Donor Transparency & Editorial Independence

Acadia Newspaper Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to securing the future of independent, community-centered journalism in Hancock County, Acadia National Park and the Downeast region.

The Trust believes that transparency about the sources of financial support is essential to maintaining the confidence of our readers, donors and communities. Financial support does not purchase influence over journalism.

Editorial Independence

Acadia Newspaper Trust and the news organizations it supports retain full authority over all editorial decisions. Donors, foundations, sponsors and other sources of financial support have no right to assign, review, approve or otherwise influence news coverage.

We maintain a clear separation between fundraising, advertising and editorial decision-making. Acceptance of a donation, grant or sponsorship does not constitute an endorsement of a donor, organization, business, product, service or opinion.

Editors and journalists make coverage decisions independently and in the best interests of the communities they serve. Donations will not influence whether a person or organization is covered, how that coverage is presented.

Gifts, Grants and Sponsorships

Acadia Newspaper Trust may accept charitable gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, businesses, foundations and other organizations to support general operations, journalism, educational activities, specific areas of coverage and special projects.

The Trust may also receive funding through government programs generally available to nonprofit organizations or businesses. Such funding does not provide a government entity with any role in editorial decision-making.

The Trust may accept funding intended to support reporting on a particular subject or community. Such funding supports the ability to conduct journalism; it does not determine the outcome of that journalism. Acadia Newspaper Trust and its news organizations retain complete editorial control, including decisions about which stories to pursue, sources to interview, and information to publish.

No donor or sponsor will receive a right of prior review, approval or editing of editorial content.

Donor Transparency

Acadia Newspaper Trust believes readers should be able to understand who financially supports our work. We will publicly disclose donors consistent with applicable law and recognized best practices for nonprofit journalism.

We will not allow anonymous contributions to constitute a material portion of the Trust's financial support. Requests for anonymity will be considered carefully and only when the Trust determines there is a legitimate reason to protect a donor's identity and doing so would not compromise the independence or credibility of the organization.

The Trust will not accept charitable contributions when the Board of Directors determines that accepting the gift would create a significant conflict of interest, compromise our journalistic independence or reasonably undermine public confidence in our work.

Acadia Newspaper Trust will not accept charitable contributions conditioned upon favorable news coverage or the suppression, alteration or advancement of particular editorial viewpoints.

Political Independence

As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, Acadia Newspaper Trust does not participate or intervene in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office.

The Trust will not accept charitable contributions from political parties, candidate campaign committees or candidates when doing so could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, the editorial independence of the organization.

Editorial coverage of candidates, elected officials, political organizations and public policy is determined solely through the independent editorial judgment of our newsrooms.

Funding Disclosures

When a grant, donation or other funding source provides substantial support for a specific reporting project, area of coverage or journalist's employment, we will disclose that relationship to readers when appropriate.

A disclosure may appear with relevant stories and explain the source of funding while making clear that the funder had no role in the editorial process.

For example:

This reporting was supported in part by a grant from [Funder]. The funder had no role in the reporting, editing or presentation of this story.

Sponsorships

Acadia Newspaper Trust and its affiliated news organizations reserve the right to accept or decline sponsorships.

We will not knowingly accept sponsorships that are fraudulent, misleading, illegal or inconsistent with the standards and mission of the organization.

Sponsored or underwriting content will be clearly identified so readers can distinguish it from independently produced journalism. Sponsorship arrangements will not provide sponsors with control over news coverage or editorial decisions.

Our Commitment

The sustainability of nonprofit journalism depends upon community support. Its credibility depends upon independence.

Acadia Newspaper Trust is committed to both. We welcome financial support from people and organizations that believe in strong local journalism, while preserving a firm boundary between those who fund the work and the journalists who produce it.

Our responsibility for editorial decisions is to our readers and the communities we serve.