Since I created reality blurred in 2000, I’ve tried to present the best of unscripted entertainment while producing the best possible reporting, criticism, and analysis of reality TV.
That means holding my work, and the work of those who are published in these pages, to high standards—and welcoming comment and criticism when we fail to meet those standards.
These policies attempt to take what’s guiding certain decisions here—but only been in my head—and make it public, to be as transparent as possible.
I intend for this to be a living document, with regular additions and modifications. So, if you have thoughts or feedback, please send them!
Ethical guidelines
I’ve used the Society for Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics since I was a student journalist, and then as both a journalist and journalism teacher. I find it to be a good starting roadmap for making ethical decisions in reporting.
I’m especially drawn to the SPJ code’s four categories: Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently, and Be Accountable and Transparent. Those are guideposts for the work that’s published here.
Ethical standards are neither laws nor universal, so they’re subject to interpretation and debate, which I welcome!
Potential conflicts of interest are disclosed on reality blurred’s about page, in author bios, and/or in actual content.
Sponsorships and advertising
reality blurred accepts ads and sponsorships to sustain its independent journalism.
Display advertising on reality blurred, facilitated by my partnership with Mediavine, is programmatic, which means not even I know what ads are appearing on your screen. (It’s very weird!) If you notice a bad or offensive ad, click the M logo and report it.
All advertisements, sponsorships, and paid placements are clearly labeled. While sponsors and advertisers may advertise programs or other content that reality blurred covers, articles are never written in exchange for advertising or sponsorship.
In short: Advertisers and sponsors never have input into what I cover, how I cover it, or what I publish, and I reserve the right to decline any advertisement or sponsorship, and to end any partnership at any time.
Opinion and analysis
reality blurred publishes criticism, commentary, and news reporting—and sometimes analysis, which is a combination of those.
Stories here nearly always include opinion and analysis. After all, reality blurred began its life as a link blog, and attempts to keep the spirit of blogging even in longer pieces.
Opinions in stories, essays, and reader comments are, of course, those of the writer, and not necessarily Reality Blurred LLC or me, reality blurred founder Andy Dehnart—well, unless I wrote it! I hope this is obvious.
Feedback, especially in the form of disagreement or disappointment, is always welcome, either in the comments or via e-mail.
Factual corrections
While stories contain opinion and analysis, it’s incredibly important to me that facts be accurate.
As a writer and editor, I always try to cite, link to, and/or identify sources of information, and fact-check before publication.
As a fallible human being, I do occasionally make mistakes, and new information sometimes comes to light.
In all cases, reality blurred welcomes corrections. Just use this form to send me the URL of the page and the error you noticed, and I’ll review it as soon as I can.
Edits and updates
Any corrections, clarifications, or updates will be made to the original article, while the reasons for those changes will be noted in the text and/or in an editor’s note.
Timestamps on reality blurred stories let you know when the story was first published. If it has since been updated or edited, you’ll also see an “updated” date, too.
If a story has been updated, what’s changed?
An explanation for the edit will always be added to the story for:
- corrections, when information was inaccurate
- clarifications, when more information was needed
- updates and revisions, such as the inclusion of new information
A note about the update will not be added for:
- minor typos. I am very good at typos! If you spot one, please let me know. I will fix it as soon as I can, but I will only note the edit if the typo has affected the meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence.
- frequently updated stories that tell you they will be frequently updated, such as the reality TV schedules and guides.
- adjustments to design or formatting. reality blurred began on Blogger, moved to Moveable Type, and is now powered by WordPress, and has published more than 16,000 stories in its lifetime. When I come across older stories that have, for example, a malformed image or old formatting, I’ll update them, leaving the original text intact.
Style and language
reality blurred stories generally use AP Style to standardize writing. A few changes:
- Reality TV show, documentary series, film titles, and nonfiction podcast titles are placed in bold, e.g. Survivor, An American Family, or O.J.: Made in America
- Scripted shows or books will be in italics, e.g. Reservation Dogs or Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.
- The Oxford comma is alive and well in these electronic pages
Please be aware that there may occasionally be some shitty explicit language.
reality blurred’s language has evolved along with our society over its 23+ years. You may find outdated language, either in quotations or in stories themselves, in articles published years or decades ago.
For references to people or groups, I defer to individuals to identify themselves in stories. If that’s not possible or practical, I look to professional organizations, communities, and experts to help.
Karen Yin’s The Conscious Style Guide is an excellent resource for finding guidance.
I also frequently refer to these style and media guides:
- The National Center on Disability and Journalism’s Disability Language Style Guide
- The Trans Journalists Association’s Stylebook and Coverage Guide
- The National Association of Black Journalists’ Style Guide
- The Indigenous Journalist Association’s reporting guides
- The Asian American Journalist Association’s reporting guidance
- The Language Project from The Marshall Project
- The American Psychological Association’s Inclusive Language Guide
- The Stylebook on LGBTQ+ Terminology
- The GLAAD Media Reference Guide
