Journoist
Last updated: January 2026
1. Editorial Independence
Journoist operates with full editorial independence. Editorial decisions are made by the newsroom and editors without interference from advertisers, donors, political actors, governments, corporations, or advocacy groups.
No individual, organization, or institution has the right to preview, approve, suppress, or alter Journoist’s editorial content prior to publication, except where required for factual verification or legal review conducted by the editorial team itself.
Financial considerations do not influence story selection, framing, or conclusions.
2. Purpose of Journalism at Journoist
Journoist exists to:
- Produce fact-based, accountable journalism
- Investigate power, governance, institutions, and public claims
- Serve the public interest over partisan or commercial interests
Journoist does not exist to promote political parties, ideologies, governments, or movements. Coverage may scrutinize or challenge power structures, but conclusions must emerge from evidence, not alignment.
3. Separation of Content Types
Journoist clearly distinguishes between different forms of content:
- News Reporting
Fact-based coverage of events, statements, and developments. Personal opinion is excluded. - Investigations
Original reporting based on documents, interviews, data, and verification. Investigative conclusions must be supported by evidence presented or cited. - Analysis
Contextual interpretation of verified facts. Analysis may explain implications or patterns but does not advocate positions. - Opinion
Clearly labeled commentary or viewpoints. Opinions do not represent the institutional position of Journoist.
Each article is labeled accordingly to prevent reader confusion.
4. Standards of Accuracy and Verification
Journoist adheres to strict verification standards:
- All factual claims must be supported by primary documents, direct observation, or reliable secondary sources.
- Anonymous claims are corroborated independently whenever possible.
- Numbers, dates, quotations, and legal references are double-checked prior to publication.
- If information cannot be independently verified, this limitation is stated explicitly in the article.
Speed never overrides accuracy.
5. Use of Anonymous Sources
Journoist may grant anonymity to sources only when:
- The information is in the public interest
- The source faces a credible risk (legal, professional, or physical)
- The information cannot reasonably be obtained on the record
Editors must know the identity of anonymous sources. Anonymous sourcing is never used to publish personal attacks, speculation, or unverified allegations.
6. Conflicts of Interest
Editors and contributors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including:
- Financial relationships
- Political affiliations
- Personal relationships relevant to coverage
Journoist does not assign or publish work where a conflict compromises editorial independence. Disclosures are made to readers when relevant.
7. Legal and Ethical Review
Journoist may subject content to internal legal or ethical review before publication, particularly in cases involving:
- Allegations of wrongdoing
- National security
- Ongoing legal proceedings
- Vulnerable individuals
Such review does not grant veto power to external parties and does not alter factual conclusions.
8. Editorial Accountability
Journoist acknowledges that errors can occur. When they do, they are addressed transparently and promptly according to our Corrections Policy.
Editorial accountability includes:
- Publishing corrections when facts are wrong
- Clarifying ambiguous or misleading language
- Updating stories when new verified information emerges
Errors are not silently corrected.
9. Independence from Advocacy
Journoist does not coordinate with political campaigns, lobbying groups, or advocacy organizations. Participation by journalists or editors in political activity that compromises neutrality is prohibited.
Journoist’s role is to examine, not organize.
10. Reader Trust
Journoist considers reader trust a core obligation. This requires:
- Clear sourcing
- Transparent limitations
- Honest uncertainty when facts are incomplete
- Separation between reporting and opinion
Trust is earned through consistency, not claims.