editorial policies

Since reality blurred was created in 2000, it’s strived to present the best of reality TV, and also be the best possible example of reality television reporting, criticism, and analysis.

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 it!

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.

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: