Editorial policy

This page sets out how The Hook operates as an editorial product — who owns and funds the site, how stories are reported and rewritten, and how we handle sourcing and conflicts of interest. It is a living document; we update it when our process changes.

Ownership and funding

The Hook is an independent digital publication. Editorial decisions are made by the editorial team and are not influenced by commercial partnerships. When a story touches a company that has a business relationship with The Hook, that relationship is disclosed inline in the article.

Editorial independence

Coverage is driven by news value, not advertiser interest. No advertiser, partner, or sponsor has a pre-publication view of editorial copy. Corrections, retractions, and unfavorable coverage are published without commercial interference.

Sourcing and fact-checking

Every news story on The Hook is based on a named upstream source. Where claims are contested, we preserve attribution ("according to", "reported by") rather than asserting them in The Hook’s own voice. Statistics, quotes, and named individuals are checked against the upstream source before publication.

AI-assisted reporting

Stories on The Hook are drafted with the help of artificial intelligence: our editorial system rewrites reporting from the named upstream sources and enriches it with additional research. Every story is reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication and is credited to the The Hook editorial team. AI never adds sourcing of its own — facts, quotes, and statistics come from the named sources, and corrections follow the same policy as any other story.

Conflicts of interest

Members of the editorial team disclose any financial interest, personal relationship, or prior employment that could reasonably appear to bias their coverage of a given story. Where such a conflict exists and cannot be avoided, the piece carries an inline disclosure.

Contact editorial

To send feedback, flag an accuracy concern, or ask about our editorial process, email the editorial team at thehookshow@bravebison.com.