Advertiser Disclosure — How StateLeak Handles Commercial Relationships

Our Commitment to Editorial Independence

StateLeak is an independent journalism platform. Our editorial decisions are made by our editorial team. They are not made, influenced, or shaped by advertisers, commercial partners, or sponsored entities.

This page exists because transparency demands it. If StateLeak carries advertising or enters into any form of commercial relationship, our readers deserve a clear, honest account of what that means — and what it does not mean — for our journalism.

Current Commercial Model

StateLeak currently operates on an independent funding model. We do not accept advertising from governments, political organisations, intelligence-adjacent entities, defence contractors, or organisations that operate in the sectors we actively cover.

If StateLeak displays advertising, those advertisements are identified visually and labelled clearly. Paid placements, sponsored content, or branded partnerships are marked as such and are never presented as editorial content.

The Editorial Firewall

A strict editorial firewall separates StateLeak's commercial operations from its journalism. The following principles are non-negotiable:

• No advertiser has the right to review, request changes to, or approve editorial content before publication.
• No advertiser is granted favourable coverage in exchange for commercial relationships.
• No editorial decision is influenced by the prospect of gaining or retaining advertising revenue.
• Advertisers who attempt to influence coverage are removed without exception.

These are not aspirational standards. They are operating rules.

Affiliate Relationships

StateLeak may, from time to time, include links to third-party services, tools, or platforms that support secure communications, digital privacy, or journalistic practice. Where these links generate referral income, they will be disclosed clearly at the point of placement.

Affiliate relationships do not determine what we recommend. We only reference tools or services that our editorial team has assessed as genuinely useful and appropriate for our readers.

Sponsored Content Policy

StateLeak does not publish sponsored editorial content that is designed to pass as journalism. If we were ever to publish commercially funded content — for example, an advertorial or a partner analysis — it would be labelled unmistakably at the top of the piece, separated from our editorial sections, and excluded from our core investigative categories.

Sponsored content will never appear in our Investigations, Leaks, or State Power sections.

Reader Funding

StateLeak welcomes direct reader support as a means of maintaining editorial independence. Reader contributions do not entitle donors to editorial access, story placement, or influence over coverage decisions. Contributions are accepted in recognition of the public-interest value of our journalism — not as a commercial exchange.

Questions and Concerns

If you have questions about our commercial relationships, advertising policies, or specific instances where you believe editorial independence has been compromised, contact our editorial oversight team directly through our Contact page.

Transparency is not a clause we invoke selectively. It is a standard we apply consistently — including, and especially, when it relates to money.