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ethics policy

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mission + intentions

The mission behind this newsletter is to focus on immigration issues in WA state with its marginalized communities and their needs in mind. I believe journalism can be a powerful tool for social change, and a resource for people to make sense of and fight back against systems of oppression.

I’ve been a journalist for a little over 7 years, and more recently worked in investigations where I was held to a high standard of ethics and accuracy in my work. I’m quite orthodox when it comes to journalism ethics, but I don’t believe it comes at odds with the essential beliefs I have towards issues of human rights. I stand firm in my support for resistance against all forms of oppression and colonialism, and in my support for economic and racial justice — such as Black, Indigenous and Palestinian liberation – and believe that coming into the journalism industry with these values has helped me build trust with my sources in order to cover their stories as fairly and accurately as possible. 

fairness + transparency

I always identify myself as a journalist when talking to sources, and will never misrepresent myself or pay in order to secure a story or interview. I also do not accept any payments, gifts or meals in exchange for interviews.

Sources will be given a reasonable amount of time to respond to any inquiries – but what is considered reasonable can vary depending on the urgency of story. Government agencies and those in positions of power will generally be held to a higher level of scrutiny and expectation for a timely response. If I'm unable to reach certain parties for whatever reason, that information will be clearly communicated in the story.

This project is fully independent with the exception of startup funding from Project C. This plays no role in the editorial content, its execution or planning. Any additional grants and funding will be made public on the site – and in the case that a story quotes a donor or subscriber, that information will be mentioned in either in the main text or a footnote.

To avoid conflict of interest, I do not interview anyone I have a personal relationship with. People who I do have a personal relationship with will only strictly be brought in under the guise of writing guest essays for the newsletter, if they choose to do so.

accuracy + integrity

My reporting will be truthful, transparent and respectful towards voices that have historically been marginalized by Western media.

If I make any mistakes in my reporting, I will issue a correction immediately (as I'm not publishing on a daily basis, corrections will be published as their own standalone posts on the site).

If you catch a correction in my story before I do, contact me immediately.

It goes without saying – but I have a zero tolerance policy for fabrication, plagiarism and use of AI. All guest essays will be fact-checked to the best of my abilities to avoid these mistakes.

Any information referenced from other sources or news outlets will be properly attributed, and I plan to link articles, secondary research, documents, and public records when possible.

Any photos and videos used on this site will not be altered by any means – with the only exception being blurring faces in situations that would be deemed necessary (i.e. minors, protestors or highly-sensitive stories).

sourcing

I approach sourcing with my sources’ needs in mind. I’m aware of how intrusive a process journalism can be – most times you’re entering someone’s most vulnerable headspace and projecting it to a very public and permanent platform. I am very careful about communicating the guidelines under which I interview sources, and always offer anonymity as an option for sources who are undocumented or actively undergoing immigration proceedings.

Not everyone understands a journalist's rules for attribution. Here are the guidelines and interpretations I use in my reporting:

  • On the record: Information that can be published, quoted and attributed to a named source.
  • Off the record: Information that cannot be published or attributed to a source (but can help the journalist further their reporting/get a better idea for the story).
  • On background: Information that can be published but only under conditions negotiated with the source. Generally, the sources do not want their names published but will agree to a description of their position.

I always ask for consent before recording an interview, even in one-party consent states and if there's a clear understanding that the interview is being conducted on the record.

Other policies I’ve implemented in my journalism are “no surprises” quote checks and not uploading sensitive interviews to online transcription services, such as Otter. 

If you have any other questions, please reach out to me through Signal at @farah.02 or the contact form on this site.