lowyat.net / editorial policy
Editorial

Editorial Policy

Lowyat.NET has been Malaysia's most trusted technology publication since 2001. This document outlines the standards, principles, and processes that govern how we create, edit, and publish content across our platform.

Our Mission

Lowyat.NET exists to inform, empower, and serve Malaysia's technology community. For over two decades, we have been the go-to destination for Malaysians seeking trustworthy technology news, product reviews, buying guides, and informed commentary on the consumer technology landscape.

Our mission is to deliver accurate, fair, and independent journalism that helps our readers make better decisions — whether they are purchasing a new smartphone, choosing a service provider, or staying informed on the latest developments in the technology industry.

We are committed to maintaining the trust of our readers above all else. This editorial policy is a public statement of how we hold ourselves accountable to that commitment.

Core Principles

Every piece of content published on Lowyat.NET is guided by four core principles:

Accuracy
We verify facts before publishing. When we get something wrong, we correct it promptly and transparently. Accuracy is non-negotiable — speed is never an excuse for publishing unverified information.
Independence
Our editorial decisions are made independently of commercial relationships. Advertisers and sponsors do not influence our coverage, and our reviews are conducted without interference from the brands we write about.
Fairness
We aim to represent all sides of a story and give subjects of criticism a reasonable opportunity to respond. We treat all companies, brands, and individuals with the same standard of scrutiny regardless of their advertising relationship with us.
Transparency
We are open about our editorial processes, our relationships with brands, and how our content is funded. Sponsored content is always clearly labelled. Corrections and updates are noted on the original articles.
Editorial Standards

All content published on Lowyat.NET — including news articles, reviews, features, opinion pieces, and buying guides — is held to the following standards:

01
Verification before publication
Claims, statistics, and factual assertions are verified against primary sources or credible secondary sources before publication. We do not publish rumours as fact.
02
Clear distinction between news and opinion
Opinion and commentary pieces are clearly labelled as such. Readers should never be left uncertain about whether a piece represents factual reporting or the personal views of the author.
03
Right of reply
Individuals or organisations that are the subject of critical coverage are given a reasonable opportunity to respond before publication. Their responses are included where relevant.
04
Author attribution
All editorial content is attributed to the author responsible for it. Where content is produced collaboratively, this is noted. Anonymous or unattributed editorial content is not published.
05
No plagiarism
All original content is the work of our editorial team. Where we reference or cite other publications, we provide proper attribution and link to the original source. We do not reproduce substantial portions of third-party content without permission.
06
Respect for privacy
We respect the privacy of individuals and do not publish private information without consent unless there is a clear and compelling public interest justification. We comply with applicable Malaysian privacy law.
Accuracy & Corrections

We take accuracy seriously. If an error is identified — whether by a reader, a subject of coverage, or our own team — we will:

Minor corrections (factual errors, typos, outdated information) are corrected promptly. A note is appended to the article indicating what was changed and when.

Significant corrections (errors that materially affect the meaning or conclusions of an article) are corrected and a clear correction notice is added to the top of the article explaining what was wrong and what the correct information is.

We do not silently alter published articles. All material changes to published content are documented on the article itself. We do not delete articles to avoid accountability.

To request a correction: Contact our editorial team at newsdesk@lowyat.net with the article URL, the specific error, and the correct information with supporting evidence where possible. We aim to review all correction requests within 2 business days.

Editorial Independence

Lowyat.NET's editorial team operates independently of our commercial and advertising teams. Advertising revenue, sponsorships, and commercial partnerships do not influence our editorial decisions — what we cover, how we cover it, or the conclusions we reach.

Advertisers cannot request positive coverage, the suppression of negative coverage, or advance copies of reviews in exchange for advertising spend. Any brand that attempts to make advertising conditional on editorial favourable treatment will be declined.

Our editorial team has the final say on all published content. Commercial considerations are not brought into editorial meetings and do not factor into news judgement.

Sponsored & Commercial Content

Lowyat.NET produces sponsored content, branded features, and commercial partnerships as part of our media business. We are fully transparent about this.

Always labelled
All sponsored content, advertorials, and paid placements are clearly labelled as "Sponsored", "Paid Partnership", or "Advertorial" at the top of the content. This labelling is never ambiguous.
Written to our standards
Even when content is sponsored, it must meet our factual accuracy standards. We will not publish sponsored content that contains false or misleading claims, even at a client's request.

Sponsored content does not appear in our news feed or review sections without clear labelling. Readers can always distinguish between editorial content and commercially funded content.

Reviews & Product Testing

Product reviews are a core part of what we do at Lowyat.NET. Our review process is governed by the following principles:

Review units: Products reviewed by our team are typically provided by manufacturers or distributors on a loan basis. The receipt of a review unit does not guarantee a positive review, nor does it guarantee coverage at all. We reserve the right to decline to review products from any company at any time.

Purchasing: Where possible, our team purchases products at retail for review to avoid any perception of influence. For products that are loaned, we note this in the review.

No pay-to-review: Manufacturers and distributors cannot pay for a product review or for a positive rating. Review scores and conclusions are reached solely by our editorial team based on the merits of the product.

Review methodology: We test products under real-world conditions relevant to Malaysian consumers. We consider local pricing, local network conditions, local software versions, and local availability when forming our conclusions.

Embargo agreements: We may agree to embargoes that delay publication until a specified date. We do not agree to embargo conditions that require positive coverage, the removal of negative findings, or pre-approval of review text by the manufacturer.

Sources & Attribution

Lowyat.NET values transparent sourcing. Where we quote or draw upon external sources, we link to them directly wherever possible.

Named sources are preferred for all significant claims. We seek on-the-record statements from companies and individuals before publishing factual assertions about them.

Anonymous sources are used sparingly and only where there is a compelling public interest reason and the source cannot reasonably be named without risk to their safety or livelihood. We do not grant anonymity as a matter of convenience. All anonymous sources are known to the editor responsible for the article.

Press releases and statements: We use press releases as a starting point for news coverage, not as finished editorial content. We add context, seek independent comment, and exercise editorial judgement over what is newsworthy.

AI-assisted content: Where artificial intelligence tools are used to assist in the production of content, this is disclosed. AI-generated content is reviewed, verified, and edited by a human editor before publication. AI tools are not used to fabricate quotes, sources, or facts.

Conflicts of Interest

Our editorial team members are required to disclose any personal or financial relationships that could create a conflict of interest in their coverage. This includes personal relationships with sources, financial interests in companies being covered, or involvement in activities that could compromise objectivity.

Editorial team members do not accept gifts, hospitality, or other benefits from companies or individuals that they cover or may cover, beyond what is necessary for the review or assessment of a product or service (for example, attending a product launch event).

Where a conflict of interest exists, the relevant editor or writer will be recused from that particular story, and the situation will be handled by another member of the team.

Community & Forum Content

Lowyat.NET hosts one of Southeast Asia's most active technology forums. User-generated content published on the forum represents the views of individual community members and is not editorial content produced by Lowyat.NET's staff.

We moderate our forum in accordance with our Forum Rules and Terms of Use. We reserve the right to remove forum content that is illegal, defamatory, harassing, misleading, or otherwise in violation of our community guidelines.

Forum content does not reflect the editorial positions of Lowyat.NET. We do not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for the accuracy of user-submitted posts, comments, or recommendations in the forum.

Contact the Editors

We welcome feedback, corrections, tips, and questions about our editorial content. Reach our editorial team through the following channels:

editorial enquiries
corrections & fact-checks
press & media enquiries

This editorial policy was last reviewed and updated in 2026. We review this policy annually and update it as our editorial practices evolve. Questions about specific editorial decisions can be directed to our editorial team.