Ethics Policy

Our entertainment brands do not publish personal attacks against people and companies in the industries we cover, or against colleagues in our industry. We stress objectivity in reporting topics of a sensitive nature.

We abide by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, meaning all albums reviews must state which platform music was played on and if a copy was provided for the purposes of that review. Similarly, if a PR company, publisher, or developer provides accommodations (travel, hotel, etc) during an event we explicitly state that information in our preview coverage.
Note: Disclaimers and disclosures are clear and conspicuous.

Album reviews are always separated from previewers/interviewers (i.e. if a writer is invited to listen album early, they will not review that album upon release). We strive to keep editorial/criticism objective and separate from developer access/relationships and our monetization teams.

Giving Credit and Acquiring Written Permission

Unless assets or news (press release) come from official studio source or their PR affiliates, we always provide link credit to original sources. We believe it is our responsibility to contribute to the online publishing ecosystem and best journalism practices.
For images, non-official art, etc. we credit the artist and seek to contact them as well for permission to use their work.

Spoiler Considerations

For previews, reviews, and guides, we always honor embargoes and save spoilers for when we have permission to post – or after release. If these are major or sensitive spoilers, we keep them out of headlines and images until a sufficient amount of time has passed to ensure readers are not exposed to any info they are not actively seeking out.

We’re not here to ruin the experience for our readers, but to serve those looking for this content. If there are spoilers and publication will occur during the release window, we will always include a spoiler warning at the top of the article.

For corrections or update requests, please contact metalshoutmag@gmail.com