Standards & Ethics

These standards apply to everything Democracy Today publishes.

Accuracy and sourcing

• Every news story carries a byline and a publication date. Updates are dated and time-stamped.
• Factual claims are verified against primary sources wherever possible: official records, government data, court documents, published research and on-the-record interviews. Those sources are linked in the story and listed at the end of it.
• When a claim cannot be confirmed, we say so explicitly or leave it out. We do not present unverified information as fact.
• We do not publish fabricated quotes, composite characters or invented examples presented as real.

News and opinion

News reporting and opinion are separate. Editorials, columns, guest essays and other pieces that argue a point of view are labeled as opinion. Essays in our Ideas and Essays sections are signed. Pieces signed by Democracy Today Editorial reflect the views of the editorial staff; pieces signed by an individual reflect that author’s views.

Elections

Democracy Today is not an election authority. For registration, deadlines, polling places and certified results, we direct readers to vote.gov and their state election office. On election night we report results only as they are released by official sources or called by a news organization we identify by name, with the time of each update. Results reported on election night are unofficial until certified by the states.

Images

Photographs and illustrations are credited. Stock or illustrative images are labeled as such and are not presented as depicting the people or events in a story.

Corrections

We correct errors promptly and transparently. See our Corrections policy.

Independence

Democracy Today is published by Atlas Media Network, LLC. We disclose our ownership on every page and are not affiliated with any other organization with a similar name.