Journalism empowers people through information. Yet the professional media ecosystem is fragile. Institutions as esteemed as The Washington Post are at risk of mismanagement, financial hardship and political pressure that threaten to undermine the essential role they play in democracy.
Meanwhile, in education, experts argue that information literacy is more needed than ever. We often hear that, to successfully navigate the world we live in, youth need to be able to discern what material online is real and valuable and to figure out who created it, how and why.
So to do our part to promote information literacy, here’s a brief look at the who, how and why of EdSurge.
We’re a newsroom of professional journalists. Our mission is to produce journalism of integrity that holds power accountable, elevates the voices of educators and students, and informs our readers — you — whose trust we consider precious.
EdSurge follows the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics, so that all that we publish through edsurge.com and via our newsletters, audio and social channels is “accurate, fair and thorough.”
To gather news, we talk directly to teachers, students and other education experts. We interpret data and research. We edit drafts and check facts. If we make a mistake in a published article, we acknowledge and correct it.
We act independently. The SPJ code tells us to “avoid conflicts of interest” and “deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage.” We use our own judgment to determine what to cover — and what not to.
Recently, one of our longtime philanthropic funders told EdSurge how much they respect our editorial independence. It was a reminder that adhering to the best practices of journalism is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also critical to our sustainability, since grantmakers and advertisers want to be associated with our high standards.
And we’re transparent about those financial relationships. Our nonprofit parent, ISTE+ASCD, provides EdSurge with administrative support. Philanthropies give us grant money to support journalism, research and our teacher writing fellowship. Companies and nonprofits that want to get their thought leadership in front of our audience work with our Solutions Studio team to produce sponsored content. We use labels and disclosures that create clarity, not blurred lines, per SPJ ethics and the rules of the Federal Trade Commission.
Credibility is our foundation.
If you have questions or curiosity about EdSurge operations or what you see published, reach us at ti...@edsurge.com or through social media.
And to keep this conversation going, check out our new item below, More to the Story, where an EdSurge journalist offers a peek at the reporting process.
— Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge senior editorial director
