Editorial Policies

In our print and digital publications and through our official social media handles, Gazetteer strives for accuracy. As a sensibility-driven publication, we empower our contributors to write in their own voices and express their own points of view. There is no single approach or political line that contributors must adhere to.

Instead of some “view from nowhere,” Gazetteer offers readers fair, informative, and (we hope) entertaining news and cultural reporting from San Francisco. We believe that our readers are intelligent; we will always talk to them like they are.

We live and work in this city and have a bias towards its success. When necessary, our reporting speaks directly to power; we are unafraid to criticize entrenched groups or beliefs. Similarly, we champion individuals, groups, and phenomena that we find exciting or inspiring.

The only clique we serve is our readers.

Any correction requests can be sent to info@gazetteer.co.

General reporting policies

Accuracy is a reporter’s primary job. Should they become aware of any errors, questions of accuracy, or confusion, they should immediately issue an appropriate Correction or Editor’s Note with clarification if needed.
Any significant changes to a story post-publication will be accompanied by an Editor’s Note.
If an error appears in our print edition, we will correct it online with a Correction.
When a story is based primarily on the opinions and commentary of the writer, it will be labeled as Commentary.
Coverage decisions and other editorial choices are made exclusively by the reporters and editors of Gazetteer. Business-side colleagues do not decide what we cover, or how.
Reporters should always disclose their job and purpose when conducting interviews except in rare occasions when they may need to go undercover to get information that cannot be gotten any other way. 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 directly.
No story drafts or quotes are sent to any parties outside of Gazetteer prior to publication. Quotes may be summarized for fact checking purposes.
In most cases, writers do not come up with headlines or display copy for their pieces.

Artificial intelligence policies

Gazetteer is written by humans, for humans. We do not use AI to compose our work.
We acknowledge that AI is integrated into some software we use for transcription, image manipulation, and research, but where possible, we avoid it.
When seeking online sources, we do our best to avoid AI-generated content and eschew any sites we can’t verify were created by human writers.
We only use AI for art when we are writing about AI artwork, and it is always clearly labeled.

Attribution

All writing must be original, or else properly attributed in quotation marks.
All images and embedded multimedia must be properly credited.
Any exclusive 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” notice detailing what the reporter intends to report, 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.
We do not fix or otherwise adjust subjects’ quotes to make them sound better or fit a story’s needs. In the instance of Q&As, we may edit answers for length and clarity, a fact we note in the piece.
We do not censor subjects’ words but choose to remove slurs or hate speech at our discretion.

Sourcing

Gazetteer does not pay sources for stories, or to participate in the reporting process.
Anonymity is granted to sources when we believe the information they are providing is newsworthy, credible, and cannot be reported another way. As much as possible, we aim to verify information from anonymous sources through documents, third parties, and other reporting.
When we grant anonymity, we will explain the reasons why in the body of the piece.
We do not extend anonymity to persons designated as spokespeople. If the only way a paid or officially designated spokesperson can be cited by a journalist, they will not be quoted.
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 aim 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, we do not detail the methods of suicide or self-harm unless there is very clear public interest.
Gazetteer will not use mugshots to illustrate crime stories.

Conflicts of interest

Reporters are not asked to take into consideration the needs and wishes of advertisers or potential business partners when undertaking a story.
We avoid situations that create a conflict of interest or appearance of conflict 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.
In some cases, prominent disclosure of a personal or business relationship and explanation of why it will not affect editorial integrity is sufficient.

Press passes and gifts

Reporters may accept press passes to events, but never with a quid pro quo agreement that they will definitely cover the event.
Reporters may go to openings, parties, and receptions where complementary food and beverage are served, but never with a quid pro quo agreement that they will cover them.
Reporters may not receive hosted travel, meals, or goods.
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.
We do not accept free merchandise of any kind from subjects, advertisers, or marketing people.

Updated March 18, 2026