Boise State Public Radio Code of Editorial Integrity

Introduction

Our purpose is to support a strong civil society. We seek to serve that purpose by increasing cultural access and knowledge, extending public education and strengthening community life through digital media and related community activities. Public trust and confidence are essential to achieving our purpose.

• We work daily to earn and maintain the public's trust through accuracy, quality and excellence; by acknowledging and reflecting the diversity of our community; and by our commitment to this Code of Editorial Integrity.
• We work daily to detect and understand community needs, issues and interests.
• We work daily to assure respect and civility in our forums and discussions.
• We work daily to assure fairness, impartiality and objectivity in our coverage of all matters – simple, complex and controversial.
• We work daily to be accessible, accountable and transparent to the community and to those who use our services.

These standards apply every day and 24 hours per day to all members of the Boise State Public Radio Team, including employees and independent contractors who report, edit, produce and/or supervise any of the station's content. These standards apply to all the content we produce and present and apply across all the channels and platforms we use – broadcast, online, current and yet-to-be-developed social media, print and in-person events.

Standards

Governance and management for the common good
We will govern our activities in ways that promote the public interest and that reflect our commitment to integrity and trustworthiness. These obligations supersede personal and institutional agendas.

Ideas, cultures and forums with respect and civility
We will contribute to the civil, educational and cultural life of our communities by presenting a range of ideas and cultures and offering a robust forum for discussion and debate without advocating, endorsing or certifying a particular point of view.

Pursuit of the truth and accuracy in reporting
We will pursue the truth aggressively and present the news accurately, with integrity, in context, without bias and as completely as possible.

Inclusion and reflection of the diversity of our communities
We will recognize and respect the diversity of our communities and the nation in our work and content.

Transparency in program selection and content creation
We will share with our audiences and the public the mission-based and practical reasons for our program choices. We will also be transparent in how we gather and report news and create other content.

Employee activities outside their public media work
All members of the Boise State Public Radio Team will exercise careful judgement about engaging in partisan activities or advocacy concerning controversial issues of public importance and, where appropriate, will limit or forego participation.

Transparency in fundraising
We will seek respectful relationships with our donors and clear understanding with all interested parties concerning our fundraising operations. We will acknowledge the sponsors of our programming and disclose the terms on which we obtain such support.

Avoiding undue influence
We will work daily to ensure the content we present is the result of a process that is free from undue influence. We will take care in deciding from whom we seek and accept funds and make every effort to ensure the expectations of our contributors are consistent with this Code of Editorial Integrity.

Consistent editorial standards in partnerships and collaborations
We will seek editorial partnerships that expand our capacity to serve and the perspectives we can share with our audiences.

Conflicts of interest
All members of the Boise State Public Radio Team will avoid conflicts of interest and will immediately disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest to their direct supervisor before taking any action on behalf of the BSPR Team. Members of the Boise State Public Radio Team who have direct responsibility for content will advise their supervisor a reasonable time before appearing as a public representative or advocate for an entity other than BSPR because such an appearance could constitute a conflict of interest.

Endorsement
Boise State University, as the license-holder for BSPR, is responsible for the station's overall quality, management and community relations. The University had endorsed this Code of Editorial Integrity and agrees that BSPR shall cover all news items, including newsworthy University items, consistently with this Code of Editorial Integrity and without undue influence.

Boise State University Approved Nov. 15, 2015
BSPR Community Advisory Board Adopted Jan. 14, 2016
Published Jan. 22, 2016