The truth is our currency

The following is so important, it bears repeating. Some edits to the original have been made.

Over time it seems the news media’s role has changed dramatically to more media entertainment. There really is no room for change when your job is to report the truth. In some cases, so-called reporters have become “personalities” who spout their opinions as facts or use their publication as a weapon against those who disagree with them or won’t buy an ad.

They stand at the podium at a meeting and spew ugliness. Real journalists don’t belong at the podium spewing their opinions or questioning people. Interviews are reserved for later. We have made that clear to our staff, after it happened once.

Let’s be clear – Navarre Press serves a very diverse community, full of differing opinions with different stances on political issues. We do not tread on those opinions or stances, and we will not use our newspaper to silence or promote their opinion.

The truth is, journalists must be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting information. Not all stories make people “feel good.” Some stories will unravel government corruption, or talk about hard, uncomfortable issues. Journalists are tasked with being watchdogs for the public, making sure the government operates in the sunshine for all to see. Where there is transparency there is truth.

We seek the truth and report it – ethical journalism should be accurate and fair. At Navarre Press we don’t lean to the left or right unless it is written on our Editorial (opinion) page. Anything outside of that 10” x 20” page is truth, unless it is an obvious column or advertorial. We pride ourselves on making sure we let our readers make up their own minds about a subject or topic we are reporting on. You will have all sides presented to you because there are truths on all sides, and everyone gets heard.

Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues, and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect. We do not and will not practice “gotcha journalism.” Our questions are the same questions we would expect our readers to ask. When reporting a story, we don’t add anything that was not there, no deceptions. We treat everyone with the same respect we want shown to us. And everyone is treated equally with favor to none. Our newsroom and advertising team do not hold hands for that very reason. The truth is the truth, regardless of the subject.

We are accountable and transparent about our methods and motives. Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for our work and explaining our decisions to the public. If we make a mistake, we own it. If we catch our own mistake, we proactively call the person or organization affected to let them hear it from us first. We will make public corrections when needed to make sure everyone knows what information was wrong or missing.

Our company’s core values:

• The truth is our currency.
• Excellence is our ordinary. We don’t do average; we only do extraordinary.
• Personal accountability: When there is a problem, admit it and be part of the solution.
• Have passion for what you do: You either love it or leave it.
• We are not here for us: We are part of something much bigger than ourselves.
• We are here to serve our community.
• There is no task beneath me.

These core values are not just words, they are actions our staff members take every day to be the best.