Advertising Policy

Last updated: October 16, 2025
Publisher: The Minuteman (theminuteman.org)
Contact: editor@theminuteman.org

The Minuteman (“we,” “us,” “our”) displays advertising to help fund our journalism. This policy explains how ads appear on our site, how they are labeled, what we do and do not accept, and your choices.

1) Ad platforms and relationships

  • We currently use Google AdSense to serve programmatic ads.
  • Our relationship to Google for this inventory is DIRECT, reflected in our public ads.txt.
  • We may add additional partners in the future; any additions will also be listed in ads.txt.

ads.txt: https://theminuteman.org/ads.txt

2) Ad labeling and disclosure

  • Display ads are clearly labeled as “Ad,” “Advertisement,” “Sponsored,” or “Sponsored by.”
  • Sponsored content / native ads (if any) will carry a prominent Sponsored label and the sponsor’s name, and will follow this policy and our editorial standards.
  • Paid links, affiliate links, and sponsorships will be disclosed and marked with appropriate attributes (e.g., rel="sponsored"/rel="nofollow").

3) Editorial independence

  • Advertising does not influence our editorial decisions.
  • Editors and reporters do not accept compensation from advertisers to write or change coverage.
  • Sponsored content is created separately from our editorial content and is always disclosed.

4) Placement & user experience

We follow Google’s Publisher Policies and Better Ads Standards. In practice, that means:

  • No pop-under ads; no auto-play audio; no deceptive overlays or “click-to-trick.”
  • Ads won’t be placed in ways that cause accidental clicks (e.g., too close to navigation or interactive elements).
  • On mobile, sticky units will not obscure content or make it hard to dismiss.
  • Ad density will remain reasonable so content remains primary.

5) Prohibited advertising categories (direct sales)

We do not accept directly sold ads for:

  • Adult / sexually explicit content
  • Tobacco, vaping, or recreational drugs
  • Weapons, explosives, or related accessories
  • Malware/spyware, counterfeit or illegal products
  • Gambling (including sports betting)
  • Misleading “get rich quick,” medical miracle cures, or deceptive claims
  • Political campaign ads or paid political advocacy
  • Hate speech, harassment, or dangerous/illegal activities

(Programmatic ads are also filtered with brand-safety settings; if you spot a problem ad, see Report an ad below.)

6) Data, privacy, and consent

  • We use cookies and similar technologies to measure ad performance and, where permitted, to show more relevant ads.
  • In the EEA/UK/CH, we use a Google-certified consent solution for GDPR/Consent Mode v2. You can review or change your choices anytime via the Manage Cookies button that hovers at the bottom of the screen – simply place your mouse over the button for it to fill to full size..
  • For details on what we collect and why, see our Privacy Policy.

Your ad choices (interest-based advertising):

7) Children’s privacy

Our site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. We do not request or serve interest-based ads to known child audiences.

8) Reporting a problem ad

If you see an ad that is inappropriate, misleading, broken, too loud, or otherwise problematic:

  • Click the small “x” or “AdChoices” icon (when available) to report it, and/or
  • Email us at [editor@theminuteman.org] with a screenshot, the page URL, and where the ad appeared.

We use category blocklists and brand-safety controls and will take corrective action (including blocking) when warranted.

9) Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect product, legal, or operational changes. When we do, we’ll update the “Last updated” date above. Material changes will be noted on this page.

10) Contact

Questions about this policy? Email [editor@theminuteman.org] or use our Contact page.