Editorial Policies

We at Gazetteer SF believe that “unbiased” reporting is a bit of a flawed concept. After all, our very human reporters make choices every day about who and what to include in articles — choices shaped by their own perspectives, and those of their editor.

Instead of the “view from nowhere,” we have a more realistic promise: We will provide readers with accurate, fair, informative, unique, and entertaining coverage, written by people who have skin in the game. We live and work here, too, and we care deeply about holding power to account, telling stories that matter, and helping readers learn more about the city around them.

Any correction requests can be sent to the editor of Gazetteer SF at cat@gazetteer.co.

General reporting policies

Accuracy is a reporter’s primary job. They should work hard to meet this standard. Should they become aware of any errors, questions of accuracy, or confusion, they should immediately coordinate with their editor to issue an appropriate correction or clarification.
Any significant changes to a story post-publication will be accompanied by an editor’s note explaining what changes were made, and why.
Many of our pieces contain well-reported, substantiated opinions. However, when a piece is primarily based on opinion, rather than reporting, it will be marked with the “Commentary” tag.
Coverage decisions and other editorial choices are made exclusively by the editors and reporters of Gazetteer. Business-side colleagues are kept at arms’ length, and do not decide what we cover, or how.
Reporters should always disclose their job and purpose when conducting interviews. Undercover reporting requires the approval of an editor, and should only be undertaken if there is a compelling public interest, and the sought-after information cannot be obtained by other means.
No story drafts may be sent to any parties outside of Gazetteer prior to publication.

Attribution

All story language must be original, or else properly attributed in quotation marks.
All images and embedded multimedia must be properly credited. Any AI-generated text or images must be clearly marked as such.
Any reporting attributable to another source, rather than our reporting, must be properly credited and, where possible, linked to.

Seeking comment

Reporters should always seek comment from the subject of a story, and anyone at all who is named in a negative light, even if they are not a central character.
When a piece contains significant critical allegations, the subject(s) of those allegations should be provided with a “no surprises” letter detailing what the reporter intends to say, and inviting them to submit any comments, corrections, or clarifications before publication.
Subjects should be given a reasonable amount of time to respond to requests for comment, balancing the time sensitivity of the topic with how long the reporter spent on the story and the volume of details in the request.

Sourcing

Reporters should work to ensure their story sources are diverse, and reflect the range of people most significantly affected by the issue in question.
Gazetteer does not pay sources for stories, or to participate in the reporting process.
Anonymity should only be granted to sources after a conversation with an editor. When sources request that their name be withheld, reporters should tell readers why they did so.
Only facts should be attributed to anonymous sources, never opinions. When possible, reporters should verify facts from anonymous sources through documents, third parties, and other reporting.
Granting anonymity to a source comes with significant moral responsibility. Reporters should have a clear, thorough conversation about the circumstances under which they can and cannot protect a source’s anonymity, especially in cases when a person has communicated with a reporter through a method they don’t control, such as a work email.
Reporters should always try to meet in person or over an encrypted communication method like Signal, rather than converse over email or social media DMs, especially if there are any concerns about a source’s anonymity or safety.

Reporting on sensitive subjects

Reporters should always keep power dynamics in mind when deciding what information to make public.
When reporting on children, unhoused people, undocumented people, and other vulnerable subjects, reporters should weigh the value to the public interest against the potential consequences of naming subjects or detailing their activities.
When appropriate, reporters should get parental permission before interviewing children.
When covering a criminal case or criminal charges, reporters should always try to update the story with the final outcome, to ensure a story remains accurate over time.
Reporters should not name the victims of sexual assault unless they have the victim’s explicit consent, and naming them is vital to the story.
In keeping with widely-held standards designed to reduce harm, reporters should never detail the methods of suicide or self-harm, unless an editor agrees there is a compelling public interest.
Gazetteer will not use mugshots to illustrate crime stories.

Conflicts of interest

Reporters should recuse themselves from any story involving their own financial interests, or any stories that involve family members, romantic partners, or people with whom they have a past or present business relationship.
If there is any doubt about whether this policy applies to a specific situation, reporters should speak with their editor. If the editor approves continued work on the story, any relationships that may raise concerns about conflict must be prominently disclosed within the story copy.

Press passes and gifts

Reporters may accept press passes to events, but never with an agreement that they will cover the event.
Reporters may not go on trips paid for by third parties.
Reporters may not accept gifts over $25. If returning such gifts to the sender would be rude or otherwise problematic, they should be donated to an appropriate organization.

Updated September 24, 2024