Editorial Policies

We at Gazetteer SF believe that “unbiased” reporting is a bit of a flawed concept. After all, every day our very human reporters make choices informed by their own perspectives about which stories to write, what information to include, who we mention, and so on.

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 info@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 issue an appropriate correction or clarification if needed.
Any significant changes to a story post-publication will be accompanied by a Correction of Editor’s Note.
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 of Gazetteer. Business-side colleagues 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 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.
We consider granting anonymity 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.
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, 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

We avoid situations that create a conflict of interest – or appearance of conflict of interest – that could affect our editorial integrity.
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 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 March 18, 2025