disclosures

Opinions

Rascal understands that nobody is without bias and that to live in the world is to be politicized. As such, our lived experience—and thus our writing—will reflect our beliefs, principles, and positions.

We do not believe this is something that should be filed smooth; objectivity is a pursuit and not a destination. While we will not refrain from including our opinions in writing, we will endeavor only to enrich and contextualize the work that we publish. (Also, if you take umbrage with us attending protests you can die mad.)

Gifts

Rascal will, very likely, be sent copies of games and other related merchandise for the purpose of reviews, impressions, and other coverage. These materials, either physical or digital, often come from sources, public relation agencies, or corporations.

Rascal retains the right to accept these items freely and without any promise of coverage on the site; gifts such as these will never be misconstrued as transactional on our end. Any coverage published on the website is under the sole discretion of the co-owners, and review copies provided by publishers, corporations, or PR agencies will be clearly noted in the articles. 

Books, games, merchandise, and other items may be kept by the co-owners or donated to charities, libraries, etc. but will never be sold or traded for personal gain. 

Trips

Trips, travel, and any on-site physical reporting will be paid for directly with Rascal money where possible (thank you for subscribing), but we withhold the right to accept under extenuating circumstances, such as when the cost would otherwise exceed reasonable budgets. Any writing that results from such a trip will clearly disclose the details of the accepted costs.

If a rascal somehow finds an opportunity to interview someone on their private jet, you better believe we’ll take them up on it and then plant trees to offset the ridiculous cost of personal air travel.

Subscriptions

Rascal will disclose any company or corporate entity that purchases more than $5,000 worth of subscriptions to the website over the course of a single year. Those names will be listed in the back of the book and will be updated regularly.

As with gifts, the purchase of bulk subscriptions does not privilege the company or corporation to special attention, nor does it extend any promise of coverage. Rascal will make this arrangement clear before the purchase of bulk subscriptions; corporate-bought subscriptions will afford them the same level of access as any independent reader.

In kind trade

As part of our standard business operating procedures we will sometimes offer complimentary subscriptions to individuals who have rendered a service for us. This only provides them the same kind of access as any individual reader and does not give them any special privileges, influence, or editorial direction. If we ever cover any work done by someone who has received a complimentary subscription in exchange for services, we will disclose this in the text of the article.

For example, Johan Nohr, who designed our logo, was given a complimentary subscription in addition to his monetary compensation. If we cover MÖRK BORG editorially (beyond a passing reference or inclusion on a list or roundup), we will very likely write about Nohr’s significant contributions to the game, and we will thus disclose this complimentary subscription.

Advertisements

We really don’t want to do ads. Like ever. But if it ends up being a method we have to take to survive, Rascal will endeavor to keep them unobtrusive and lightweight. Any potential addition of advertisements will have no bearing on our editorial coverage, and will be clearly labeled and disclosed in reporting. 

Rascal may amend or add to our disclosures from time to time. When that happens, we will note the change and date it for the public's benefit.

If you feel we have missed something, or should be telling you guys about something specific, we are genuinely happy to hear concerns. Please email info@rascal.news with your thoughts.