Republish Our Stories

All original PNS stories can be used for free, if you credit us and link to us. All rights remain with PNS and our material may not be resold. PHOTOS may be used only with the PNS story they accompany, and with proper credit. Any article on the PNS site originally published by a different outlet must credit and link back to that original outlet. Contact us with any questions.

Editorial Policy/Funding

We are funded by grants, gifts and memberships from nonprofits, individuals, corporations and foundations. Over 400 organizations contribute to fund the news services, which are independently operated by professional journalists. We solicit support for subject areas in which we have an interest.

We recognize the possibility that those who fund any medium may seek to influence its content. Therefore, we have instituted policies to ensure that our practices and content conform to common journalistic standards. As with any other objective news medium, there is a "wall" between the news and fundraising functions. Our producers and editors practice attribution, fairness and balance. All supporters are given the explicit understanding that editorial content and control is entirely under the authority of PNS staff.

Public News Service Corrections Policy

Public News Service prioritizes accurate and factual news. We strive to promptly correct any errors in material published on audio and digital platforms. If a correction or clarification is needed in a story, we will make a note in the original story that it has been updated.

When we publish incorrect information on social networks, we will correct it on that platform.

To report corrections and clarifications contact:
• Phone: 303.448.9105
• E-mail: info@publicnewsservice.org

Please indicate which specific story and the date published in your message.

Unnamed Source Policy

Public News Service does not publish stories with unnamed sources, with the following exception: In rare cases, the names of interviewed sources may be withheld to protect people in sensitive situations where using their name could endanger their livelihood or life. If we use an unnamed source, we will inform our readers as much as we can about why our unnamed sources deserve our confidence in the footnote of the story.

Verification Standards

Public News Service commits to do its best to publish accurate information across all of its content. We take many steps to ensure accuracy: We investigate claims with skepticism; question assumptions; challenge conventional wisdom; confirm information with experts; and seek to corroborate what sources tell us by talking with other informed people or consulting documents. We verify content, such as technical terms, stats, etc., against source documents or make clear who is providing the information. We may share relevant components of a story with a primary source or an outside expert to verify the information and/or confirm that sources are quoted correctly.

We stand by the information as accurate, and if it's not, we will change it as quickly as possible and be transparent with our readers about the magnitude of the error.

We guide our journalists to ask the following questions when they double-check information in a quest for the truth.

• How do you know?
• How can you be sure?
• Where is the evidence?
• Who is the source, and how does the source know?
• What is the supporting documentation?

If you believe any information about our stories to be inaccurate, please email editors@publicnewsservice.org and include the link to the story in question.

Actionable Feedback: Contact Point

You are a frontline witness to life here, and your insights help shape our stories and the possibilities of reimagining equitable public safety, civil rights, politics, health, housing, social movements, schools, immigration, culture, energy, and conservation — the list goes on. We invite your comments and complaints on news stories, and suggestions for issues and events to cover or sources to consult. We believe that news organizations have a responsibility to center the interests of our communities on the values, issues and ideas of the day, and we need your help to fulfill that commitment.

For feedback please email info@publicnewsservice.org, or send us a tweet: @PNS_News

Notice about Copyrighted Material

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. As journalists, we are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go here. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Before reproducing any image found on this website, it is your responsibility to determine if your use complies with any copyright or license to use any image on this site. Public News Service is not responsible for your use of any third party's copyright protected works.

And, with this in mind, in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (the "DMCA"), Public News Service responds promptly to claims of copyright infringement reported to its designated agent. In the event that you find Content posted on the Site which you believe constitutes an infringement of the copyright ownership or other intellectual property rights of you or any third party, you are requested to immediately report any alleged infringement. Please note that under section 512(f) of the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 512(f)), any person who knowingly and materially misrepresents that material or activity is infringing may be subject to liability. To report an alleged infringement, contact us via email and in writing providing a signed statement containing the information below:

1. your name, address, telephone number, and email address, and if you are acting on behalf of the owner of the intellectual property, the name of the owner;

2. a statement, made under penalty of perjury, that you are the owner of the copyright or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner;

3. a detailed description of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property that you claim has been infringed;

4. if your claim is based on a registered work, the registration number, and the date of issuance of the registration;

5. a description of the infringing material and the URL where such material is located on the Site, or a description of where on our Site you found such material;

6. your written statement that you believe, in good faith, that the use of the work on our Site has not been authorized by the true owner of the work, its agent, or as a matter of law; and

7. a statement that all of the information you have provided is true.

Please send your notice of alleged infringement by mail addressed to:

Copyright
Public News Service
3980 Broadway
Suite 103 Box 139
Boulder, Colorado 80304
Fax: 208-247-1830

You may also send notification by email to info@publicnewsservice.org.

Code of Ethics

Ethics policy

These policies guide our journalism as we deliver news and information in a rapidly changing media environment. These guidelines are dynamic; we will continually modify and update based on feedback from our journalists, readers and staff. Because the circumstances under which information is obtained and reported vary widely from one case to the next, these guidelines should not be understood as establishing hard and fast rules or as covering every situation that might arise.

Conflict of Interest

Public News Service pledges to avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflict of interest wherever and whenever possible. We avoid actions that could compromise or seem to compromise our ability to report and edit fairly.

Funding

We cover critical issues that receive too little coverage, lifting up often marginalized voices and making greater journalistic breadth available to broadcasters and publishers on any platform. Our funding comes from grants, gifts and memberships. Contributors include individuals, non-profits, NGOs and media outlets. Additional funding comes from a licensing contract with Soundbite Services.

As all news outlets, we recognize the possibility that those who fund any medium may seek to influence its content. Therefore, we have instituted policies to ensure that our practices and content conform to commonly-held journalistic standards. As with any other objective news medium, there is a wall between the news and fundraising functions. All contributors are given the explicit understanding that editorial content and control is entirely under the authority of our editorial staff. We do not accept payment, contributions, honoraria or expenses from any governmental or political source. Nor may any journalist or editor accept payment from any source being covered.

Transparency

All contributors are publically listed on our website. If a contributor is interviewed for a story, we disclose it.

Fairness

Reporters and editors of Public News Service are committed to fairness. We will not omit facts of major importance or significance. While objectivity is the goal, we acknowledge that we are all biased in ways we do not consciously recognize, and appreciate critical feedback.

We will not undermine significant facts with irrelevant information. Relevance is essential to fairness.

We will not intentionally or unintentionally mislead or even deceive the reader. Honesty is essential to fairness.

We strive to explore issues in ways that provide clarity rather than "he said/she said" journalism. We will not publish a story without giving the opportunity for individuals or organizations covered in the story to address assertions or claims about them made by others. Diligently seeking a comment and taking that comment genuinely into account is essential to fairness.

Taste

Public News Service respects taste and decency, understanding that society's concepts of taste and decency are constantly changing. We shall avoid profanities and obscenities unless their use is so essential to a story of significance that its meaning is lost without them. In no case shall obscenities be used without the approval of the managing editors.

If editors decide that content containing potentially offensive material has a legitimate news value, editors should use visual and/or text warnings about such material. For example, if a politician uses an obscene word or phrase, we will note in the footnote of the story that we don't condone the language, but we felt it was necessary to report.

Finally, we do not link to sites that aid or abet illegal activity.

Opinion

Public News Service does not currently publish "op-eds."

Social Media

Social-media accounts maintained by the Public News Service reflect the reputation of our company. While we reserve the right to do so, we do not block any users as we believe that our content should be available to everyone.

While Public News Service does not intend to constrain the personal speech of employees, we reserve the right to take disciplinary action, up to and including termination, if a social media post by an employee or contractor causes harm or embarrassment to the company.

We ask that all staffers add a disclaimer to their personal social media accounts indicating that their posts do not reflect the views of Public News Service.

A Journalist's Role

In gathering news, journalists will not misrepresent their identity or their occupation. They will not portray themselves as anything other than journalists. Our role is to report the news, not become the news.

Our journalists engage with the communities they cover, readers and commenters, as well as leaders, experts and advocates working on the issues we cover, and the media outlets using our content.

Public Engagement Policy

We believe that news organizations have a responsibility, as well as an opportunity, to engage with our communities and the general public on the values, issues and ideas of the day. Your knowledge and expertise may help us develop an individual story or line of coverage, answer questions that a story may raise, identify related or under-covered issues, and teach us about new and diverse sources, experts and perspectives.

We are committed to engaging with you and taking action based on your suggestions, complaints and other feedback.

Here's how you can reach us: info@publicnewsservice.org