Editorial Standards

We are a small, opinionated publication, so it matters that we are specific about how the work gets made. This page is the whole policy. If we break it, tell us.

Sourcing

Every story links to its primary sources: the filing, the ruling, the transcript, the original reporting. If another outlet broke it, we say so and link to them in the story, not in a footnote. We do not launder other people's reporting into our own scoop. When we cannot confirm something, we write that we cannot confirm it rather than hedging it into sounding true.

Reader reactions

Some stories include public posts from social media. Those are quoted as posted, attributed to the account that wrote them, and included because the reaction is part of the story. We do not include private accounts, and we do not edit a quote to change its meaning.

How stories get written

Stories are researched and drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed, edited and approved by a human editor before anything publishes. Nothing goes out unread. The facts, the links and the judgment calls are Spencer's responsibility, and the byline reflects that the publication stands behind the piece. We disclose this because you should be able to decide for yourself what that is worth.

Corrections

We correct errors and we do not quietly delete them. A factual correction is noted on the story itself with the date and what changed. Typos and broken links get fixed without a note. If a story is wrong enough that a correction will not fix it, we take it down and say why.

To report an error, use the contact form and write "correction" in the message. Include the link. We would rather hear it from you than not hear it.

Ownership, money and conflicts

The Watering Hole is published by Gay Things, Inc., which also makes Gay Water. We cover the drinks category, including brands that compete with our own, and when we do we say plainly that we make a competing product. We have never traded coverage for advertising and we will not.

Some product recommendations use affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you buy. Those are labeled in the story, every time. A commission never buys a recommendation. We do not accept payment to cover a story, and we do not let anyone read a piece before it publishes.

Independence

Nobody outside this publication gets approval over what we run. Not advertisers, not partners, not retailers, not the people we write about.