How the Journal might be paid
Affiliate links, what they are, and why they do not change a word.
The Journal is an independent publication and it would like to stay one. This page explains the one way it might, in future, earn money from what it writes.
Each piece carries a link to the brand it discusses. That link passes through our own address first (it looks like /go/brand-name) and then on to the brand’s website. If the Journal joins that brand’s affiliate programme, a purchase you make after following the link may earn the Journal a small commission from the brand. It costs you nothing extra, and the price you pay is the same as if you had typed the address yourself.
Two things need saying plainly. First, at the time of writing the Journal has not joined any such programme, so the links currently earn nothing; the mechanism is in place so that it can be switched on later without rewriting the pieces. Second, whether a link earns anything has no bearing on what the piece says. The brands we recommend against get the same link as the ones we recommend, because readers sometimes want to see for themselves.
We do not take payment for coverage, do not accept free products, and do not run sponsored pieces. If that ever changes, this page will change first and the Errata page will record the date.
If you would rather not use our links, you are welcome to go to the brand directly. The pieces will read exactly the same.