Ownership & Funding
Who owns IAQABA
IAQABA is owned and operated by a single independent operator. There is no parent company, no media group, no holding structure and no outside shareholder. The person who owns the site is the person responsible for it, which means there is nobody above the editors whose other interests would need protecting. Governing law and any registered details are confirmed in writing on request to support@iaqaba.com; we do not publish personal details on this page for the safety of the people involved.
No money from the people we cover
We accept no funding, grant, loan, gift or payment of any kind from any government, political party, campaign, state agency, company, league, club, studio, manufacturer, publisher, investor, fund or individual that we cover or might cover. That rule is absolute and applies to all ten sections. If money of that kind were ever accepted, this page would say so, with the amount and the terms, before any related story ran.
Where the money comes from
The site is free to read and is paid for entirely by display advertising: banner units in and around articles, served through the Adsterra network. That is the whole revenue model. There are no subscriptions, no memberships, no donations, no sponsored content, no paid posts, no link sales, no affiliate commissions, no events and no consulting. The operator also funds the site personally where advertising does not cover costs.
Advertising revenue depends on readers, which means it depends on the site being worth reading. That is the only link between the money and the editorial work, and it is one we are happy with. It also means that a page nobody reads earns nothing, which is a healthy incentive to spend effort on the story rather than on the packaging around it.
How advertising is kept away from coverage
Advertising is sold, served, measured and billed by the network. We do not negotiate with individual advertisers, we do not know in advance which campaigns will appear, and we cannot promise any advertiser a placement, a story, a mention or a softened tone. No advertiser sees a story before publication. A company whose banner appears on a page is reported on exactly as it would be if it had never advertised. Editors do not see advertising revenue by page or by section, so there is nothing to optimise coverage towards.
We set the categories and formats the network may serve, and we block categories we consider harmful or misleading. The advertise page lists what we run and what we refuse.
What we do not sell
We do not sell sponsored articles, native advertising, advertorials, branded content, guest posts, links, mentions, product placements, inclusion in reviews or roundups, or edits to published stories. We do not accept payment to remove, delay or soften a story. Offers of this kind arrive constantly and every one of them is refused. If you ever see something on the site that appears to have been paid for, tell us, because it was not and something has gone wrong.
Staff and contributors
The site is edited by a small independent team. Contributors are paid by the site for their work and by nobody else in connection with it. Everyone who writes for IAQABA is bound by the conflict-of-interest rules in the editorial standards: no financial interest in the subjects they cover, no undisclosed relationships, no trading on unpublished information, no gifts or hospitality from subjects.
Why the model is this simple
A single revenue source is easier to explain and easier to police than five. Subscriptions would tie coverage to what paying readers want to hear. Sponsorships would put a brand’s name next to a story and a brand’s expectations behind it. Affiliate links would give the site a reason to like a product. Grants would come with a funder’s priorities. Each of those can be managed, and many good publications manage them, but each one is a rule to write and a temptation to resist. We chose the model with the fewest rules, and we intend to keep it that way for as long as advertising covers the bills.
What we will disclose
If the ownership of the site changes, this page will say so before the change takes effect. If a new revenue source is added, it will be listed here with an explanation of how it is kept separate from coverage. If any funding is ever received from a party we cover, it will be disclosed here and in every related story. If an editor or contributor has a conflict that is relevant to a story, the story will say so. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last checked.
Questions
Anyone can ask about the ownership and funding of the site, and we answer in writing. Write to support@iaqaba.com with LEGAL in the subject line. If you believe something on the site contradicts what this page says, tell us in the same way, and we will either fix the site or explain why we think you are mistaken.
