Editorial Standards
& Independence Policy

Mission & Scope

Bone Health Media (BHM) is an independent intelligence and convening platform dedicated to the bone health field. Our editorial mission is to produce rigorous, systems-level analysis that serves payers, investors, health system leaders, clinicians, and industry stakeholders — not any individual commercial interest.

This policy applies to all BHM editorial products: the Intelligence Series (working papers), the Basement Tapes podcast, the Ecosystem Map, the Annual Report, the BHM Index, and any field communications published under the BoneHealth.Media domain.

Editorial Independence

BHM maintains complete editorial independence from all commercial relationships. The following principles are non-negotiable and apply without exception:

• No sponsor influence over findings. No sponsor, partner, advertiser, or underwriter may direct, alter, suppress, or delay the publication of any editorial content. This includes working papers, podcast content, and map entries.
• No pre-publication review by sponsors. Sponsors do not receive advance access to working paper findings, episode content, or editorial conclusions for review, comment, or approval. Factual corrections of cited data are the only exception and must be submitted in writing and adjudicated by BHM editors.
• No favorable treatment in exchange for financial support. Financial relationships with BHM do not influence coverage, map placement, episode invitations, or analytical conclusions about any company, product, or policy.
• Editorial decisions rest with BHM staff and the Editorial Committee. The Editorial Committee holds final authority over all Intelligence Series publications. No individual sponsor or commercial partner has a seat on the Editorial Committee or any advisory body with editorial authority.
• Independence is documented, not assumed. For each Intelligence Series paper, BHM will maintain an internal record confirming no sponsor relationship existed that implicated the paper's primary findings.

Sponsorship Rules

BHM accepts sponsorship and underwriting support subject to the following rules. These rules exist to protect both our audience and our commercial partners — transparency benefits everyone.

• Sponsorship is acknowledged, not embedded. Sponsors are acknowledged in designated sponsorship sections — at the opening of a podcast episode, in a cover disclosure on a working paper, or in a clearly labeled banner on a digital product. They are not woven into editorial text as implicit endorsements.
• Content-type restrictions apply. Intelligence Series working papers may not be sponsored by any entity whose products, policies, or market position are a primary subject of the paper's analysis. Podcast episodes may carry sponsorship acknowledgment provided it is disclosed at the top of the episode and the sponsor had no role in guest selection or editorial direction.
• Sponsored content is labeled as such. Any content produced in partnership with a commercial entity — including white papers, research briefs, or reports produced under a BHM brand with sponsor funding — must be labeled "Sponsored Content" or "Produced in Partnership with [Entity]" in a prominent, unambiguous location. This content is distinct from the Intelligence Series.
• BHM does not sell editorial conclusions. No arrangement exists, or will exist, in which a commercial entity pays BHM to reach a specific analytical conclusion, frame an issue in a sponsor-favorable direction, or omit findings that are inconvenient to a sponsor's business.
• Sponsorship agreements are in writing. All commercial relationships involving BHM editorial products are documented with written agreements that include a clause confirming editorial independence. BHM will provide a summary of its sponsorship terms upon request.

Disclosure Standards

Disclosure is the visible expression of our independence commitment. BHM applies the following disclosure standards consistently across all content types:

• Intelligence Series. Each paper includes a cover disclosure stating: (a) whether the paper received external funding, (b) if so, from whom, and (c) a statement confirming whether the funder reviewed or influenced the paper's findings. Papers produced without any sponsor support will state this affirmatively.
• Podcast Episodes. Sponsored episodes include a verbal acknowledgment at the start of the episode and a written note in the episode description. Guest affiliations are disclosed in show notes. Guests with direct financial relationships to the episode's subject matter are identified as such.
• The Ecosystem Map. The map carries a standing disclosure noting that inclusion is based on publicly available field presence and does not represent endorsement by BHM. The criteria for inclusion and exclusion are published separately (see Section 07).
• Author and contributor disclosures. Working paper authors and contributors who hold financial interests in companies discussed in the paper must disclose those interests. BHM will publish those disclosures on the paper's cover page.
• Disclosure placement. Disclosures must be prominent and unambiguous. They appear before the editorial content begins — not at the end, not in a footnote, and not in a style that renders them visually subordinate to the main content.

Content-Type Matrix

Different BHM products carry different commercial permissions. The table below defines what is permitted, restricted, and prohibited for each content type.

Conflicts of Interest

BHM staff, editors, and Editorial Committee members are required to disclose any financial, advisory, or employment relationship with companies or organizations that are subjects of BHM editorial coverage.

• Staff and contributor disclosures. Any BHM staff member, author, or contributor who holds equity, receives compensation, or serves in an advisory capacity at a company covered in their work must disclose that relationship before the work is assigned or accepted. BHM will determine whether the relationship disqualifies the individual from that assignment.
• Editorial Committee recusal. Editorial Committee members who have a material financial or advisory relationship with the primary subject of a working paper must recuse themselves from the review and approval process for that paper.
• Podcast guests. Guest disclosures are collected prior to recording. Guests are asked to identify any financial relationships relevant to the episode's subject matter. Disclosures are included in show notes.
• Organizational relationships. BHM will disclose any organizational partnerships, memoranda of understanding, or strategic relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing coverage of an entity or sector.

Ecosystem Map Standards

The BHM Ecosystem Map is BHM's signature field visualization. Because it represents the landscape of the bone health industry, it carries particular credibility obligations. The following rules govern map maintenance:

• Inclusion is based on field presence, not commercial relationship. Companies are included based on their publicly verifiable activity in the bone health field. No financial relationship with BHM — past, present, or prospective — influences whether an entity is included, how it is categorized, or where it appears.
• Paid placement is prohibited. BHM does not sell placement, category positioning, or visual prominence on the Ecosystem Map.
• Removal requests are reviewed independently. Any request by a company to be removed from the map is reviewed on editorial merit. A company that prefers not to be listed may be removed at BHM's discretion, but commercial pressure will not drive removal of entries that serve the field's informational interest.
• Categories reflect analytical judgment. How BHM categorizes companies reflects editorial assessment of their primary field role. Companies may not purchase reclassification or dispute categorization through commercial pressure.
• The map carries a standing disclaimer. The Ecosystem Map includes a visible disclaimer stating that inclusion does not constitute endorsement by BHM, and that the map represents BHM's editorial assessment of field participants as of the most recent update date.

Corrections Policy

BHM is committed to accuracy. When errors occur, we correct them promptly, visibly, and without burying the correction.

• Factual errors are corrected on the published document. Corrections appear in a labeled correction notice at the top of the affected document, stating what was corrected and when. The original error is not silently deleted.
• Corrections are initiated by BHM or submitted by readers. Anyone — including companies discussed in BHM content — may submit a factual correction request to info@bonehealth.media. Correction requests must identify the specific claim, the claimed error, and the evidence supporting correction.
• Analytical disagreements are not corrections. BHM distinguishes between factual errors and disagreements with analytical conclusions. A company that disagrees with BHM's analytical framing of its market position may submit a response for consideration; BHM will evaluate whether to publish a response or note the disagreement. This is not a corrections process.
• Response timeline. BHM will acknowledge correction requests within five business days and resolve factual correction determinations within fifteen business days.

Enforcement & Accountability

This policy is not aspirational — it governs how BHM operates. Enforcement works as follows:

• The Editorial Committee holds authority. The Editorial Committee is the final arbiter of editorial standards disputes, including allegations that a commercial relationship improperly influenced published content.
• Policy violations are reviewed and disclosed. If BHM determines that a published piece violated this policy — whether through an editorial error or undisclosed conflict — BHM will publish a correction notice, disclose the nature of the violation, and describe the remediation taken.
• Commercial partners who attempt to breach this policy will be named. If a sponsor or commercial partner applies pressure that would violate this policy — including attempts to alter, suppress, or delay publication — BHM reserves the right to disclose that pressure publicly. This is not a threat; it is a structural deterrent.
• Policy review cadence. This policy is reviewed annually by the Editorial Committee and updated as the BHM platform and commercial model evolve. Version history is maintained and published.

Questions & Contact

Questions about this policy, requests to submit a correction, or concerns about editorial conduct may be directed to BHM's editorial address. BHM takes all policy inquiries seriously and responds to substantive questions in writing.

This policy was adopted in March 2026. It supersedes any prior informal editorial practices. BHM's editorial standards are published publicly at BoneHealth.Media and are incorporated by reference into all sponsor and partnership agreements.