Editorial independence comes first

01 Core principle

Advertising and sponsorship do not influence our editorial decisions. Coverage is chosen, reported, and published based on public value, not on who pays.

02 Types of advertising and partnerships

We may engage in the following, subject to this policy:

03 Editorial and advertising separation

• Advertisers do not preview or approve editorial content.
• Editorial staff are not required to produce favorable coverage for advertisers.
• Advertising considerations do not determine story selection, framing, headlines, or conclusions.
• Editorial criticism is not suppressed because a sponsor may dislike it.

04 Labeling and disclosures

Readers deserve to know what they are looking at. We aim for clear, unambiguous labeling.

• Sponsored or paid content is labeled with terms such as “Sponsored,” “Advertisement,” or “Paid Partnership.”
• Affiliate relationships are disclosed where applicable.
• Editorial content is not labeled as sponsored unless it actually is.
• Native advertising, if used, must still be clearly distinguishable from editorial work.

05 Advertising standards

We reserve the right to review, approve, reject, or remove advertising at our discretion. Ads and partners must meet baseline standards of legality, accuracy, dignity, and safety.

• No misleading or deceptive claims.
• No hate, harassment, or dehumanizing content.
• No malware, scams, unsafe products, or fraudulent offers.
• No content designed to inflame, exploit fear, or manipulate vulnerable people.
• No advertising that conflicts with the trust readers place in After Asr.

06 What we do not accept

Without limitation, we do not accept advertising that:

• Promotes hate, violence, harassment, or discrimination.
• Encourages dehumanization or targeting of people or communities.
• Is deceptive, fraudulent, or intentionally misleading.
• Conflicts fundamentally with our values, mission, or reader trust.
• Requires editorial control or influence as a condition.
• Attempts to disguise paid influence as independent editorial judgment.

07 Conflicts of interest

If a significant advertiser or sponsor becomes the subject of editorial coverage, we aim to handle that coverage fairly and independently.

• We may disclose relevant relationships when they are material to reader trust.
• We do not avoid coverage solely because it may displease an advertiser.
• We may separate staff responsibilities when needed to protect independence.

08 AI, targeting and your data

Editorial content on this Site is produced with substantial assistance from artificial intelligence and is reviewed by the desk before publication, as set out in our Editorial Policy. Advertising raises a different set of questions, so they are answered here rather than left to inference.

• Sponsorships here are sold directly, not served by a network. After Asr runs no advertising network and no marketing pixel. There is no programmatic exchange deciding what appears beside an essay.
• No reader profiling, and no targeting. We do not build profiles of readers, and nothing, whether AI or otherwise, selects which reader sees which sponsor. Every reader of a page sees the same placement.
• Your information is not sent to an AI service. That includes anything you submit through a sponsorship enquiry.
• Labelling is never automated. A person decides what is marked as sponsored, and the labelling standard in section 04 applies whoever or whatever drafted the words.

09 Changes to this policy

This Advertising and Sponsorship Policy may be updated from time to time. When changes are made, the “Last Updated” date at the top will be revised.

10 Contact

Advertising or partnership inquiries, and questions about this policy, can be sent to [email protected].