Ethics Statement

VentureBeat is a media company obsessed with covering amazing technology and why it matters in our lives. From the most innovative companies and the incredible people behind them to the money fueling it all, we’re devoted to exhaustive coverage of the technology revolution.

Our primary obligation is to the truth. We seek out the facts, report them fairly, provide context, and write transparently about what our sources are.

We believe that writing with style and attitude is compatible with solid, ethical reporting. When we offer interpretation and perspective, we are careful to make it clear what is our opinion and what is fact. Whenever possible, we give the companies and people covered in our stories a chance to respond and provide their perspective on our coverage. We don’t bow to pressure or soften our coverage to curry favor.

In our pursuit of the news, we strive to remain independent and free of conflicts of interest. When conflicts are unavoidable, we disclose them in our stories.

We draw a sharp line between our editorial operation and our advertising sales. We never allow advertisers to influence our coverage in any way. We clearly label sponsored posts as such, to indicate they were paid for, and event marketing posts, to indicate they were not sponsored but are also not editorial content. VentureBeat will neither accept, nor promote, advertising or sponsorship for content deemed litigious, or that promotes one of the following: porn, tobacco, violence, guns, or discrimination.

In addition, we embrace the four main principles of the Society of Professional Journalists’ ethics statement:

  • Seek truth and report it. Journalists should be honest, fair, and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting information.
  • Minimize harm. Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects, and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.
  • Act independently. Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know.
  • Be accountable. Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers, and each other.

Our newsroom and our coverage

VentureBeat hires on the merits. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We recruit as widely as we can reach, because the strongest candidate for a job is frequently not the most obvious one.

We also believe a newsroom drawn from a narrow slice of the industry it covers will miss stories. Enterprise technology is built and bought by people of many backgrounds, at companies of very different sizes, in many countries. Our reporting is sharper when the people producing it, and the sources, contributors and event speakers we put in front of readers, reflect that range. We treat this as a question of reporting quality. We do not set demographic targets for hiring, for coverage, or for event lineups, and we do not make employment decisions on the basis of any protected characteristic.

We apply the same reasoning to viewpoints. We cover a contested industry in which serious people disagree about what the technology can do and what it should be allowed to do. Readers are best served when we publish the strongest version of a competing argument rather than only the version we find congenial. As an institution, VentureBeat does not take positions on contested political and social questions. The analysis in our journalists’ work and the arguments in our contributors’ work are their own, and we label them as such.

VentureBeat’s investors

VentureBeat is an independent company which is largely funded by advertising, research and sponsorship revenue, as well as by the events we produce. More information about our research will be coming soon.

VentureBeat raised a $2.6 million seed round in July 2014 and a small, sub-$1 million angel round prior to that. Our coverage remains independent of these investments, and that independence was a condition of accepting these investments. We have not promised special treatment or coverage to these investors or their portfolio companies.

This is the complete list of our investors.

  • Ambition Venture Fund LLC
  • Amidi, Saeed
  • Amidzad Partners II, LLC
  • BG Fund I, LLC
  • Brown, Michael
  • Cabin Creek Partners, LLC
  • Cases, Philippe
  • citizen.vc, Inc.
  • CrossLink Crossover Fund VI, L.P.
  • CrossLink Ventures VII, L.P.
  • Fetch Media Limited
  • Foley Ventures II LLC
  • Formation8 Partners Fund I, L.P.
  • Harik, Georges
  • Hill, Colin
  • Icon Technology Partners, L.P.
  • Innovation Group Investors, L.P.
  • KDDI Open Innovation Fund L.P.
  • Lightbank
  • Marshall, Matt
  • McNamee, Roger
  • MHS Capital Partners, L.P.
  • MHS Capital Principals, L.L.C.
  • Nathanson, Jon Fredericks
  • Rally Ventures (formerly known as Icon Venture Partners)
  • S.A.W. Capital Partners LLC
  • SGH Holdings LLC
  • Shah, Pankaj
  • T5 Capital Partners LLC
  • Tekton Ventures LLC
  • The Amos Ben-Meir Separate Property Trust
  • The Aydin Senkut Trust
  • The Leo Chan and Colina Yip Trust
  • The Peterson Revocable Trust
  • Walden Venture Capital VIII SBIC L.P.
  • West Fourth Holdings, LLC
  • White Sand Investor Group, LP
  • Worms, Vincent
  • WTI

VentureBeat’s events

VentureBeat produces several annual events, including Transform. We cover nearly every company showcased at these events.

Specific guidelines for editorial staff and freelancers

  • Never plagiarize. Use your own words and make quotes clear.
  • Check facts and report them fairly.
  • Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to our coverage.
  • Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability.
  • Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when necessary. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story.
  • Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
  • Tell your editor about all associations, activities, and investments that might compromise your integrity or damage your credibility. Should an unavoidable conflict of interest arise, the story will be either reassigned to a different writer or the conflict will be disclosed to the public.
  • Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.

Guidelines for reviews and gifts

  • Hardware products sent to us for review are loans. Return them promptly when your review is done. If it is not feasible or practical to return a product, donate it.
  • Some products don’t need to be returned at the end of a review: Software, games, low-value products (under $20), or products that can’t be reused for hygienic reasons (like earbuds).
  • If you’ve been given or lent a product for review, disclose that fact at the end of the review and in subsequent coverage.
  • Exception: It can be OK to keep higher-value items on long-term loans for ongoing review purposes (e.g. game consoles). Make sure you discuss this with your editor first, however. This fact will be disclosed in any related coverage.
  • We cannot accept gifts or “swag” with a value over $20. You need to return gifts above that limit or donate them, if it’s not practical to return them.
  • We’ll collect items for donation and periodically either give them to a local Goodwill, or sell them at an end-of-year garage sale and donate the money to a local charity.
  • Editorial discounts are a type of gift. Avoid taking these unless the value is under $20.

Guidelines for travel and entertainment

  • We do not accept paid trips (junkets) from companies, people, or firms that we cover. If an event is worth covering, VentureBeat will pay travel expenses.
  • It’s OK for writers or editors to accept reasonable travel expenses from a trade organization or conference, particularly if that is part of a speaking engagement, as long as the sponsoring organization does not represent a specific company and is not itself a subject of our coverage. (Example: The Consumer Electronics Association.) Discuss any such trips with your editor and get approval first. You must disclose who paid for your travel in any related coverage.
  • Lunches and dinners: This is an ordinary part of doing business, and many companies we do business with will pick up the tab. It is okay to accept occasional lunches or dinners, as long as they’re not lavish, but be aware that doing this excessively could compromise your integrity as a journalist.

Investments

Investments in companies that we cover are incompatible with independent reporting. VentureBeat writers and editors must not hold individual stock in any technology companies.

Editorial staff are not prohibited from donating money to causes or projects, such as political campaigns or Kickstarter projects. However, such donations must be disclosed, and writers should avoid writing about the cause, company, or project they support, or their competitors.

Additional editorial guidelines

  • Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
  • Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money.
  • Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over our conduct.
  • Encourage the public to voice comments about our coverage.
  • Abide by the same high standards to which we hold others.

Updated on August 4, 2020.