NJ21st Editorial Policy

NJ21st is a nonprofit civic journalism initiative dedicated to increasing transparency, accountability, and public engagement across New Jersey’s 21st Legislative District. Our reporting focuses on public funding, education, local governance, and civic rights.

We are fiercely independent. We do not accept advertising from political organizations or government agencies, and we are not beholden to elected officials, special interests, or party machinery. Editorial decisions are made without influence from donors, sponsors, or board members.

All NJ21st reporting is built on verifiable facts and primary-source documents. Whether an article contains investigative research, budget analysis, or community commentary, our team uses a rigorous editorial process that includes:

We strive for clarity, transparency, and fairness in all published work. If an error is discovered, we issue corrections promptly.

Factual corrections are added at the top or bottom of the article, with a clear explanation of the correction and the date it was made. We encourage readers to flag potential inaccuracies by emailing [email protected].

Most NJ21st pieces blend reporting and commentary — what we refer to as news-magazine style journalism. While grounded in fact, our editorial voice may be clear and unapologetic, especially on matters where transparency or ethics are at stake.

When an article includes substantial opinion or argument, it is labeled accordingly. Opinion pieces and editorials, including Community Voices, reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of NJ21st as an organization.

The Community Voices section provides a platform for local residents and stakeholders to contribute perspectives on school, municipal, and state issues. Submissions are reviewed for accuracy, clarity, and relevance, but are given more flexibility than NJ21st staff-written pieces.

We allow anonymous publication only under specific, verified conditions.

We do not permit anonymous contributions from elected officials, political candidates, or administrative leadership.

Before publishing anonymous contributions, we confirm the contributor’s identity, independently verify factual claims, evaluate the necessity of anonymity, and maintain internal documentation. Anonymous articles include a disclosure explaining why anonymity was granted. If the contributor is affiliated with a nonprofit, the organization is disclosed.

We invite civil responses from anyone named in an article or affected by our coverage. Responses are published prominently and without delay. We also welcome tips, commentary, and documents from the public to strengthen our civic mission.

All content is originally written and all data is vetted by real people. AI tools may be used to support editorial review, including grammar checks, dataset consistency, and fairness or tone review. AI is never used to generate full stories or replace original reporting.

We use AI as a tool to strengthen accountability, not to replace human judgment.