Truth. Impact. Help.
CHOICE's organisational values drive our approach to every piece of content we create, from the investigative articles we write to the reviews we conduct in our labs and everything in between.
Content must be accurate, impartial and independent to be truthful, to have the impact we strive for, and to help you. And content must be accessible if we're to help as many people as possible.
Here's how we work to ensure our editorial content meets our highest standards.
Accuracy
Our journalists use sources from trusted institutions with a reputation for careful and unbiased research.
Where required, our verifiers check articles and reviews before publication to make sure information is accurate and data has been interpreted correctly.
Read more about fact-checking and verification at CHOICE.
Corrections policy
We strive to be accurate, but if we get it wrong we respond as quickly as possible.
If we've made a factual error in an online article, test or review, we make the correction as soon as we can and explain the change we've made.
If we've made an error in a CHOICE magazine, we include the correction in the next available issue (usually in the Checkout section of the magazine).
When we publish incorrect information on a social platform, we will correct it on that platform. In certain cases when it is not possible to issue a correction on that platform, we may remove the content from that platform and issue a correction on our website.
Unpublish (take-down) requests
It is our editorial policy to refuse take-down requests. If we receive a claim that our content is inaccurate, we will investigate and, if necessary, publish a correction. In some situations, follow-up coverage may be warranted in the interests of fairness. In short, we will consider editorial action but won't remove or unpublish articles or reviews from our website.
Tip-offs
If you have a tip about something you think we should investigate, you can reach us in a couple of ways:
- Email our investigative journalists at [email protected]
- Post your tip and any supporting evidence to us from a public mailbox, addressing it to 'CHOICE investigations' at 57 Carrington Road Marrickville NSW 2204.
Impartiality and independence
Our fierce independence sets us apart from other review websites, and your trust means everything to us. We strive to protect our impartiality in a number of ways.
Product reviews and testing
In most cases we buy the products we test in our labs from retailers, just like you do. We do this so we have the same experience you would when shopping for a product, setting it up and using it.
But to bring you the information you need when you need it, we occasionally have to borrow a product or get an early sample if it isn't yet in stores. We'll only borrow a new retail version of a product (not a special or modified version), and in our review we state clearly that it's been provided by the supplier. We return borrowed products after testing. We don't take unsolicited products for review, and we choose what we review based on the interest of our readers.
Australians know and trust us for our testing process:
- We have a dedicated team of testers, many of them experienced engineers, who work in our NATA-accredited laboratories.
- Our expert technical specialists participate in Standards Australia technical committees.
- We test to relevant Australian standards for product safety and energy efficiency.
Advertising
CHOICE doesn't accept advertising in our publications or on our website and our work is largely funded by our members.
CHOICE Recommended
Our CHOICE Recommended program is available to brands that have had a product recommended in one of our rigorous and independent tests. They pay a licensing fee to use the CHOICE Recommended branding when promoting their product. The CHOICE Recommended program doesn't influence the outcomes or results of our testing. Fees are invested in further CHOICE testing and research.
Affiliate links
On some reviews we have affiliate links that take you to a retailer website where you can buy the product. Even though we make money if you buy from an affiliate, this doesn't influence our review, and 100% of the money we make goes straight back into our non-profit mission.
Accessibility
We work to make our content accessible to everyone because we want to be a voice for all consumers.
To help make our website a positive experience for everyone, we follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities and more user-friendly for everyone.
We still have some work to do to meet the level of compliance we're aiming for, but if you find anything on our website difficult to use, please tell us about your experience.
We're on your side
In more than 60 years of making a difference for Australian consumers, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family.
And you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
Learn more about CHOICE membership today
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
