Protecting Confidential Information
Chapter 2: Editorial Best Practices
Confidential information includes embargoed press releases, unreleased product names and specs shared under NDA, nonpublic affiliate commission changes, unpublished comparison winners, and personal data about sources or staff.
Embargoes are honored unless broken by the manufacturer publicly or by a credible primary leak we verify—see seeking a response for outreach records. Jumping embargoes for traffic damages access for every reviewer on Option Cutter.
Internal traffic, revenue, and Content Egg performance metrics stay inside the company unless leadership authorizes a specific public disclosure; affiliate dashboards tie to commerce conflict rules. Freelancers receive only what they need for the assignment.
Do not share outside the newsroom without approval:
- Unpublished WordPress drafts or Elementor previews with brands for “tone” approval
- Screenshots of affiliate dashboards showing network-specific rates
- PR-provided roadmaps marked confidential unless cleared for publication
- Reader commenter email addresses or support tickets
- Security credentials, API keys, or database exports
Promises of anonymity to sources are kept except in rare cases involving illegal conduct or court orders; leadership and counsel decide responses.
Whistleblowers with safety evidence receive serious consideration, but we verify documents and devices before publication—we do not run unvetted PDFs that could be forged.
Password managers and role-based WordPress access limit who can see draft comparisons; sharing preview URLs with retailers for comment is prohibited unless leadership opens a specific, logged exception. Vendor NDAs do not override our duty to warn readers about serious hazards we verified; counsel advises when an NDA conflicts with publishing safety facts. Freelancers receive minimum necessary access; shared drives for a single comparison are closed after publish to reduce leak risk from stale permissions.
Embargo discipline protects access for the whole desk. A broken embargo burns trust with every PR team, not just one author chasing traffic. Jump only when the manufacturer has clearly gone public or a primary leak is verified—not when a rumor blog posted first.
Preview URLs and WordPress roles limit draft leakage. Do not email unpublished comparisons to brands for “tone” approval. Retailers and OEMs get factual questions, not veto power over verdict paragraphs or Content Egg ordering on live posts. Document decisions in editor notes or the CMS so future updates honor the same standard.
Affiliate rate changes, network bonuses, and per-SKU EPC spikes stay internal. Freelancers receive assignment context, not dashboard screenshots they could trade. Metrics inform business; they do not reorder winners in comparison charts readers trust. Document decisions in editor notes or the CMS so future updates honor the same standard.
Source promises of anonymity are serious. Breaking them requires leadership and counsel, not convenience. Whistleblower documents still get verified before publish—authenticity checks protect readers from forged “leaks” that could cause harmful panic. Document decisions in editor notes or the CMS so future updates honor the same standard.
Freelancer access is minimum necessary: shared drives for one comparison close after publish so stale permissions do not leak draft winners or embargoed specs to vendors hunting for early affiliate advantage on unreleased SKUs. Questions about access belong in editor chat before you share a preview URL externally.