How do I maintain my integrity when my editor wants me to compromise my writing standards?

An editor's job is real. They catch what you miss and they look out for the reader. But there's a difference between changes that make your work stronger and pressure that guts it. Start by asking why they want the change. Often it's not about lowering your standards at all. It's about being clear, or reaching the right audience, or staying on topic. If the change really does conflict with what you know is true or fair, say so. Clearly, respectfully, with reasons. "I understand the angle, but here's why I think it misrepresents the subject" carries more weight than a flat no. Sometimes you'll give a little and learn something. Sometimes you'll hold firm and lose the assignment. Both teach you where your line really is. The key is to decide on purpose, not to drift into a choice you never actually made. What matters most here? This piece, this publication, or the writer you're becoming? Answer that honestly and the decision gets easier.