Editorial Ethics Policy

Push Square’s ethical policies support the accuracy, honesty and transparency underpinning the relationship between the editorial team and its readership. Our Editorial Ethics Policy explains the measures we take to report in a way that respects our readers and our reporting subjects alike.

Accuracy

Our editorial team are expected to be as accurate as possible in their reporting. If we are unable to corroborate relevant information, we will always state this clearly in the article per our Sources Policy. We also have a formal approach to fact-checking and a robust Corrections Policy.

Push Square actively avoids using misleading or inaccurate headlines, otherwise known as "clickbait". We want our headlines to accurately represent the body of the article to ensure trust in our reporting. We also don't want our headlines to appear boring or dry; therefore, sometimes our article titles may contain a question or other statement to entice a reader to find out more, backed up by the contents of the article.

How We Update Articles

To ensure articles are accurate we will often update existing articles, particularly when new information comes to light. Significant updates will be labelled with an update date/time stamp along with the update above the original story. Minor updates such as spelling or grammatical errors will not be flagged in this way.

Right Of Reply

Any company or individual that is the focus of our news reporting will always have a right to reply. Often we will seek a comment or response from a company or individual prior to publication and this will be detailed within the reporting itself.

If you would like to get in touch with the news team to submit a statement about a story we’ve reported on, please contact us. We are committed to including any right of reply and we will update the story in question with their commentary, along with a date/time stamp.

Language

All our articles are written in British English with our headlines written in Title Case. We tend avoid using slang terms unless directly related to the article and avoid strong vulgar words or uncensored profanity to ensure our content is accessible for most ages.

Editorial Independence

The editorial team at Push Square operates independently from the commercial team, and its reporting is never influenced by our commercial interests.

You can find out more in our Ownership & Funding Policy.

Fairness & Impartiality

Our writers strive to ensure that all sides of any given topic are represented in their coverage. This impartial approach to reporting provides balance and additional context to the topic in question and builds trust and confidence with our readers.

Product Reviews

One of our primary goals is to provide readers with first-hand, accurate and insightful reviews of video games and video game products, allowing them to make an informed buying decision.

Selecting Products

Our editorial team will select products for review based on our Editorial Coverage Policy. We will not review a product simply because it has been sent to us. Advertising a product on Push Square will also not influence whether we review a product, or affect how we score it.

Selecting Authors

Reviewers are selected by our editorial team based on their first-hand expertise or experience with a particular genre or series. Our reviews are written subjectively with the honest opinions formed by the author when playing the game or using the product.

Review Scoring

All our video game reviews are scored in line with our Review Scoring Policy, we do not disclose or discuss review scores or opinions with publishers ahead of publication.

Product Updates

Reviews are always based on the version of the game or product available to us at the time of review, therefore, future software updates may fix some of the issues raised in our review. Occasionally we will decide to re-review a game or product based on a new version that becomes available, this will be clearly labelled to avoid confusion.

Conflict of Interests

Any member of the Push Square editorial team that has a significant connection (either financial, relative or social) to a company will be discouraged from providing coverage of their products on Push Square. In the rare event coverage is provided, a clear disclosure will be added to the article or video.

Push Square is committed to avoiding conflicts of interest at all times to ensure fair and impartial reporting.

Embargoes

In the video game industry, publications such as Push Square are often granted access to games or hardware (in either a finished or unfinished state) ahead of public release by publishers. In these situations, an agreement between the publisher and publication is made — referred to as an Embargo — which governs what elements of the product can be talked about and when an article/video can be published.

The specific details of embargo agreements are confidential, however, Push Square will never agree to an embargo that would restrict our ability to share our full and honest opinions of a product.

Travel & Hospitality

The majority of events attended by Push Square authors will be funded by Hookshot Media Ltd who will pay for all their related travel, accommodation and expenses. Occasionally we are invited to events where travel and accommodation are paid for by the organiser, if so, we will disclose those circumstances in any resulting coverage.

We permit our authors to consume food and drink provided at press events and trust that it will not affect their reporting.

Products, Gifts & Promotional Items

Publishers will often provide Push Square with free promotional copies of games or hardware for review purposes. These products will be given to the reviewer to use and form their opinion as part of their review. In most cases, games are now provided as digital download codes. Any physical products provided will remain the property of Hookshot Media Ltd and will not be sold for profit.

Additionally, promotional items or gifts, such as but not limited to, press kits, posters, plushies etc. will sometimes be sent by publishers to Push Square. Sometimes these items will be used in photography, videos or social media posts. Whenever possible, we will disclose who sent us the product or item we're featuring. These promotional items do not influence our thoughts or opinions of the game/product, and sending us items does not guarantee coverage.

Occasionally these products or items may be donated to charity or given away through a reader giveaway/competition.

Accountability

In the unlikely event of an error or mistake, article corrections are made promptly, and the nature of each correction is always made clear within the article itself in line with our Corrections Policy.

Contact Us

We hope this policy helps you understand our principles and ethics when creating our content. If you have any questions about this policy or would like to give feedback on it, please contact us via Push Square's Contact Us page.