The Signal’s Ethics, Content and Corrections Policy
We view the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics as the model for ethics in journalism and we strive to adhere to the principles it outlines:
www.spj.org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdf
Fairness
A crucial goal of The Signal’s news and feature reporting is to remain nonpartisan and non-ideological. This is a tall order, particularly in today’s media environment. We strive to recognize our own biases and ensure that they do not intrude on, or influence, the content of our news stories and features. We also continuously examine the environment in which we work, remaining on the alert for the biases of our sources, colleagues and communities.
While we recognize that no person can truly be “objective,” we aim for our news to be reported in an objective manner, and always remain fair, giving voice to all sides of the issues.
We believe any statements of opinion in a news or feature story should be attributed to a source, and we expect our reporters and writers to avoid injecting their own opinions into a story.
We seek intelligent, articulate views and context from all perspectives. Our reporters should seek a deep understanding of any issue they cover, with the goal of boiling down complex subjects into stories that explain the material with clarity and conciseness.
People or entities that are shown in an adverse light must be given the opportunity to defend themselves and respond to the adverse material. Our reporters are to give those individuals and entities reasonable time and opportunity to respond, and when a source either declines to comment or does not respond by publication time, our story will explain the efforts that were made and the results that were obtained.
Opinion
Any content that contains unattributed opinions shall be labeled as “opinion” or “commentary.” Such content is limited to columns, commentary, editorials and letters to the editor on our opinion page, and may also be found in subject-specific regular columns or guest columns in other sections. An individual’s column will be identified by a column header/logo that sets it apart from regular news content, and will feature a photo of the writer whenever one is available.
Columns, letters and other commentary do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Signal, but rather are the opinions of the individuals writing those letters or columns. The Signal welcomes letters and columns from all viewpoints, and we strive to publish all submissions that are received from local writers or are pertinent to our local readership. We reserve the right to edit for length and content, in particular any content that may be considered potentially libelous or in bad taste. We also reserve the right to reject any submissions that fail to communicate in a clear, coherent manner.
In general, we refrain from publishing non-local guest commentaries other than those from syndicates to which we subscribe.
In any instances in which The Signal is taking a stance on an issue, as determined by its editorial board, The Signal’s opinion will be labeled as an editorial, usually under the standing header/kicker, “Our View.”
Sources
We seek to minimize the use of unnamed or anonymous sources. In general, we believe named, identified sources are best for credible journalism.
However, under certain circumstances we may deem it necessary to protect the identity of a source. We don’t do so lightly, and we carefully consider whether there is a valid reason to protect a source. Such reasons can include:
• The source is vulnerable, perhaps as a crime victim or witness with legitimate safety concerns, or as a whistleblower who may face professional repercussions.
• The source is willing to provide valuable information that cannot be obtained through regular reporting methods.
When we choose to provide anonymity to a source, we will state the reason to the greatest extent possible, and we will evaluate the source for credibility and to ensure the cloak of anonymity is not merely being used to make wild claims that cannot be supported with facts.
As a general principle, we push back against the growing trend of government officials demanding anonymity when they should be willing to speak on the record. We will call out such behavior whenever possible.
When a source requests anonymity, it is the reporter’s responsibility to alert the source that the request will require the editor or publisher’s approval, and that The Signal’s management will know the source’s identity even if The Signal agrees not to publish it.
Access to information
The Signal does not compensate sources for information.
The Signal will, however, consider reasonable payment for works submitted for publication – for example, stories, photos and videos submitted by freelance journalists or “citizen journalists.”
Source Access to Stories
As a matter of policy, The Signal does not release unpublished information or materials. This includes story notes, unpublished photos or video, or yet-to-be-published drafts of stories.
The Signal does not provide advance copies of stories that have yet to be published. If a source has questions about the general direction of a story or the reporter’s understanding of the material, the reporter and/or editor can choose to engage in those discussions. But under no circumstances will a source be allowed to preview or “vet” material before publication.
The Signal retains all editorial control over story content and placement both in print and online.
The Signal will consider reasonable requests to delay publication of embargoed information.
Accuracy
The Signal strives for all articles to be factually correct and truthful. We do not fabricate sources or create composite characters. We use sources’ real names — not pseudonyms — and we use sources’ first and last names whenever possible. If a source asks only to be identified by first or last name, we will decide whether to grant the request based on the reason(s) for the request and the importance of the source to the story.
We do not fabricate or embellish quotes. If we place a source’s statement within quotation marks, it is a word-for-word representation of what the person said. If we summarize a source’s statements and paraphrase them, quotation marks are not used — but accurately reflecting the source’s comments and message remains of paramount importance.
Attribution
We attribute all information to the sources from which we obtained the information, with these exceptions:
• Information that has become so broadly known and/or widely reported as to be common knowledge.
• Information drawn directly from a reporter’s own observations by virtue of being present when something occurred. For example, if a reporter observes a fire burning a tree, that requires no attribution because the reporter saw it happen.
We seek to include a variety of sources in news stories, with the goal of providing multiple perspectives and ensuring that all “sides” of a story are represented.
News releases
The Signal accepts submissions of news releases. However, they are edited and the same principles are applied to them as staff-reported news stories. Press release content will always be identified as such and our editing staff will either remove unattributed statements of opinion or specifically attribute them to the organization’s release.
Crime victims
In general, The Signal does not identify victims of sensitive crimes or minors who are crime victims. When an exception is made, it is the decision of The Signal’s editor or publisher to do so, weighing the importance of such identification versus the impact it may have on the source.
Crime suspects
The Signal generally does not name crime suspects who have yet to be arrested. There are exceptions, taking into account the significance and prominence of the case and/or the suspect. Such editorial decisions are made carefully.
Once a crime suspect is arrested, that person’s identity becomes a matter of public record and the individual can be identified in a news story.
However, it is The Signal’s general practice to withhold the identity of suspects accused of minor crimes. A general rule of thumb we apply is: If it is a major crime, and/or it is our intent to follow the case through the court system, we will identify the suspect. This helps reduce the chance that a crime suspect will be identified without the benefit of the case’s outcome also being reported, particularly if charges are dropped or the suspect is found not guilty.
Staff conduct and interviews
The Signal expects its journalists to conduct themselves with truthfulness, dignity and professionalism. In general and whenever practical, our journalists are expected to identify themselves as Signal journalists when covering news events, conducting interviews, etc.
If a staff member is covering an event in public, there is no expectation of privacy and it is presumed that the event may be recorded and chronicled photographically and on video. However, if a reporter is conducting an interview in a private setting — whether a sit-down conversation in person or an interview on the telephone or videoconference — it is the reporter’s responsibility to obtain the source’s permission before recording the interview. We do not record such interviews without permission.
It is presumed that all interviews conducted by our journalists are “on the record” and the conversation’s contents may be reported in a news story. If a source wishes to speak “on background” or “off the record,” such arrangements need to be made and mutually agreed upon before the conversation occurs.
Photos, videos and graphics
We apply traditional standards of ethical photojournalism to all visual representations of stories.
Acceptable editing of photos includes:
• Color correction.
• Cropping.
• Exposure adjustments.
• Minor, limited use of digital versions of “darkroom” tools such as dodging or burning a portion of an image.
Broadly, images published in The Signal are intended to be accurate representations of the subject matter in the image.
Unacceptable editing of images includes:
• “Flipping” an image so it faces the opposite direction.
• Addition of elements not included in the original photo.
• Deletion of elements from a photo, other than by cropping.
• Blurring of an image or a portion of it. If the image contains an element that should not be published, we will either crop it, if possible, or refrain from publishing the image altogether.
If multiple images are combined to portray a story in an artistic or unique way, it shall be labeled as a “photo illustration” to communicate to the reader that such editing has occurred.
Photos and/or videos submitted by freelancers or guest photographers, or as “courtesy” images to accompany a news release, shall be credited as such.
In general, we apply the same ethical standards to video as those applied to photography.
Artificial intelligence
The Signal recognizes that AI is becoming increasingly pervasive in many industries, including journalism. However, as a matter of general practice, The Signal does not currently use AI, including generative tools, in its news coverage.
If an AI tool is used to create content for The Signal, it will be acknowledged as such and appropriately credited.
Corrections and Clarifications
When The Signal publishes information that is factually incorrect — regardless of whether it was our fault or through faulty information provided by a source — we promptly correct the error and acknowledge it.
Errors made online are corrected directly within the online story. Errors published in our print editions will be corrected in the next available print edition through publication of a correction or clarification in the same section of the newspaper in which the original error was published.
When writing corrections, as much as possible we will try to avoid repeating the same incorrect information, although sometimes it is necessary to summarize it to provide context for the correction.
We will publish a correction or clarification when an error has been called to our attention either by a staff member or a reader, and when the correct facts have been verified.
Readers can report errors and/or request corrections via e-mail to [email protected] or by calling the editor at 661-287-5591.