1. Source Standards
Every factual claim on The Digital Wise is verified against at least one primary source — official press releases, on-the-record interviews, confirmed studio statements, registered IMDb entries, or production documents we hold copies of.
We never publish speculation as fact. When we report on a rumour or unverified claim, we label it: "reportedly," "according to sources familiar," "unconfirmed."
2. Verification Process
Every news story passes a two-pass check before publication:
- Reporter pass: The byline critic verifies their own sources and provides links or copies to the editor.
- Editor pass: A second editor independently checks every quote, date, name, and number against the source.
Reviews go through a third pass — a fact-check on cast/credits/runtime against IMDb and studio press kits before publication.
3. Spoiler Policy
Reviews on The Digital Wise are spoiler-free by default. We do not reveal plot twists, character deaths, or third-act surprises in reviews unless the film/series has been out for more than 30 days AND the spoiler is essential to the critical argument.
Deeper analyses, recaps, and explainers that contain spoilers are labelled clearly in the kicker ("CONTAINS SPOILERS") and have a content warning at the top of the article.
4. Anonymous Sources
We use anonymous sources only when:
- The information cannot reasonably be obtained on the record
- The source has documented standing to know what they're describing
- The story serves a legitimate public interest beyond gossip
Each anonymous source is approved by at least two editors. We do not pay sources. We do not promise anonymity that can be compelled by court order — we tell sources this in advance.
5. Affiliate Disclosure
"Where to watch" streaming links on The Digital Wise may be affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you subscribe through them.
Editorial firewall: Affiliate revenue does not influence Wise Scores, reviews, or which titles we cover. A movie that's only on a non-affiliate platform gets the same treatment as one on a partner platform.
Every page with affiliate links carries a disclosure banner.
6. AI Disclosure
We do not use AI to write reviews, news stories, or editorial copy. Every word with a byline is written by a named human critic.
We may use AI tools for: transcription of recorded interviews, image alt-text suggestions, code-completion in our publishing system. None of these tools touch published prose.
AI-assisted content (if any in future) will always be labelled and approved by editors.
7. Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it within 48 hours of being notified. Material errors (incorrect names, dates, factual claims) are corrected with:
- The original error preserved in a strikethrough
- The correction in bold with a timestamp
- An entry in our public corrections log
Typos and grammatical fixes are made silently. To flag an error, email corrections@thedigitalwise.com.
8. Conflicts of Interest
Every critic on The Digital Wise publishes a public conflict-of-interest disclosure on their author profile page. This includes:
- Family members in the film/TV industry
- Prior consulting or paid relationships with studios
- Festival jury participation
- Critics circle voting memberships
- Investments in entertainment companies
Critics recuse from reviewing any title with a documented personal conflict.
9. Images & Rights
Posters, backdrops, and stills are used under fair use for editorial commentary on the work depicted. All images are credited to the rights holder where required. We do not modify promotional images beyond cropping for layout.
10. Comments
Comments are moderated. We remove comments that contain: spam, harassment, hate speech, doxxing, or commercial solicitation. We reserve the right to remove off-topic threads. Repeat offenders are banned.
Last updated: May 22, 2026 · Version 2.0