Advertising and Sponsored Content Policy

Advertising helps a news organisation keep going, but our readers' trust matters far more. That is why Sateek Bharat keeps a clear wall between advertising and news.

Editorial independence

• Advertisers and sponsors cannot influence which stories we choose, what they say or how they are presented.
• A story involving an advertiser is held to the same editorial standards as every other story.
• We never publish news in return for money or any other benefit ("paid news").

Clear labels

• Every advertisement, sponsored article or partnership content carries a clear label at the very start, such as "Advertisement" (विज्ञापन), "Sponsored" (प्रायोजित) or "In partnership with" (साझेदारी में).
• The same rule applies on our social media accounts. Under clause 1.8 of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Code, added in August 2025, every paid post by a media company must carry a clear disclosure right at the start.
• Sponsored content is not designed to look like news.
• If an article contains links that earn us a commission on purchases, the article says so.

Advertising standards

We accept only advertisements that comply with the ASCI Code for self-regulation, the Press Council of India's norms on advertisements, and applicable laws such as the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Advertisements must be truthful and honest, and must not mislead.

Advertisements we do not accept

• advertisements for online money games, betting or gambling. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, in force since 1 May 2026, bans advertising of online money games;
• miracle or unproven claims to cure diseases, such as those prohibited by the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954;
• direct or surrogate advertisements for tobacco or alcohol. Tobacco advertising is banned under section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, and surrogate advertising under the Central Consumer Protection Authority's Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements, 2022;
• fake job offers, get-rich-quick schemes, or financial products whose claims, or whose advertiser's identity, cannot be verified;
• advertisements that promote hatred, violence, obscenity or discrimination against any community;
• political advertisements presented as news, or that do not name the advertiser. During elections, political advertisements are accepted only in line with the Election Commission of India's rules, including pre-certification where it is required;
• designs that trick readers (dark patterns), such as a hidden close button or an advertisement made to look like a story, which the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 prohibit.

We reserve the right to refuse or remove any advertisement. Advertisers are responsible for the claims in their advertisements.

Contact

For advertising and sponsorship, write to ads@sateekbharat.in. If you object to an advertisement on our website, tell us at ads@sateekbharat.in or write to our Grievance Officer at grievance@sateekbharat.in.