About AVV | Code of Ethics | Ark Valley Voice Staff

Ark Valley Voice completely online news source for Chaffee County and the Upper Arkansas Valley in Central Colorado. Beginning in 2018 as an LLC, as of August, 2022, Ark Valley Voice became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It is an accredited member of the Colorado Press Association and the Institute of Nonprofit News and a member of the editorial board of the Colorado News Collaborative.

Guided by experienced, award-winning Publisher/Managing Editor Jan Wondra the “AVV Crew” of trained journalists seeks to elevate the quality of community journalism to foster an informed and educated public.

Journalism Trust Initiative Final Report

 

Mission Statement

To be a voice in pursuit of truth in the Upper Arkansas Valley by providing objective, factual journalism that supports an informed community, civil discourse and government accountability while reflecting the values of the community.

Vision

To provide quality journalism to the Upper Ark community in a way that:

  • Recognizes that truth has no sides.
  • Stands upon the tenets of objective, factual reporting that adds personal relevance to events.
  • Encourages dialogue fostering an engaged, informed and curious population.
  • Highlights positive trends, events and developments in the community.
  • Encourages public officials and civil servants to operate with openness and  transparency, focused on the needs of the communities they serve.
  • Reinforces united communities intent upon collaborating for the good of the place(s) in which we live and work.
  • Functions as a reflection of the community to the outside world, conveying the heart of the people of the Upper Arkansas Valley and their commitment to this place and to each other.

Community Advisory Board

The Ark Valley Voice Community Advisory Board consists of community leaders and concerned citizens who donate their time and ideas to help ensure that Ark Valley Voice addresses concerns and issues relevant to the people of the Upper Ark Valley. The Community Advisory Board plays a crucial role by helping to ensure that Ark Valley Voice addresses issues important to all segments of our local communities.

Donor Transparency Policy

Ark Valley Voice, as the news reporting arm of Truth Has a Voice Foundation is committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization.

Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.

We accept gifts, grants, and sponsorships from individuals, organizations, and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics, and for special projects. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates as a public trust, we do not pay certain taxes. We may receive funds from standard government programs or grants offered to nonprofits or similar businesses.

As our AVV news site reiterates in the ethics section about AVV: https://arkvalleyvoice.com/ark-valley-voice-code-of-ethics/ our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors, advertisers, or any revenue source. As a news organization adhering to the ethics of the Colorado Press Association and the Colorado News Collaborative, We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content.

We make public all revenue sources and donors who give $5,000 or more per year. As a news nonprofit, we avoid accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office, nor do we endorse political candidates. We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our board of directors, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.

Ark Valley Voice Policy on Elections and Political Coverage

As a nonprofit news organization that operates as a public trust, Ark Valley Voice leans neither left, nor right, nor are we cause-focused. At the same time our unbiased approach focuses on truth, fairness, and accuracy, we unabashedly declare that we are pro-democracy. This is not just the organizing principle our our nation, but it is the basis of our coverage of elections, as well as our examination of candidates and issues.

As a news organization, our coverage of elections is intimately linked to our mission to be a voice in pursuit of truth in the Upper Arkansas Valley by providing objective, factual journalism that supports an informed community, civil discourse and government accountability while reflecting the values of the community.

We cover issues and candidates in an equal manner, asking candidates running for the same office, the same questions; requiring our reporters to review candidate statements and positions against our standards. If a candidate takes a position that is not based on facts, we call this out. If a candidate reveals himself or herself to be anti-democratic — we will call that out.

We take no positions regarding political candidates, nor do we endorse candidates running for any political office, whether that office is a local office, state-wide or national office.

We do no advocacy. We avoid active involvement in partisan causes – politics, community affairs, social action, demonstrations, or special interests – that could compromise or seem to compromise our ability to report and edit fairly on public affairs and public officials. We are committed to avoiding conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflict-of-interest whenever possible.

Ark Valley Voice will continue to accept sponsorships and informative advertising. But just as with our news coverage, we require claims substantiation, and adherence to our ethical standards of accuracy, truthfulness and fairness.

We provide equal treatment to candidates and political parties (for placement representing legitimate “earned income”), offer standard equal rates to all political candidates for informative advertising and refuse any advertising that demands the readers vote a certain way, or disrespects competitors, the election process, or the Constitution.