Redbird Report Ethics Policy
Preamble
As journalists, we seek the truth and strive to present a responsible and fair glimpse of the world. This website is growing by the day, so we must treat our readers with respect, candor, and transparency.
Each day, we begin with the idea of bringing the news to our readers that they want to know, but at the same time, news that can be trusted and from ethical and real sources.
Accuracy, Fairness, and Sourcing
Our sources consist of press releases from trustworthy companies, but can range from a phone call to an email. Sometimes research can take a matter of hours, but sometimes it can range over weeks and weeks of work. This is what it takes to release facts onto our site: news from a single, trustworthy source, or a number of different sources so we can piece together a story of what has actually happened.
Anonymous Sources
Anonymous sources will sometimes be used, but will be outlined as such in each article. These can sometimes be vital, but the trustworthiness of these sources will always be questioned not only by the writer, but in the article itself.
These must also be signed off by the editor or editor in chief in regards to their credibility.
The writer has to have a clear understanding of why the source wants to be anonymous, while also being specific with terms such as “off the record” with sources. Information that the source doesn’t want to be included, will not be included. But this will also be stated in the article for complete transparency for the reader if deemed applicable.
Use of Quotes
The words of our sources and the people we cover must never be altered.
Quotation marks are intended to bracket the true voices and exact words of people.
If a writer believes a quote doesn’t rightfully reflect what the source is trying to communicate, or if the quote is difficult to understand or grammatically incorrect, we will communicate this with the source and ask them to reiterate.
Plagiarism and Originality
Plagiarism is the act of stealing content, either written or in the form of video, photo, or other digital and physical media.
If content is used, not only will Redbird Report get confirmation from the owner that it can be used on this website, but complete credit will be published and any information that accompanies the content, verified.
Pre-publication Review
Articles prior to publishing will be hidden from public view and only circulated to those within the company for review and editing.
In some cases, an article will be sent to a source for their approval in regards to the accuracy of quotes and the overall story.
After the initial writing, the story will be fact-checked, and checked for grammatical and layout errors before being published.
Errors/Corrections
Everyone makes mistakes, but if we make a mistake in an article, it will be corrected fully and quickly. the edit will then be noted at the bottom of the piece to remain transparent with our trusted readers.
If there is a dispute over the trustworthiness behind what is written, then a lead editor will oversee the editing of the article to create something that is trustworthy and factual. If this cannot be completed, then the piece will be taken down.
