Editorial Policy

This page documents how Trumpwatcher commissions, writes, edits, and stands behind its reviews. We publish this policy so readers and prospective writers know what to expect, and so we have a public yardstick against which we can be held accountable.

Who can write for Trumpwatcher

Only credentialed contributors with documented film background can carry a Trumpwatcher byline. "Credentialed" means at least one of: a film-studies degree from an accredited program, working experience in a craft role (screenwriting, editing, cinematography, festival programming), or a documented body of prior critical writing in a recognized outlet. We do not accept anonymous contributions, pen names, or AI-generated drafts. Every contributor's bio, credentials, and contact path appear on their author archive.

How a review is written

Each review follows the same rhythm: the reviewer watches the film start to finish through an ordinary public release channel (theatrical or licensed streaming), takes notes during a second pass when feasible, drafts the review, and submits it to the editor for fact-checking. The editor verifies factual claims (cast, crew, release date, runtime) against at least two independent sources, confirms the reviewer has actually watched the film, and checks the draft against our compliance checklist before publication.

What we will not do

• Republish, syndicate, scrape, paraphrase, or AI-translate content from any other publication. Every paragraph is original to Trumpwatcher.
• Review films we have not finished watching. A walk-out or abandoned screening means the review does not run.
• Accept payment, gifts, junkets, all-expense-paid travel, or pre-release screeners from studios, distributors, publicists, or any party with an interest in the film's reception.
• Run paid placements, sponsored reviews, or "advertorial" content dressed up as criticism.
• Link to, embed, or describe how to obtain unauthorized copies of any film. We support theatrical and licensed streaming distribution only.
• Use studio-owned stills, posters, or promotional art without written license. All imagery is sourced from Pexels under their license terms.
• Cover politics, politicians, elections, or campaigns. If a film's plot involves political subject matter we review the craft, not the politics.

Conflict of interest

No reviewer may write about a film they have worked on, been paid by, or may reasonably expect to work with in the future. Our craft editor is a working screenwriter; she does not review films from production companies she has pitched to, signed with, or worked under in the prior twenty-four months. When a conflict is identified, the review is reassigned to another byline and the reassignment is noted at the bottom of the published piece.

Sources and citations

Factual claims about cast, crew, runtime, distribution, and release dates are verified against at least two of: the film's official credits, an established trade publication (Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire), or a primary public source (the distributor's press release, a regulator filing). We do not cite competing review aggregators (IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd, Metacritic) because those are review databases, not factual sources, and they create circular sourcing.

Spoilers

Reviews default to a no-major-spoilers structure above the fold. Any spoiler-bearing section appears deep in the piece behind a clearly labeled "Spoilers Ahead" heading. Reviewers are explicitly trained not to spoil a film's final act before the reader has been warned twice. The aim is to let readers decide whether to watch; not to do the watching for them.

Corrections

If you find a factual error in any review, write to us through the contact form with the URL of the article and a description of the error. We aim to acknowledge legitimate corrections within seven days and to publish the correction at the bottom of the article with the date it was made. We do not silently edit a published piece to remove an error; corrections are visible.

Updates and re-reviews

Films change context. A streaming title that earned a "wait for streaming" recommendation when we first reviewed it may be worth a re-read once it lands on a streamer many of our readers already subscribe to. When we materially revise a review, the update is dated, the prior version's verdict is preserved in an "earlier verdict" note, and the URL stays the same. Stealth-edits are forbidden.

Comments, user content, and moderation

Trumpwatcher does not currently accept reader comments on individual reviews. We may add a moderated reader-letters feature in the future; if and when we do, this section will be updated with the moderation policy before the feature goes live.

Advertising

This site is supported by display advertising. We do not run native advertising, sponsored content, paid reviews, or "in partnership with" features. Our ad placement boundaries are documented internally and audited by the editor on a quarterly cadence: no ads above the H1, no ads inside heading tags, no sticky overlays that obscure copy, and a hard cap on the number of in-article placements.

Accountability

The editor named on the about page is responsible for enforcing every rule on this page. If you believe we have violated our own policy, write to us. Repeat or material violations result in a reviewer losing their byline.