POLICIES
Editorial Independence
Although Waterbury Roundabout is small in size and scale, we take our role as a hyper-local source of community journalism seriously and we strive to operate with integrity, accuracy, dedication to the truth, and respect for our sources and readers.
The editor oversees all published content. Contributors are identified with bylines, titles and taglines where appropriate. Edited press releases are labeled with a “Waterbury Roundabout” byline for example.
Waterbury Roundabout relies on contributions from individuals, grants, website advertising and sponsorship contributions. Editorial decisions are made in line with our mission, separate and independent of any source of financial support.
We aim to align with the Institute for Nonprofit News which holds high standards for editorial independence. Among INN’s tenants are commitments to retaining authority over editorial content and keeping news coverage decisions separate from influence by revenue sources.
Neither news sources nor financial supporters are allowed to assign, review or edit content that we publish.
See more on Donor Transparency on our Donate page.
Code of Ethics
Founded, led and overseen by professional journalists from diverse backgrounds, Waterbury Roundabout looks to the national trade association the Society of Professional Journalists and its Code of Ethics for its guiding benchmarks of reporting and newsroom best practices.
SPJ’s code lists four overall principles as the foundation of ethical journalism:
Seek Truth and Report It
Minimize Harm
Act Independently
Be Accountable and Transparent
Find out more from the Society of Professional Journalists here.
Conflicts of Interest
All contributors to Waterbury Roundabout’s reporting — including its editor and regular correspondents and photographers — are expected to avoid potential conflicts of interest by not taking assignments that would pose a conflict. Donors, advertisers and anyone serving Waterbury Roundabout in an advisory capacity are not to use their role to influence news coverage.