Preamble

I

Seek Truth and Report It

Ethical journalism in ABA starts with accuracy. We owe it to practitioners, families, and the broader community to ensure that the information we publish is truthful, verifiable, and placed in appropriate context.

Our Commitments

• Take responsibility for the accuracy of all content we publish. Verify information before releasing it. Use original sources whenever possible and clearly identify them.
• Provide context essential to understanding ABA-related developments. Clinical research, policy changes, and business news in our field can have direct consequences for patient care — we do not oversimplify or sensationalize.
• Identify sources clearly. The public is entitled to as much information as possible to judge the reliability and motivations of sources, particularly when reporting on ABA research, regulatory actions, or corporate transactions.
• Distinguish clearly between news reporting, opinion, and editorial content. Label opinion pieces, press releases, and community-submitted content (including RBT Rant Wall posts) so readers always know what they are reading.
• Never distort or misrepresent the content of research findings, clinical data, or professional guidelines. Headlines and summaries must accurately reflect the substance of the full article.
• Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information unless conventional, open methods have been exhausted and the information is vital to the public interest.
• Never plagiarize. Always attribute information obtained from other sources and credit original reporting.
• Boldly tell the story of the ABA field — including the uncomfortable parts. Coverage of private equity consolidation, workforce challenges, ethical violations, and systemic issues serves our readers’ interest even when it discomforts powerful actors in the industry.

II

Minimize Harm

Ethical journalism in ABA requires special sensitivity. Our field serves vulnerable populations — including children with autism and developmental disabilities — and our coverage must reflect that responsibility.

Our Commitments

• Treat sources, subjects, colleagues, and members of the ABA community as human beings deserving of respect. Show particular compassion for those affected by clinical outcomes, workplace conditions, or industry disruption.
• Recognize that private individuals in the ABA community — including RBTs, families, and clients — have a greater right to control information about themselves than public figures such as executives, lobbyists, or organizational leaders.
• Exercise heightened caution when covering stories involving children, individuals with disabilities, or other vulnerable populations. Avoid identifying minor clients by name or likeness. Protect the dignity and privacy of individuals receiving ABA services.
• Weigh the consequences of publishing identifying information about ABA practitioners involved in ethics complaints, investigations, or legal proceedings. Consider the potential for professional harm against the public’s right to know.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of a story is not a license for arrogance, and newsworthiness alone does not justify intrusion into anyone’s grief, vulnerability, or privacy.
• Avoid stereotyping individuals with autism or disabilities. Use person-first or identity-first language as appropriate to the community being discussed, and respect the preferences of those communities.

III

Act Independently

The highest form of service to the ABA community is independent, rigorous journalism. We serve our readers — not advertisers, not industry groups, not our own financial interests.

Our Commitments

• Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. When conflicts are unavoidable, disclose them prominently and transparently.
• Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel, or special treatment from ABA companies, industry groups, credentialing bodies, or any other entity that could compromise our editorial independence.
• Resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage. No advertiser, sponsor, or industry partner will dictate what we publish, how we frame it, or what we choose not to cover.
• Deny any privileged treatment to advertisers, sponsors, or any special interests. Do not give favorable coverage in exchange for business relationships.
• Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money. Avoid bidding for news and do not pay sources for access to information.
• Distinguish news from advertising and editorial from sponsored content. Clearly label all sponsored posts, press releases, and paid placements with unambiguous designators visible to readers before they begin reading.

IV

Be Accountable and Transparent

Ethical journalism means answering for our work. We hold the ABA industry accountable, and we hold ourselves to the same standard.

Our Commitments

• Explain our editorial processes and decisions to readers who request it. We welcome questions about why we covered a story, how we sourced it, or what editorial judgment calls we made.
• Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly and prominently. Corrections will be clearly labeled and appended to the original content — we do not silently edit published articles.
• Expose unethical conduct in journalism, including our own. If we fall short, we own it publicly.
• Respond to reader concerns about fairness, accuracy, or bias. Our BN Tip Hotline and contributor submission channels exist to keep us connected to the community we serve.
• Abide by the same high standards we expect of the ABA professionals, organizations, and institutions we cover.

V

Source Attribution Policy

Breaking News ABA curates and reports on stories from across the ABA industry. Because much of our coverage synthesizes reporting from other outlets, proper attribution is central to our editorial integrity.

Our Standards

• Every article that draws from external reporting will clearly credit the original source by name and, where possible, provide a direct link to the source material.
• When rewriting or summarizing content from other publications, we preserve the factual substance and context of the original reporting. We do not misrepresent the findings or conclusions of source material.
• Original headlines from source publications are preserved wherever editorially appropriate. When we write our own headlines, they must accurately reflect the content of the source article.
• We do not claim original reporting credit for stories broken by other outlets. When we add our own analysis, commentary, or additional reporting, we clearly distinguish our contributions from the source material.
• Press releases submitted through our platform are published with clear attribution to the submitting organization and labeled as press releases, not as editorial content.

VI

Conflicts of Interest & Disclosure Policy

Transparency about our relationships and potential conflicts is essential to maintaining reader trust in a specialized industry where editorial and commercial interests can overlap.

Advertising & Sponsorship

• Advertising and sponsored content will always be clearly labeled and visually distinct from editorial content. Readers should never have to guess whether what they’re reading is paid placement.
• Advertising relationships do not influence editorial decisions. We maintain a strict separation between our advertising and editorial functions.
• We will not publish advertorials or sponsored content disguised as independent reporting.

Press Releases & Contributed Content

• Press releases are published as a service to the ABA community and are clearly identified as submissions from external organizations. They do not carry the editorial endorsement of Breaking News ABA.
• Contributed opinion pieces, including RBT Rant Wall posts, are published under the contributor’s name and clearly labeled as opinion or community content.

Organizational Relationships

• If Breaking News ABA or any member of its editorial team has a financial, professional, or personal relationship with a subject of coverage, that relationship will be disclosed prominently within the article.
• We do not accept compensation, equity, or advisory positions from ABA companies or industry groups that could compromise our independence.

VII

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Breaking News ABA employs AI tools in its editorial workflow, including for content curation, article summarization, and image generation. These tools augment our editorial process but do not replace human editorial judgment. All AI-assisted content is reviewed by our editorial team before publication, and we are committed to transparency about how these tools are used in our operations.