Editorial Independence
KCED Foundation operates a newsroom that reports on the institutions that fund, license, and serve the communities in its coverage area. Independence here is not a statement of intent. It is a set of rules the Board of Trustees is bound by, written down and published so that readers, supporters, and public officials can hold the Foundation to them.
Who decides what is published
Editorial judgment rests with the Foundation’s editorial leadership. The Board of Trustees does not select stories, review work prior to publication, or approve coverage.
What supporters receive
No donor, underwriter, sponsor, partner institution, or government office has any right of review prior to publication or approval over content, framing, or placement. Underwriters receive acknowledgment only.
Acknowledgment is limited to name, logo, location, contact information, and a value-neutral description of the business. Coverage is never offered as a term of support and never withheld for its absence.
The Editorial Independence Committee
A majority-external body of journalists and scholars. Non-voting. Four seats.
Before the Board votes on editorial policy, donor and sponsorship policy, restricted gifts, or program launches, it must seek the advice of the Committee. Where the Board acts contrary to that advice, the minutes record both the advice and the Board’s reasons.
The Committee publishes an annual statement on the state of the newsroom’s independence, which the Foundation publishes unedited. The Committee does not adjudicate individual complaints and does not order corrections. It reads what arrives and reports patterns to the Board.
Nonpartisanship
The Foundation does not endorse candidates for public office and does not accept material intended to promote a campaign. Its Public Information Partnership is offered on identical terms to every government office at every level and of every party.
When we are wrong
Errors are corrected in the same place and the same language in which they were published. The process for reporting one is set out in the Corrections & Clarifications policy.
Who is responsible
Editorial judgment, including the decision to correct, rests with the Foundation’s editorial leadership. Governance of the Foundation, including the duty to protect this independence, rests with the Board of Trustees.