Citizen Journalist Pledge

Dan Gillmor's new community journalism venture, Bayosphere, has introduced a "Citizen Journalist Pledge" to help ensure high-quality, trustworthy content. Here's the pledge and an interesting discussion of its merits and flaws.

Citizen Journalist Pledge

By submitting this form, I agree to be accurate, complete, fair and transparent in my postings on Bayosphere. I will operate with integrity.

I work in the community interest.

I report and produce news explaining the facts as fairly, thoroughly, accurately and openly as I can.

Fair: I'm always listening to and taking account of other viewpoints;
Thorough: I learn as much as I can in the time I have, and point to original sources when possible;
Accurate: I get it right, checking my facts, correcting errors promptly and incorporating new information I learn from the community;
Open: I explain my biases and conflicts, where appropriate.
I may also provide reviews (such as a critique of a movie or book) and commentary with a point of view based on facts, but I will have no significant financial or otherwise direct connection (membership, affiliation, close relationship, etc.) with an interested party.

If I do have such connections, I'll disclose them prominently, and my work may be labeled and/or categorized appropriately.

I agree, as an active member of this community, to help uphold the integrity of this pledge by challenging and reporting inappropriate postings or abuse.

July 2, 2005 | BY JONATHAN DUBE