Media Outlet Fort Worth Report Legal Entity Fort Worth Report Date of first publication 12/04/2024 Date of Latest Change 31/10/2023
3. Public Service Media
3.1. Public Service Media Mission, Governance and Independence
The Media Outlet shall describe its public service mission and the legal instrument on which it is based. It shall describe its governance structure, including the role of all relevant governance bodies or organisations (for example, regulator, supervisory board, government/parliament role). It shall state how its financial income is generated and what proportion of its financial resources are totally or partially provided by public funds. It shall state if both external and internal governance measures guarantee its editorial independence.
Is the Media Outlet a Public Service Media?
YesWhat is the public service mission for which it is responsible?
Fort Worth Report provides factual, unbiased coverage in and about Tarrant County Texas that aims to educate, engage and empower our readers. Our journalism covers the institutions, events and people in our community; holds government officials accountable, and keeps readers informed about policies, decisions and events that affect their lives and their families
Is this governed by legislation?
NoWhat law or legal instrument specifies its role and responsibilities?
n/a
What are the stakeholders with which it has formal relations, and what is the nature of the relationship?
We have an MOU with KERA public broadcasting in Dallas. This collaboration allows our two nonprofit news organizations to share and promote each other's content, work together on stories, and partner on live events.
How is income generated?
As a nonprofit newsroom, we derive income from foundation grants; individual contributions and corporate sponsorships. We run reader revenue campaigns via email and social media to encourage individual gifts; submit grant applications; manage a major donor program; and solicit corporate contributions for event sponsorships and limited advertising opportunities.
What portion of income is public funds?
Does the governance guarantee editorial independence?
YesState here in what way.
We have an editorial independence policy:
Fort Worth Report adheres to established traditions of journalism independence. Our news staff has final authority in decisions about what we cover, how we present that coverage and what we publish on our digital channels, in accordance with our mission statement.
We recognize that our sources of income may come from individuals and institutions who have their own missions, including advocacy of causes. We respectfully pledge that they, along with our Board of Directors, shall not interfere with our news coverage while we thank them for their support.
Further, we have adopted a donor transparency policy that identifies donors who contribute $5,000 or more annually. That policy and the list of such donors is available at https://fortworthreport.org/our-supporters/.
Fort Worth Report also endorses the ideals of the following organizations in journalism ethics and transparency:
Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp, the key provisions of which are:
Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and avoid political and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility.
Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; do not pay for access to news. Identify content provided by outside sources, whether paid or not.
Deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage.
Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two. Prominently label sponsored content.
Institute for Nonprofit News, https://inn.org/resources/business-strategy/standards-ethics/, excerpted below:
Fort Worth Report adheres to established traditions of journalism independence. Our news staff has final authority in decisions about what we cover, how we present that coverage and what we publish on our digital channels, in accordance with our mission statement.
We recognize that our sources of income may come from individuals and institutions who have their own missions, including advocacy of causes. We respectfully pledge that they, along with our Board of Directors, shall not interfere with our news coverage while we thank them for their support.
Further, we have adopted a donor transparency policy that identifies donors who contribute $5,000 or more annually. That policy and the list of such donors is available at https://fortworthreport.org/our-supporters/.
Fort Worth Report also endorses the ideals of the following organizations in journalism ethics and transparency:
Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp, the key provisions of which are:
Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and avoid political and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility.
Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; do not pay for access to news. Identify content provided by outside sources, whether paid or not.
Deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage.
Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two. Prominently label sponsored content.
Institute for Nonprofit News, https://inn.org/resources/business-strategy/standards-ethics/, excerpted below: