Ethics and Independence

InvestigateWest follows the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.

We are also a founding member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, which maintains membership standards around nonprofit status, donor transparency, and nonpartisan journalism. We adhere to standards of editorial independence adopted by INN as follows:

Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We maintain a strict firewall between news coverage decisions and all sources of 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 also 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 over editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content.

Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $1,000 or more. 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.

Policy on Financial Support

Overview
This policy seeks to reconcile the need for financial support with the values of InvestigateWest, the foremost of which is editorial independence. The organization fails just as surely if it loses public confidence in its integrity as it does if it becomes financially unsustainable. The policy acknowledges, too, that individuals and organizations invest in projects that further their own goals and values, directly or indirectly. Hence, the policy is organized around three types of support: support for investigative journalism in general; support for broad topical coverage; and support for specific reporting projects. Furthermore, this policy includes a section outlining the rights of InvestigateWest’s financial supporters.

The board of directors retains full authority over the Policy on Financial Support and may reject financial support for any reason to protect the journalistic and business interests of the organization. The policy pertains to both cash and in-kind donations.

InvestigateWest exercises close scrutiny when deciding who can fund, sponsor, or otherwise underwrite ongoing news coverage. InvestigateWest will accept financial support only from funders who agree to our policy of editorial independence and understand our mission to strengthen communities, engage citizens in civic life, and help set the policy agenda through powerful, independent journalism.

Like many news organizations, InvestigateWest maintains a firewall between news coverage decisions and its sources of revenue. InvestigateWest’s financial supporters have no voice in editorial decisions. All donations, sponsorships and other forms of revenue are subject to compliance with the Policy on Financial Support, including provisions for transparency, the disclosure of donors’ identities, and the prohibition on donations from political parties and elected officials. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of InvestigateWest’s funders or their products, services or opinions.

Types of Support
Independent Media
InvestigateWest will seek and accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations in any amount for the general support of InvestigateWest’s journalism. Acceptance of this support neither expresses nor implies any voice in editorial decisions beyond the broadly stated mission of independent media.

InvestigateWest will also seek and accept operational support, such as for capacity building, technology or administrative costs, and activities, such as training events, screenings, and receptions. As described elsewhere in this policy, financial supporters will have no voice in decisions regarding InvestigateWest’s operations and activities.

We expect that most gifts and grants of this type will come from foundations, organizations and individuals concerned about independent media, healthy communities, and civic engagement in the region served by InvestigateWest.

Broad Topical Coverage
InvestigateWest provides broad topical coverage of the environment, public health, government accountability, and more, for which it actively seeks financial support. To ensure that donors respond to the priorities of InvestigateWest rather than InvestigateWest responding to the agenda of donors, the board of directors will approve any new areas of topical coverage before gifts are solicited or accepted.

InvestigateWest may accept contributions from funders who agree to the following conditions:

1. Funding is tied to broad topical coverage defined by InvestigateWest but not to a particular reporting project or investigation.

2. All donations of $25,000 or more will be announced at the time of the gift or grant, and publicly acknowledged on the InvestigateWest website for at least 12 months.

Specific Reporting Projects
InvestigateWest will seek and accept gifts, grants and sponsorships to support specific reporting projects. InvestigateWest exercises the closest scrutiny when deciding who can fund, sponsor, or otherwise underwrite specific projects and will adhere to the following conditions:

1. InvestigateWest exercises full editorial control. The donor specifically cedes any right to influence or review editorial content or to restrict its distribution.

2. All funds are transferred to InvestigateWest prior to the start of the project and are not refundable.

3. All financial contributions to specific projects are transparent and publicly acknowledged with a disclaimer and a link to this Policy on Financial Support.

Rights of Financial Supporters

Upon request, every financial supporter of InvestigateWest is entitled to a full and clear written description of the arrangement, including:

• Acknowledgement of InvestigateWest’s receipt of the support.
• Public acknowledgement of the support.
• Description of how the support will be used.
• A statement whether the supporter has received anything of value from InvestigateWest in exchange for the support (as required by IRS).
• A list of key dates and deliverables, including such items as when publicity will commence and when any required progress reports will be submitted.
• Description of mutually agreed upon set of benefits, if any, for the supporter. These may include such items as naming rights, sponsorship acknowledgements and tickets to InvestigateWest events.
• Assurance that InvestigateWest will deliver on the terms of its agreement with the supporter.