Editorial independence and transparency
Outlier Media makes decisions about how and where to focus our reporting resources based on where we see information and accountability gaps for Detroiters. We do not make decisions about what to cover based on anything else, including the opinions of our donors or supporters. This “firewall” is part of what keeps us editorially independent.
We accept monetary donations, grants and sponsorships from individuals, foundations and organizations to help us achieve our mission. News judgments are made independently.
Outlier does not accept donations from government sources, political parties, elected officials, candidates seeking public office or groups likely to intersect with our reporting as sources or subjects. Outlier does not accept funding where a nondisclosure agreement is required. We avoid accepting anonymous donations in order to demonstrate transparency about our funding. We do not accept donations from sources that present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.
Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $2,500 or more per year.
Outlier journalists do not accept gifts or favors of more than nominal value, nor any special treatment from any person or group that is or could be a source or the subject of our reporting.
Corrections policy
Outlier Media is committed to our integrity, the reputation of our editorial team members and our reputation as a trusted media entity in Detroit. We recognize that mistakes may happen — or that new information can emerge after a story is published. We are committed to making editorial corrections related to factual errors in our reporting and editing, as well as inaccuracies related to misspellings, miscalculations or grammatical errors.
We will address any concerns about accuracy and fairness quickly, justly and transparently. If a correction or clarification is warranted, we will address it at the bottom of the story. We will also correct the information in that story or headline.
In exceptional circumstances, Outlier Media reserves the right to remove a story from our online platforms — temporarily or permanently — when the integrity of the published work is substantially undermined owing to errors in the conduct, analysis and/or reporting of the story. A statement explaining why the content has been removed will be published.
If anything you see in Outlier’s coverage that is inaccurate, please contact Managing Editor Erin Perry at erin@outliermedia.org.