The Plumas Sun strives to operate according to the highest ethical standards for journalism at all times.
All employees and contractors abide by a Code of Ethics to ensure that we avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest, and that we do not compromise our commitment to nonpartisan coverage. We avoid conflicts of interest and are required to disclose unavoidable conflicts.
We are committed to:
Integrity. We know that our most essential asset is the public’s confidence in the honesty and objectivity of our reporting, and we are committed to building and maintaining that public trust through all that we do.
Accuracy. We gather and publish information from reliable sources and we investigate and confirm the truth of information submitted to us for publication. We are careful to provide appropriate attribution for contributed material and to avoid publishing content from any source without identifying its potential biases if any. We will not publish material that is clearly biased or factually erroneous.
Independence. We report the news without favor to any interest other than adherence to our mission. The content of our reporting is not influenced by any donor, group, or individual.
Neutrality. The Plumas Sun does not take positions on political or social issues and does not participate in political campaigns.
Nondiscrimination. We base our reporting and editorial decisions solely on the newsworthiness of the topics we cover. We do not discriminate in favor of or in opposition to any group or geographic region within our communities.
Balance. When reporting on any potentially controversial topic, we work to represent the range of community viewpoints. We provide follow-up reporting when we become aware of relevant and reasonable alternative perspectives.
Openness. Because our role as a trusted community resource depends in part on our communities’ awareness of how we operate, we strive to be transparent with the public regarding our business model, processes and methods.
Adaptation. We see our organization as a work in progress. We acknowledge errors and missteps, learn from them, and consistently work to improve our future performance accordingly.
Humility. The Plumas Sun is grounded in a spirit of service to our communities. We appreciate the support of the citizens we serve, and we are grateful for their trust in our organization and our work.
The Plumas Sun Code of Conduct
The Plumas Sun is a community paper fostering civic discourse, public involvement and free speech. Our Code of Conduct is intended to help ensure that everyone can participate equally and without fear.
This code applies to everyone who interacts with The Plumas Sun on any level, including board members, staff, volunteers, readers and the general public. It applies to any venue, including but not limited to reporting, public speaking, workshops and events, social media and any other arenas in which we operate.
- Respect. Respect differences of opinion and a diverse range of experience. The Plumas Sun expects that everyone practice civil, respectful discourse, free from personal attacks, libel, slander, insults, violence or threats.
- Anti-racist and anti-biased. The Plumas Sun does not tolerate bias against anyone, for any reason. We do not tolerate racism, prejudice or discriminatory behavior, and condemn the use of racist language or slurs. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination on the basis of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, background or socioeconomic class.
- Integrity and accuracy. In our reporting we seek a free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. We expect all who interact at any level and in any venue to honor those standards.
Speech, written comments, gestures or behavior that violate our Code of Conduct will be removed from our online properties. Individuals engaging in such behavior may be denied access to in-person events and social media in future.
Editorial Independence
The Plumas Sun retains full authority over editorial content to protect our best journalistic and business interests. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
