List of Main Sections
Morningstar, a leading platform for investment, personal finance, and economic topics, places a strong emphasis on maintaining its independence and editorial freedom to empower investor success. The company's editorial content is designed to be fair, accurate, and from the investor’s point of view, respecting individual opinions while upholding these principles[1][3][5].
At the heart of Morningstar's editorial policy lies a commitment to credibility and investor success. The company maintains a strict functional separation between authors and the company's external client and sales teams to prevent any implicit or explicit pressure to influence or change the opinions or conclusions reached in analyses, research, or editorial content[2]. In accordance with the company's Code of Ethics, authors must disclose and avoid conflicts of interest that could impact their editorial content[4].
The editorial team at Morningstar uses automation to create some content, which is fact-checked and reviewed before publishing, and is disclosed as such[6]. "Authors" at Morningstar are writers or participants who are primarily responsible for, or contribute substantially to, the creation of editorial content, and can be both Morningstar employees and paid freelance contributors[7]. Any editorial content generated by or with the help of generative AI at Morningstar will be clearly labeled and undergo human editorial oversight[8].
Morningstar respects individual opinions and allows authors to publish views that may not align with the company's, as long as they are transparent about their personal analysis[9]. If an author at Morningstar has beneficial ownership in a security they write about, this is disclosed with the content[10]. The company's standards editor helps ensure that all content meets the guidelines and principles outlined in the editorial policy and employs fair, accurate, and inclusive language[11].
Morningstar also places a strong emphasis on intellectual property rights. The company provides a comprehensive set of guidelines to authors of editorial content to prevent plagiarism and copyright infringement[12]. The company acknowledges and corrects mistakes transparently, revises incomplete content, and may unpublish material in rare circumstances[13].
Any sponsored content, advertising, or third-party content that's hosted on Morningstar's properties must be distinguishable from their editorial content[14]. In summary, Morningstar’s policy insists on preserving editorial freedom and accuracy in all produced content, which would include careful governance over any generative AI usage to ensure these standards are met.
[1] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Company Code of Ethics [2] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Editorial Policy [3] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Editorial Standards [4] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Conflicts of Interest Policy [5] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Beneficial Ownership Policy [6] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Automation Policy [7] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Author Guidelines [8] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Generative AI Policy [9] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Opinion Disclosure Policy [10] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Securities Ownership Disclosure Policy [11] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Language Guidelines [12] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement Policy [13] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Corrections, Revisions, and Unpublishing Policy [14] Morningstar, Inc. (n.d.). Sponsored Content Policy
- Morningstar's commitment towards personal finance and investment is evident in their emphasis on providing credible and fair mutual fund analysis, ensuring investors make informed decisions.
- To maintain the integrity of investment research, Morningstar establishes a distinction between authors and the external client and sales teams, thereby upholding their code of ethics and preventing any pressure to influence editorial content.
- As the landscape of finance evolves, Morningstar ensures that any editorial content generated by generative AI will be clearly labeled and undergo human editorial oversight, adhering to their strict standards of accuracy and personal finance focus.
