About DrownedMadonna

DrownedMadonna has been online since 1999. It is made by long-time fans who love music and the artists who make it, and who follow Madonna’s work with a critical eye.

We admire her, and we try to be objective about her: we think her work deserves both. Madonna is a deeply political artist, and a consistent one; over four decades that has been a large part of why her work matters, and why we keep writing about it.

DrownedMadonna is an independent, non-commercial fan site. We are not affiliated with Madonna, her management, her record labels, promoters or any brand, and nobody outside the site decides what we publish.

Album covers, photos and videos belong to their owners and are used to document and discuss the work, with credit where it is known.

• Facts come first. We check them at the source wherever we can: record labels, broadcasters, chart and certification companies, official announcements and Madonna’s own channels.
• Every story lists its sources at the end, with links, so you can check them yourself.
• When something is reported but not confirmed, we say so.
• Our opinions are welcome, but they are kept apart from the facts: analysis and opinion pieces carry the Editorial label.
• Stories are written and checked by us before they are published.

Artificial intelligence is one of the many tools we work with, like search engines, spreadsheets or a photo editor. We use it deliberately and sparingly, where it makes the work better:

• Research. We have it search many sources online and cross-check them against each other. We never rely on what a model already “knows” on its own, which can be out of date or simply wrong.
• Checking. Comparing figures, dates, names and quotes with the original sources, so mistakes are caught before a story goes out.
• Repetitive work. Things that are automatable and need no judgement, such as arranging data into tables and timelines, tidying text or preparing translations.

Handing that work over leaves more of our own time for what does need a human mind: choosing what matters, weighing the facts, writing, and saying what we think.

Nothing is accepted blindly. We know these tools well, including their limits: we read and verify everything they produce, check their sources ourselves and decide what is published. The responsibility for every story is ours.

• News: what has happened or been announced.
• Editorial: analysis, reviews and opinion.
• Exclusive: information you will not find elsewhere first.
• Throwback: a look back at a moment in Madonna’s career.

When a story changes in substance, for example new figures or a new date, we update it and show the date of the update at the end of the story, with a short note on what changed. Small fixes such as typos do not change that date.

If we get a fact wrong, we correct it as soon as we know. If the mistake changed what the story said, the note at the end says what was corrected. To report an error, write to drownedmadonnacom@gmail.com with the link to the story.

For tips, corrections, questions or anything else, write to drownedmadonnacom@gmail.com. We read everything, though we cannot always reply to every message.