Yardbarker Editorial Policy

Editorial Mission

Yardbarker is dedicated to providing users with the most timely, engaging and trustworthy content on the topics they care most about. We do this through a mix of original content, syndicated content, lists, quizzes, and aggregated link-outs. We allow users to personalize their experience by selecting their favorite sports, teams and schools.

General Editorial Approach

Yardbarker strives to provide credible and accurate information, with proper and reliable sourcing. Each article is written by a human and includes a byline.

We have a large team of editors who manage content creation, syndication and the editorial review process for all content created or syndicated. We attempt to correct any factual errors as quickly as possible.

We also have built a number of proprietary backend tools that allow us to discover and promote the best content available.

Our editorial content is not influenced by our advertisers and where there is a financial arrangement, we provide clear messaging to the user about such relationships. Our writers are responsible for disclosing any potential conflicts of interest.

Our editorial policies and standards are set out below.

For more on the company origin, please click here.

Content Strategy / Content Syndication

Yardbarker is dedicated to delivering high-quality content tailored to our users' interests. Our in-house news team produces timely news stories and thought-provoking opinion pieces. We also have dedicated teams focused on the creation of lists, evergreen content and engaging quizzes.

Beyond our original content, Yardbarker partners with over 300 publishers through our content syndication program. With permission, we publish full-text articles from these partners to provide a broader range of perspectives. Syndicated publishers share in the revenue generated when their articles are viewed on our platform.

Syndicated content is clearly labeled, featuring attribution from the originating publisher, a clear writer’s byline, and a canonical link to the original source.

All syndication partners undergo a thorough evaluation process prior to onboarding, ensuring their content meets our standards for quality, timeliness, and adherence to journalistic best practices. All content eligible for syndication goes through an editorial review process prior to publication. We conduct ongoing reviews of syndication partners to ensure they maintain a high standard of editorial quality.

If you are a publisher, and wish to apply to join the program, please send an email to syndication@yardbarker.com and we will evaluate your site for potential participation.

Ethics Policy

Yardbarker is committed to upholding the highest standards of accuracy, ethics, and responsibility in our reporting. We prioritize fair and unbiased coverage, transparent source attribution and prompt correction of errors. Our editorial policies and procedures are designed to reflect these principles, and we remain dedicated to maintaining transparency with our audience.

All Yardbarker writers are required to clearly identify themselves and are strictly prohibited from accepting any form of compensation or incentives in exchange for coverage.

Any potential or perceived conflicts of interest must be promptly disclosed and addressed in consultation with senior editorial staff to ensure the integrity of our content and maintain public trust.

For syndication partners, we make best efforts to uphold our ethics policy standards. If a partner violates these policies, we take actions to ensure the standards are met going forward. In some instances, we may choose to terminate a content syndication partner for failing to adhere to our standards.

Sourcing

Yardbarker produces a substantial amount of original content but also incorporates information from third-party sources when necessary. We are committed to ensuring that all third-party sourcing is clearly identified, with hyperlinks provided to the original content for transparency and proper attribution.

We only utilize reputable third-party sources, relying on them when there is reasonable confidence in the accuracy and credibility of the information they provide. This approach reflects Yardbarker’s dedication to maintaining high editorial standards.

For syndication publishers, we make best efforts to publish and promote only content that meets our sourcing guidelines.

Fact-Checking

Yardbarker is committed to publishing only accurate, verified information. Writers are responsible for ensuring the precision of the facts in their articles, including verifying details such as dates, names, titles, statistics, and quotes.

Writers must critically assess the reliability of third-party sources by considering the quality of the source, the accuracy of the information, how the information was obtained and whether the source has any potential motives for sharing it.

All Yardbarker articles undergo various levels of editorial review before publication. Fact-checking procedures include cross-referencing quotes, verifying reports from other media outlets and consulting reputable reference materials.

If a critical fact cannot be independently verified, we will attribute it to the original publication that reported it.

For syndication publishers, we make best efforts to publish and promote only content that meets our fact-checking guidelines.

Bylines

Authors are required to have an author byline. Only on extremely rare occasions would a byline not be used and such a decision would require senior editorial management approval.

This byline approach is consistent with syndication publishers.

Plagiarism

Yardbarker maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism. Any violation of this policy is considered gross misconduct and may result in immediate termination of employment, even for a first offense.

The determination of what constitutes plagiarism rests with Yardbarker's editorial team. Copying or making minor modifications to another publication's wording or replicating its story structure is strictly prohibited. Writers are expected to create content with original phrasing and structure, incorporating additional information and context to provide unique value to our audience.

Writers from syndication publishers who commit plagiarism are banned from publishing on the Yardbarker platform. If multiple violations occur from a specific publisher, the publisher relationship will be terminated.

Corrections

Yardbarker is committed to accuracy and transparency in our content. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to report any corrections by contacting us at feedback@yardbarker.com.

Our editorial team promptly reviews and addresses all reported errors. Any decision to update an article is made in consultation with Yardbarker’s senior editors to ensure the highest editorial standards. Significant corrections are clearly noted at the bottom of the relevant article to maintain transparency.

Social Media

Yardbarker acknowledges the value of social media as a platform for interactive discussions and information sharing. While engaging on social media, all staff members are expected to maintain a respectful and professional tone, avoiding profanity, personal attacks or any form of incivility.

Staff must not post or share content on social media that includes obscene language, sexist or discriminatory remarks, threats of violence, or other inappropriate or offensive statements.

Violations of this social media policy may result in disciplinary action, including suspension or termination.

Artificial Intellignece

At Yardbarker, we are committed to producing original, human-generated content. As such, all Yardbarker writers are strictly prohibited from using AI to create articles or images.

Authors and editors may occasionally use AI-powered tools to support specific aspects of their work, such as note-taking, transcription or adding metadata. However, it is the responsibility of authors and editors to ensure that these tools are used responsibly and do not introduce errors or inaccuracies into their work.

While we generally do not allow AI-generated content on Yardbarker, any exceptions to this policy will be clearly disclosed to maintain transparency.

Authors or syndication partners who submit AI-generated content without disclosing their use of AI to Yardbarker will face disciplinary action, including potential suspension or termination.

As this is a rapidly evolving area, we recognize that industry standards may change over time. We are committed to reviewing and updating this policy as needed to reflect best practices and ensure our standards align with the needs of our audience.