The Jersey Vindicator is an independent, nonprofit newsroom.

Our reporting is supported by individual readers, foundations, grants, sponsorships, and other charitable contributions.

Financial support allows us to produce journalism. It does not influence what we cover or how we cover it.

Editorial decisions are made exclusively by our editors.

We report without fear or favor and retain complete authority over every editorial decision. We maintain a firewall between our journalism and all sources of revenue.

We accept gifts, grants, and sponsorships to support our journalism, but financial support never gives donors, sponsors, or funders the right to assign, review, edit, approve, delay, suppress, or otherwise influence our reporting.

If a foundation or grant supports coverage of a broad topic, such as housing, health, education, or the environment, we retain complete editorial control over every aspect of our reporting.

To promote transparency, we publicly disclose all donors whose total contributions equal or exceed $5,000 in a calendar year. We accept anonymous donations only for general operating support and only when appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure that the funds are accepted and spent independently and in accordance with the standards of the Institute for Nonprofit News.

When we believe readers should know about a funding relationship relevant to a particular story, we disclose that relationship within the story.

We believe transparency strengthens trust.

The Jersey Vindicator is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization committed to accountability journalism and public service. We subscribe to the editorial independence standards of the Institute for Nonprofit News, a network of more than 425 nonprofit newsrooms dedicated to high-quality journalism and public service.

Editorial independence in practice

No donor, sponsor, advertiser, board member, government agency, corporation, political organization, or other outside entity may:

• Direct our reporting.
• Select stories.
• Review or approve stories before publication.
• Delay publication.
• Suppress reporting.
• Influence editorial conclusions.

The Jersey Vindicator’s board of directors oversees the organization’s governance, financial health, and long-term sustainability. The board does not direct, review, approve, or influence day-to-day editorial decisions or news coverage.

Our editors and journalists are solely responsible for determining what we cover, how we report it, and when stories are published.