Editorial Independence Policy
We subscribe to standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News:
Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.
Our organization may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. We will cede no right of review or influence of editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content.
Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $5,000 or more per year. We will accept anonymous donations for general support only if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that the expenditure of that donation is made independently by our organization and in compliance with INN’s Membership Standards.
Donor Transparency Policy
We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization.
Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics and special projects. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates as a public trust, we do not pay certain taxes. We may receive funds from standard government programs offered to nonprofits or similar businesses.
Our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors or any revenue source. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content.
We make public all revenue sources and donors who give $5,000 or more per year. As a news nonprofit, we avoid accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office. We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our board of directors, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.
Content Usage Policy
It is the intent of INN and each of its members to maximize the profits, donations, grants, and other monetary benefits derived from the efforts and work product of such entity.
Therefore, no member shall commercially exploit or otherwise seek to monetize content supplied by INN or another member in derogation of INN’s or such other member’s rights, as applicable, absent an agreement with the owner of such content.
INN is permitted, but not required, to utilize some or all of the following elements of content (as determined by INN in its discretion) supplied by members on the INN website:
- a full headline,
- the source of the material,
- a byline,
- no more than 550 characters of such content,
- and a link to the original content on the supplying member’s website.
Pursuant to the INN Membership Agreement, members of INN shall have the right to utilize content supplied by other members and displayed on the INN website in accordance with the Membership Agreement and INN’s policies, provided that in no event shall any member have the right to modify or edit content owned by another member which appears on or is accessed pursuant to the INN Website, or to utilize or display elements of another member’s content that do not appear on the INN website, unless such member has an agreement through INN with the owner of such content specifically authorizing such use.
Editorial Collaboration
Our news organization is committed to editorial independence and transparency in all of our reporting. As such, any collaboration with external partners must align with our mission and uphold our commitment to editorial excellence.
We approach editorial collaborations with the following guidelines in mind:
All collaborations must be disclosed to our readers, including the names of any partners and the nature of the collaboration. This disclosure will be made in a prominent location, such as the top of the story or on a dedicated page on our website, and will be clearly labeled as a collaboration. Any financial support for a collaboration will also be prominently disclosed.
Our editorial staff maintains full control over the content produced by our outlet as part of the collaboration. This includes maintaining control over the reporting, writing, editing, and fact-checking of all content produced as part of the collaboration. If there is disagreement on the final versions of stories any participant has the right to not publish a story that has been created from a collaboration.
We will not enter into collaborations that compromise our ethical, content, and reporting standards or that would give the appearance of a conflict of interest. This includes collaborations with partners that have a financial interest in the outcome of the story or that have a history of attempting to influence our reporting.
In addition to these guidelines, we also have the following proactive measures in place to ensure the integrity of our collaborations:
We will establish clear guidelines and expectations with partners before entering into a collaboration, and pursue only those projects that advance our editorial mission. This includes discussing and agreeing upon the goals and objectives of the collaboration, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each party. Collaboration partners will be expected to fact check their own pieces and to adhere to the highest journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.
We will review the work produced as part of the collaboration before it is published to ensure that it aligns with our standards and practices.
We will have an open line of communication with partners throughout the collaboration to address any issues or concerns that may arise.
By adhering to these guidelines, we ensure that our collaborations enhance our reporting and serve the public interest.
