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This Editorial Independence Policy (this "Policy") governs the relationship between This Week in Fintech, Inc. ("TWIF" or the "Newsroom") and its parent company, Plaid Inc. ("Plaid" or the "Parent"). Its purpose is to protect and preserve the Newsroom's editorial integrity, journalistic independence, and public trust.TWIF is a financial technology news network dedicated to accurate, fair, and independent coverage of the fintech industry. Its mission is to serve readers and the public interest.Plaid Inc. acknowledges that the value of TWIF as a journalistic enterprise depends entirely upon its credibility, and that credibility depends entirely upon its independence. Accordingly, Plaid commits to respecting, protecting, and preserving TWIF's editorial autonomy as set forth in this Policy.
Section 1: Foundational Principles
FTWIF's journalism is governed by the following core principles, which no commercial, ownership, or business consideration may supersede:
Accuracy: Every story must reflect verifiable facts. Errors must be corrected promptly, openly, and prominently.
Independence: Editorial decisions—what to cover, how to cover it, and when to publish—belong exclusively to TWIF's editorial leadership. Freedom from Bias: TWIF strives to present balanced, impartial reporting. Coverage shall not be shaped to favor or disfavor any company, product, person, or institution.
Integrity: Journalists shall not fabricate, plagiarize, or misrepresent. They shall never accept bribes, gifts of material value, or other inducements that could compromise their independence.
Public Interest: TWIF's primary obligation is to its readers and the broader public—not to its owner, sponsors, or sources.
Transparency: When actual or potential conflicts of interest arise, TWIF will disclose them openly to readers.
Plaid Inc. agrees that it shall not, directly or indirectly, attempt to influence, direct, suppress, delay, or alter TWIF's editorial content, coverage decisions, story selection, sourcing, or publication timing. Prohibited conduct includes but is not limited to:
Requesting advance review of articles, newsletters, or other editorial content prior to publication;
Directing TWIF to publish, modify, or kill any story based on Plaid's business or reputational interests;
Conditioning TWIF's operating budget, staffing, or resources on favorable (or the absence of unfavorable) coverage of Plaid, its products, or its executives;
Sharing non-public, commercially sensitive information with TWIF editorial staff in a way that would compromise journalistic independence or create legal liability;
Instructing TWIF to avoid coverage of specific topics, individuals, companies, or regulatory matters.
Plaid may communicate with TWIF's business-side leadership regarding budget, headcount, legal compliance, and operational matters. However, these communications shall not cross the editorial firewall described in Section 2.2.
TWIF maintains a strict structural firewall between its editorial operations and its business/commercial operations. The Editor-in-Chief of TWIF is the final authority on all editorial decisions. No business-side personnel—whether employed by TWIF or Plaid—may issue editorial instructions or directives to members of the TWIF newsroom.Specifically: advertising, sponsorship, events, partnerships, and revenue teams at TWIF (or Plaid) shall have no access to editorial story planning, drafts, unpublished materials, or coverage schedules. Internal editorial communications shall remain confidential and shall not be shared with Plaid.
TWIF may and should cover Plaid Inc. as a newsworthy participant in the fintech industry. Such coverage shall be governed by the same standards of accuracy, fairness, and independence as coverage of any other company. TWIF shall not grant Plaid preferential treatment in the form of advance notice of unfavorable coverage (beyond standard comment periods), pre-publication review rights, or the right to suppress or delay publication.When TWIF covers Plaid, it shall disclose the ownership relationship in a clear, prominent, and standardized manner, as set forth in Section 5 of this Policy.
All editorial staff and contributors of TWIF shall:
Disclose to the Editor-in-Chief and CEO any personal financial interest, investment, relationship, or affiliation that could create—or appear to create—a conflict with their assigned coverage;
Recuse themselves from covering any company, person, product, or matter in which they have a direct or indirect financial interest;
Not solicit or accept gifts, free travel, lodging, meals, or entertainment of more than nominal value from any source they cover or may cover;
Not pay sources for information or access;
Disclose any side employment, speaking engagements, advisory roles, or board memberships to the Editor-in-Chief before undertaking them, and recuse themselves from relevant coverage;
Not hold elected office or participate in partisan political activities that could compromise the appearance of impartiality.
For the avoidance of doubt: TWIF employees will be employed by Plaid Inc. and may receive equity in Plaid as TWIF’s parent company.
Disputes regarding potential conflicts of interest shall be resolved by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with an independent arms-length advisor , where appropriate. The Editor-in-Chief's decision on editorial conflicts shall be final and not subject to override by Plaid.
The separation between TWIF's commercial operations and its editorial content is absolute. Advertisers and sponsors shall have no influence over story selection, content, tone, or timing. The purchase of advertising in or sponsorship of TWIF shall not entitle any party to favorable coverage, advance notice of stories, or any other editorial benefit.
TWIF may produce sponsored or branded content as a commercial service. All such content shall be clearly and conspicuously labeled as "Sponsored," "Partner Content," "Advertisement," or an equivalent designation that leaves no reasonable reader in doubt that the content is not independent editorial journalism.Editorial staff shall not be required to produce sponsored content. Where editorial staff does produce sponsored content at the request of the business team, they shall do so in a clearly designated capacity, and such content shall not appear in editorial sections without appropriate labeling.
Plaid Inc. may purchase advertising or sponsor programming within TWIF. Such arrangements shall be governed by the same terms as any third-party sponsor. Plaid's sponsorship of any TWIF product, event, or newsletter shall be clearly disclosed to readers. Plaid's status as sponsor shall not, under any circumstances, affect editorial coverage of Plaid or its affiliates.
Transparency is foundational to reader trust. TWIF shall disclose its ownership structure and material relationships to its audience in the following manner:
Ownership Disclosure: TWIF shall include a standing disclosure on its website and in its newsletter footer stating clearly that TWIF is owned by Plaid Inc. and affirming TWIF's editorial independence.
Coverage Disclosure: Any article, newsletter item, or other editorial content that discusses Plaid Inc., its products, its executives, or its close affiliates shall include an inline disclosure such as: "Note: This Week in Fintech is a subsidiary of Plaid Inc. Coverage of Plaid is subject to this Newsroom's Editorial Independence Policy."
Conflict Disclosures: Where a journalist's personal relationship or financial interest is potentially relevant to a story, a brief disclosure shall appear in the byline or author note.
Sponsored Content Labels: As described in Section 4.2, all sponsored content shall be clearly labeled in a standardized, prominent manner.
The Editor-in-Chief of TWIF is appointed by, and may be removed from this role by, TWIF's CEO, board, or equivalent governance body, in consultation with Plaid Inc., although Plaid retains the right to remove any and all employees in the normal course of business. However, the Editor-in-Chief's editorial decisions are not subject to review, override, or veto by Plaid. The Editor-in-Chief reports operationally to TWIF's chief executive but editorially to no one.
While TWIF's overall operating budget is subject to Plaid's financial oversight as the parent company, the allocation of the editorial budget—including staffing, freelance spending, and reporting resources—shall be controlled by the Editor-in-Chief, within the budgetary envelope approved for the Newsroom. Plaid shall not reduce or restrict the editorial budget as a means of influencing coverage.
No TWIF journalist, editor, or contributor shall face retaliation, demotion, termination, reduced assignment, or any other adverse employment action for:
Refusing to alter, suppress, or kill a story on the direction of Plaid or any non-editorial party;
Reporting a potential violation of this Policy to the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriate external body;
Publishing accurate, fair, and independent coverage of Plaid, its affiliates, or any party with a commercial relationship with TWIF;
Exercising the right to disclose conflicts of interest or recuse themselves from a story.
Any journalist who believes this Policy has been violated must raise the matter with the Editor-in-Chief or any member of TWIF's board. Allegations shall be investigated promptly and in good faith.
Every factual claim published by TWIF must be verified to the highest standard reasonably attainable. For significant or consequential claims, TWIF prefers at least two independent sources. Documents, on-the-record statements, and firsthand accounts are preferred over anonymous sourcing. Unverified information shall not be published.
Errors shall be corrected promptly, transparently, and without equivocation. Corrections shall appear in the original article, the relevant newsletter edition, and in any material distribution of the original content. TWIF shall never alter published content without contemporaneous disclosure to readers.
TWIF journalists shall identify sources by name wherever possible. Anonymous sources may be used only when the Editor-in-Chief has determined that: (a) the information is of material public significance; (b) the source faces credible risk of harm from identification; and (c) the information cannot be obtained through identified sources. The reason for anonymity shall be disclosed to readers without compromising the source's identity. TWIF does not pay sources.
Individuals and organizations that are the subject of critical coverage shall be given a reasonable opportunity to respond before publication. TWIF shall document its outreach efforts. Non-response does not preclude publication.
TWIF journalists represent the Newsroom in public forums, including social media platforms. They shall ensure that their public communications do not create reasonable doubt about their editorial independence or their ability to cover the fintech industry fairly.Journalists shall not use personal social media accounts to:
Advocate for or against companies, products, or regulatory positions that they cover;
Disclose unpublished story information, confidential sources, or internal editorial deliberations;
Promote sponsored or advertiser content without disclosure;
Communicate with sources in ways that create appearances of partiality.
Opinion and analysis content clearly attributed to named journalists as commentary is exempt from certain of these restrictions, but must remain clearly distinguished from TWIF's news reporting.
This Policy is effective as of the date first written above. It shall be reviewed no less than annually by the Editor-in-Chief and TWIF's governance body. Plaid Inc. shall be notified of any substantive amendments but shall not unreasonably object to proposed amendments to this Policy.
This Policy shall be published in full on TWIF's website and made available to all editorial staff, contributors, and the public. A summary of key provisions shall be included in new-hire materials for all newsroom employees.
This Policy shall be interpreted under applicable journalistic standards and ethics, including the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and the standards of the Institute for Nonprofit News, as applicable. Nothing in this Policy limits TWIF's obligations under applicable law.
