Brand Partnerships & Advertising Policy — SRMD Indian News
*Last updated: April 2026*
SRMD Indian News is a reader-first publication. This policy governs how SRMD Indian News manages the relationship between editorial content and commercial advertising, and outlines our commitment to transparency in all paid, sponsored, and partnership content.
Church-State Separation
SRMD Indian News maintains a strict separation between its editorial operations and its commercial (advertising) operations — commonly known as the “church-state wall” in journalism. In practice, this means:
- Advertisers do not have input into editorial decisions, story selection, or article content.
- The editorial team does not receive directives from the advertising or business development team.
- No advertiser can pay to have an article written, modified, suppressed, or removed.
- Commercial relationships are managed independently from the newsroom.
Types of Advertising on SRMD Indian News
Display Advertising — Banner ads, sidebar ads, and in-article display units served through Google AdSense or other programmatic advertising networks.
Sponsored Content — Articles or pages created in collaboration with a brand partner. All sponsored content is clearly labelled at the top with “Sponsored” or “Paid Partnership,” written or approved by the editorial team, and never disguised as independent editorial content.
Affiliate Links — Links to third-party products or services that may generate a commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. Affiliate links are disclosed within the article (see our Review Guidelines).
Native Advertising — We do not publish native advertising that imitates the visual appearance of independent editorial content without clear labelling.
Disclosure Standards
- Visibility — Sponsorship labels appear at the top of the content, not buried in footnotes.
- Clarity — We use plain language (e.g., “This article is sponsored by [Brand]”).
- Consistency — The same labelling standards apply across all editorial beats and content formats.
These standards are guided by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Guidelines and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
What We Will Not Accept
SRMD Indian News will not accept advertising from: products or services that are illegal in India, unregistered financial schemes, health products making unverified medical claims, political advertising that is not clearly labelled, or any advertiser seeking to influence editorial coverage as a condition of the partnership.
Brand Partnership Enquiries
Brands and agencies interested in advertising may contact ads@srdmgroup.com. All partnership proposals are reviewed for alignment with our editorial standards before acceptance. Readers who believe content is sponsored but not properly labelled may write to editorial@srdmgroup.com with the subject line “Advertising Complaint.”
Related Policies: Editorial Policy | Review Guidelines | Ethics Policy | Contact Us | About SRMD Indian News