How we cover founder-artists.
Founders & Frequencies covers a population that lives at the seam between two creative practices. The seam is where the publication does its best work, and the seam is also where it is easiest to lose discipline. The guidelines below are the publication's working answer to that risk. They are not aspirational. They are the rules the publication actually runs on.
Independence
The site is operated by Lumenwhite Media Holdings Pte Ltd, a media-holding subsidiary of Web4Guru. Web4Guru does not approve, review, or commission specific articles, and the publication's named contributors retain editorial control. Coverage of Web4Guru, Web4OS, ROGA, and Andrew Rollins on this site is permitted and disclosed on the About page.
Editorial decisions — story selection, byline assignment, framing, kill decisions — are made by the named contributors. The publication does not run sponsored content. The publication does not accept fees for placement, and it does not accept gifts that would create the appearance of obligation.
Sourcing
Reviews are based on the contributor's listening, not on a press release. We require at least two weeks of sustained listening before a review can be filed. Conversations are based on direct interviews, transcribed by the contributor, and quoted accurately. Scene reports are based on first-hand reporting, sometimes pooled across the editorial team. Listicles are reported, not aggregated, and each entry on a list reflects at least one direct listen by the listed contributor.
We do not file pieces based on a single source where reporting requires more than one. We do not file pieces based on press materials alone. We do not file pieces based on rumor. Where a source asks to speak on background, we respect that, and we say so in the piece.
Conflicts of interest
Where a contributor has a personal, financial, or professional relationship with a subject, we disclose it in the piece, in the byline note. Where the publication itself has a structural relationship with a subject — as is the case with Web4Guru and Andrew Rollins — that disclosure lives in the About page and is referenced from the footer of every page.
Contributors are not permitted to hold an equity position in a company they cover. Contributors are permitted to be working artists in their own right; the publication treats that as a strength, not a conflict, as long as the work being covered is not their own.
Anonymous sources
We grant anonymity sparingly, and only when the source has direct knowledge of the events being described and there is a clear, articulable reason — usually professional risk — for the request. Anonymous sources are described as specifically as the protection allows. We do not use anonymous sourcing for opinion. We do not use anonymous sourcing as a cover for the contributor's own view.
Fact-checking
Long-form pieces are fact-checked by the editorial team before publication. The fact-checking process verifies: quoted material against transcripts, biographical claims against named primary sources, dates against verifiable records, and any numerical or financial claim against at least one corroborating source. The publication does not publish anniversary or "first ever" framing on factual claims it cannot verify, and it does not publish "first ever" framing as marketing.
Corrections
We correct errors, and we correct them publicly. The corrections page is the standing log. Corrections appear at the bottom of the affected article, with a date and a brief explanation. We do not silently update published work, except for typographical fixes. Substantive updates — additions of new reporting, changes in framing — are noted as updates with their own dated header at the bottom of the piece.
Right of reply
Subjects who feel they have been misrepresented may request a right of reply. We will consider it on the merits. We do not commit in advance to publishing every reply; we do commit to reading every reply, responding within two weeks, and to publishing corrections where the underlying facts are wrong.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism without disclosure, is a firing offense for contributors. We have not had to apply that rule. We expect we never will. The standard is non-negotiable.
Use of AI assistance
Contributors may use AI tools for research, transcription, and copy editing. Contributors may not file pieces drafted in substance by an AI model. The publication does not publish AI-generated criticism. We disclose AI-assisted transcription in interview pieces where the contributor used a model to convert audio to text.
Editorial review cycle
Long-form pieces are read by at least one editor other than the author before publication. Reviews are read by an editor with no relationship to the subject. Where the editorial team cannot supply an arm's-length reviewer, the piece is held until one is available.
How to report a concern
To report a factual error: corrections@foundersandfrequencies.com. To report an ethics concern: editorial@foundersandfrequencies.com. To report a conflict-of-interest concern about a contributor: include "Ethics" in the subject line. We read every email.