Policy
Content Advisory
How We Handle Potentially Sensitive Material
How AuthZ identifies potentially sensitive material in literary, historical, and screen criticism.
AuthZ publishes essays and guides about literature, screen culture, writing, and editing. Critical discussion sometimes requires us to address mature, distressing, or historically harmful material. This page explains how we provide context and reader guidance.
Our approach
We aim to give readers enough information to decide whether an article is right for them without reducing a work to a checklist of warnings or unnecessarily revealing narrative developments.
An advisory identifies an article that discusses especially sensitive material in meaningful detail. The absence of an advisory does not guarantee that an article is free from every difficult theme, and our advisories are not an age-rating system.
What readers may encounter
- Violence, war, injury, death, or execution in literary and screen analysis.
- Suicide, self-harm, grief, trauma, coercion, or abuse.
- Sexuality, desire, consent, and adult relationships.
- Racism, discrimination, slurs, or biased language in historical works.
- Strong or offensive language when a quotation is necessary to the analysis.
- Older material containing outdated or harmful assumptions, language, or perspectives.
These subjects are discussed for critical, historical, or educational purposes. AuthZ does not currently publish explicit fiction.
How advisories appear
When an advisory is warranted, the article displays a visible label in listings and a brief, plain-language notice near the beginning of the page. We describe the relevant subject without sensational detail and avoid spoilers where practical.
Historical context is not an excuse for harmful language. Quotations are kept to what the argument requires, and editorial discussion should distinguish a source’s language or perspective from AuthZ’s own position.
Reader and educator guidance
AuthZ is not presented as a children’s publication, but neither is the whole site restricted to adults. Readers, educators, parents, and guardians should assess individual articles according to the reader and context involved.
Suggest an advisory
Advisories cannot anticipate every reader’s needs. If an advisory is missing, unclear, or disproportionate, please use our Contact page and include the article address and a short explanation.
Last updated: July 13, 2026