Our Editorial Policy
Code of Ethics
Methow Valley Examiner is guided by the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. Among them are the following:
- Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
- Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect.
- The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public.
- Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one’s work and explaining one’s decisions to the public.
Editorial Independence:
Methow Valley Examiner has an obligation to keep editorial decisions separate from commercial interests. While the publication can receive advertising or in-kind donations, it cannot allow commercial interests to affect editorial processes.
Corrections:
It is better not to publish than to publish erroneously. Verifying information takes discipline, which is harder in a faster-paced world. However, it is our duty to report accurate information. Where information is unclear, it will be stated as such. Outside of copy editing mistakes, if a correction needs to be made, it will be included in the body of the article in italicized form.