Our only agenda is the truth: We fight for the state that we love through high-quality journalism that connects Mainers. Our job is to seek the truth, report it fairly and present it compellingly.
We follow the facts wherever they take us: Our chief tool is objective reporting. That means we start each story with a question, not an answer. We interview people and write down, word for word, what they say. We knock on doors and talk to as many people as possible before the deadline. We get official documents from reliable sources.
We work for you: We work for our readers, not the people we cover.
We are independent: We are not aligned with a political party nor do we see ourselves as the resistance or the gatekeepers of some mainstream orthodoxy. Our newsroom makes coverage decisions independent of the business side of our company. That means BDN advertisers, donors, funders, and Pulse Marketing Agency clients do not review, approve or assign journalism. Our editorial independence and gift acceptance guidelines go into more detail.
We are human: Being objective does not mean we leave our humanity at the door. We are not impartial about murder, corruption, domestic violence, racism, misogyny, government waste, incompetence, hypocrisy, crumbling infrastructure, chronic crises and other clearly bad things. We aim to include multiple viewpoints in our journalism but we will not elevate ideas founded on misinformation or hate.
We are accountable: If you feel we haven’t walked the walk in our reporting, let us know by emailing news@bangordailynews.com.
Our pledge to you is that we will pursue our mission and seek the truth every day.
Here are a few of our newsroom guidelines, though we also follow the SPJ’s code of ethics:
- We highlight diverse voices. That includes people with different viewpoints and backgrounds. Our coverage should be a reflection of the communities we serve.
- Our voice emphasizes clarity, compassion and honesty.
- We see ourselves as helpful guides to a state that we love.
- We do not pay sources, accept any gifts, promise favorable coverage or allow subjects to review stories before publication.
- We’re transparent when we mess up and fix wherever we erred.
- Just because we’re journalists does not mean we can’t volunteer or serve on non-political boards or be involved in our communities, but we are politically neutral in public.
- Facts are not in dispute. Perspectives on those facts vary, so we take measures to reflect the sides of a debate. We avoid “he said, she said” reporting that gives false equivalence to two sides of an issue.
- We deliver news urgently, but it’s more important to be right than to be first.