About Our Policies

We subscribe to standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News:
Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.

We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.

Our organization may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. We will cede no right of review or influence of editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content.

Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $5,000 or more per year. We will accept anonymous donations for general support only if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that the expenditure of that donation is made independently by our organization and in compliance with INN’s Membership Standards.

We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization.

Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.

We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics and special projects. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates as a public trust, we do not pay certain taxes. We may receive funds from standard government programs offered to nonprofits or similar businesses.

Our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors or any revenue source. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content.

We make public all revenue sources and donors who give $5,000 or more per year. As a news nonprofit, we avoid accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office. We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our board of directors, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.

This news organization aims to reflect the diversity of the communities it serves in its staff and contributors, its editorial choices and priorities.

PassBlue reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement or sponsorship it is offered.

PassBlue will decline to accept advertising that it knows or believes to be misleading, inaccurate, fraudulent or illegal, or that fails to comply, in PassBlue’s sole discretion, with its standards of decency, taste or dignity.

PassBlue, like all quality publishers of original journalism, maintains a clear separation between news and advertising content. Advertising that attempts to blur this distinction in a manner that, in PassBlue’s sole judgment, confuses readers will be rejected.

The following Financial Conflict of Interest Policy (“Conflict of Interest Policy”) is an effort (i) to ensure that the deliberations and decisions of the PassBlue are made solely in the interest of promoting the quality of journalism, and (ii) to protect the interests of PassBlue when it considers any transaction, contract, or arrangement that might benefit or be perceived to benefit the private interest of a person affiliated with PassBlue (each, a “PassBlue Representative”). As used in this Conflict of Interest Policy, a PassBlue Representative includes any director, advisory board member, financial advisor, legal counsel or employee.

1. Duty to Passblue. Each PassBlue Representative owes a duty to PassBlue to advance Passblue’s legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises. Each PassBlue Representative must give undivided allegiance when making decisions affecting the organization. Similarly, PassBlue Representatives must be faithful to Passblue’s nonprofit mission and are not permitted to act in a way that is inconsistent with the central goals of the organization and its nonprofit status.
2. Gifts. No PassBlue Representative shall personally accept gifts or favors that could compromise his or her loyalty to Passblue. Any gifts or benefits personally accepted from a party having a material interest in the outcome of PassBlue or its employees by a PassBlue Representative individually should be merely incidental to his or her role as an PassBlue Representative and should not be of substantial value. Any gift with a value of $250 or more, or any gifts with a cumulative value in excess of $250 received by an PassBlue Representative in any twelve-month period from a single source, shall be considered substantial. Cash payments may not be accepted, and no gifts should be accepted if there are strings attached. For example, no PassBlue Representative may accept gifts if he or she knows that such gifts are being given to solicit his or her support of or opposition to the outcome or content of any PassBlue publication.
3. Conflicts of Interest. The following are examples of conflicts of interest which must be promptly disclosed to the PassBlue Board of Directors pursuant to Section 4 below by any PassBlue Representative with knowledge of such conflict of interest:

(a) Any real or apparent conflict of interest between a donor or the subject of an PassBlue publication or report and an PassBlue Representative;
(b) A PassBlue Representative’s ownership of an equity interest in a person or entity that is or will be the subject of an PassBlue publication or report; and
(c) Failure to disclose to PassBlue all relationships between the subject of any PassBlue publication or report and any PassBlue Representative or close relatives of the PassBlue Representative.