferential treatment to any political side. A piece that criticises the SLPP should be judged by the same standards as a piece that criticises the APC — and vice versa.

Sponsored and Branded Content

The Thinking Crowd accepts paid sponsorships and branded content. All sponsored content is clearly and prominently labelled as “Sponsored” or “Paid Partnership” at the top of the article. Sponsored content does not influence our independent editorial coverage.

We do not accept advertising or sponsorship from:

• Political parties or political campaign organisations
• Organisations whose core activities conflict with our editorial values
• Any entity that requires editorial influence as a condition of sponsorship

Sources and Confidentiality

We protect our sources. Where a source provides information on condition of anonymity, their identity is never revealed — not to other staff members, not to advertisers, not to any government or institution. This is non-negotiable.

We do not fabricate sources or composite characters. Every named source in our content is a real person who has agreed to be identified. Every anonymous source is a real person whose identity is known to the editorial team.

Corrections Policy

We get things wrong sometimes. When we do, we fix it openly. If you believe we have published something factually inaccurate, contact us at the link below. We investigate every correction request seriously. If the error is confirmed, we correct it within 48 hours and note the correction in the article.

We do not delete articles to hide errors. We correct them transparently.

Community Content — The Thinking Room

The Thinking Room is an open forum where readers post opinions, questions, and participate in polls. Content submitted to The Thinking Room represents the views of individual contributors — not The Thinking Crowd editorial team. TTC moderates The Thinking Room and reserves the right to remove content that is abusive, defamatory, constitutes hate speech, or violates our community rules.

Contact the Editorial Team

For editorial queries, correction requests, or complaints, visit our Contact page. We take all editorial feedback seriously and respond to every substantive enquiry.