We adhere to the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists.

We maintain a firm firewall between news coverage, content on our opinion page and donors and other sources of revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions. We offer no right of review or influence over editorial content to anyone for any reason.

Our general standards for campaign coverage are outlined here.

Diversity, equity and inclusion

We strive to maintain a company culture that is respectful, fair and inclusive. We are proud to employ people of varying backgrounds who possess the experience, talent, energy and focus to bring their best to an environment of inclusiveness and collaboration. We continually seek diverse perspectives in our reporting because we believe this delivers a needed range of insights on human experiences that can challenge assumptions and help us develop new ways of seeing and storytelling. 

Diversity considerations in hiring at The Nevada Independent include weighing professional backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, personal experiences, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and religion. We acknowledge that many individuals identify across multiple demographics or communities, and believe these perspectives enrich our company — and our work.

Artificial intelligence policy for The Nevada Independent

At The Nevada Independent, we believe the human mind is irreplaceable in driving creative, incisive reporting that answers the most important questions facing our world. As artificial intelligence technologies evolve, we want to explore ways that it can free staff time from tedious tasks, empowering reporters to do work of even greater sophistication and bring more of a human touch to their storytelling — while maintaining high standards of ethics, accuracy and transparency. 

Core values

1. Oversight: All AI-assisted content will be reviewed by our reporters and editors. Human judgment remains paramount.

2. Disclosure: We will clearly disclose the use of AI by noting it on specific stories, or describing its use in processes through written policies such as this one.

3. Accuracy: Any AI-generated or AI-assisted content must meet the same standards of accuracy as content created without it.

4. Ethics: We will use AI in accordance with our journalistic values and never to deceive or manipulate our audience.

5. Privacy: We will be mindful of the privacy of our sources, staff and readers when using AI technologies.

6. Continuous improvement: We will continually explore new AI technologies that can improve our journalism while upholding high ethical standards.

7. Human creativity: We believe there is no substitute for human creativity, and discourage use of AI in ways that short-circuit the creative process.

Accepted uses of AI:

1. Research and analysis: AI tools may assist in research and in data analysis.

2. Summarizing content: AI may be used to summarize content to aid in reporting, with human verification.

3. Translation: AI may be used to help with translating content, with human verification.

4. Transcription: AI may be used to convert audio from meetings and interviews to text, with human review for accuracy.

5. Headline and social media copy generation: AI may suggest headlines or social media content, including language for video scripts, all subject to human editorial approval.

6. Fact-checking: AI tools may be used to support fact-checking processes, such as by suggesting high-quality sources, but not as the sole verification method.

7. Video editing: AI may be used to assist in compiling videos, captioning and applying graphic templates, all subject to multiple levels of human review.

8. Editing: AI tools may be used to identify style, spelling and grammar errors and suggest paraphrases. 

Prohibited uses of AI

1. Direct content production: AI will not be used as the sole or predominant creator of news articles, opinion pieces or other editorial content. The use of AI in any content creation will be clearly labeled and the staff member(s) who reviewed the work will be named.

2. Manipulating images: AI will not be used to create, alter or manipulate videos or images in ways that could mislead the public.

3. Fabricating sources: AI will never be used to generate fake quotes or fictional sources.

4. Making decisions: AI will not be tasked with editorial decisions, such as whether to publish a submitted piece.

Transparency

1. We will clearly label any content or types of content that have been created with the help of AI. We will require anyone submitting freelance or other contributed written and visual content to state whether AI was used in its production.

2. We will publicly post our latest policies on AI in an accessible place on our website.

3. We will regularly update our readers on the evolution of our use of AI in the newsroom.

Training

1. All reporters and editors will receive ongoing counsel about the ethical use of AI in journalism.

2. We welcome open discussion about AI and its ethical use within our newsroom, and invite public feedback on the matter.

Newsroom oversight

1. As AI ethical issues arise, concerns should be brought to editors, who may decide to convene an ad hoc committee of newsroom members to address them.

2. This policy will be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect changes in AI technology and the considerations around it.

Our commitment

We are committed to harnessing the power of AI to assist our journalism and elevate the work of our people — not replace it. We strive to be proactive in a rapidly changing environment and to use technology in thoughtful, ethical ways to responsibly serve our community.

Interview terminology and what to expect when working with our reporters

When a reporter identifies himself/herself and asks a question, whether in person, on the phone or by email, it is general professional practice for parties to assume that the answer and subsequent conversation is on the record.

People who approach us with ideas for potential stories may wish to establish whether conversations and interviews are on the record, off the record or "on background."

• On the record means anything you say may be used in a story.
• Off the record means anything you say is between you and the reporter and cannot be used in a story.
• On background means a reporter may use the information you give them, but neither name or quote you directly.

If you want a particular reply to be considered off the record or on background, you should begin your statement with the words "off the record" or "on background".

When recording telephone or in-person conversations that serve as interviews, our reporters and editors operate under a two-party consent rule. (We always obtain a person's permission to record. Once we begin recording, we will re-ask for your consent to be recorded so your consent is part of the record.)

Anonymous sources

We strongly prefer not to use anonymous sources. However, good government accountability reporting occasionally requires the use of anonymous sources in order to gain access to sensitive information or protect people from reprisals. We will not grant anonymity gratuitously — there must always be a reason that is in the public interest.

In other situations in which a person is at some risk of personal or professional harm were their identity to be revealed, such as in cases of sexual assault or harassment, or other sensitive interpersonal situations, we will consider granting anonymity — if we are able to independently verify the information provided and if the source is proven credible as we investigate his or her account and talk to others who have knowledge of the situation.

Disclosures

Our reporters and editors disclose close personal relationships with story subjects — or recuse themselves from working on stories concerning friends or family members.

Opinion-editorials

The Nevada Independent’s general aim is for its opinion page to serve as a marketplace of ideas on topics that affect one or more communities in Nevada. We are looking for thoughtful, fact-based, well-sourced perspectives on any and all policy matters — or for informed, cogent rebuttals to opinion pieces we recently published.

Our general requirements include:

• The piece must be exclusive to The Nevada Independent. If it has been published elsewhere, we will not run it. If it has been submitted elsewhere and we opt to publish it, the author will need to withdraw it from all other publications.
• Submissions should be at least 500 words but no more than 1,500. Exceptions can be made for exceptionally well-written, well-sourced, informative pieces.
• We look to publish well-written pieces from Nevadans on a variety of topics across the political spectrum. 
• Authors must not be candidates for an upcoming election. Any candidates on local or state ballots in 2024 cannot submit op-eds for consideration until after the election.
• Authors may be affiliated with advocacy groups, political parties or Political Action Committees but submitted pieces must be policy-centric, and all such affiliations must be disclosed.
• An author’s vocational or organizational affiliations must be disclosed in the author’s biography so we can be transparent to our readers about any possible bias or conflicts of interest.
• Opinion-editorials should address issues, not primarily praise or attack individuals or groups — although a particularly insightful and well-written piece criticizing a public figure or elected official within a policy-centric piece may be acceptable. 
• We generally do not publish opinion-editorials that focus on a specific incident the author believes led to wrongful action by a person, organization or agency.
• Any statements by persons who are not the author of the submitted op-ed must be written in quotation marks and the source must be cited. If remarks are paraphrased, the author also must attribute those comments to a source.
• Supporting data, research, information or polling should be indicated either by linking to a credible source or, if that is not possible, providing the source information in parentheses. Other opinion pieces are not acceptable sources.

We are committed to providing our readers with accurate, truthful information. Writers should verify that their piece is factually correct. Knowingly including false information in a submitted op-ed is a violation of trust with The Nevada Independent and by extension a violation of the trust The Nevada Independent has established with its readers. 

We reserve the right to fact-check any submission and request edits by the author or reject it if credible sourcing cannot be provided. We also reserve the right to edit and add an editor’s note to a piece after publication if any errors are discovered or any claims are found to be untrue.

Op-eds may not be self-promotional, nor will we publish pieces that touch on policy but are essentially a public relations piece for a person or organization. Op-eds should serve our readers and the voters in Nevada, not the interests of the author or an organization with which the author is affiliated.

We do not guarantee the publication of any op-ed. The quality and relevance of the piece to the community are one of many factors we take into consideration when determining whether a piece will appear on our opinion page.

In a given week, we endeavor to publish a variety of opinions on a variety of topics and may delay or rearrange publication dates in order to offer our readers timely pieces or to meet our goal of providing a diverse set of opinions on a variety of topics.

We receive a substantial number of submissions each week. Though we endeavor to be responsive, we may not be able to immediately review a piece. Editorial review and a decision may take anywhere from one to three days. If you believe your piece is especially timely or that there is a reason to publish it sooner rather than later, please include that information when you submit.

To facilitate the large number of opinion submissions we receive, we are asking writers or those pitching an opinion-editorial piece to fill out this form.

Your submission will be reviewed by an editor at The Indy and we will let you know by email if we plan to run your opinion piece. You can review our editorial policies for opinion pieces by clicking here.