Our editorial independence
The Examination’s journalism is based on rigorous, independent reporting and research. We retain full authority over our content, and maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions. Our standards of editorial independence align directly with those adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News.
Donor and financial transparency policy
We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization.
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.
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 sponsored project of 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 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.
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.
Editorial collaboration policy
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.