Editorial Guidelines & Standards of Journalism

Applies To: All employees, journalists, media correspondents, contractors, freelance contributors, editors, and content producers
 

1. Our Editorial Mission

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TXAN 24 News is committed to delivering accurate, timely, independent, and meaningful journalism that informs the people of Texas. Our responsibility is to report the news with integrity, provide context that helps audiences understand important developments, hold institutions accountable, recognize achievements within our communities, and give Texans access to information that affects their lives. We strive to build a trusted statewide news institution through consistent reporting, responsible editorial judgment, professional standards, and meaningful community engagement. Our journalism must prioritize the public interest over personal interests, political preferences, commercial relationships, and the pursuit of attention. Our guiding principle: Accuracy first. Fairness always. Accountability without fear or favor.

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2. Core Editorial Principles

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Every TXAN 24 News publication must reflect the following principles. Accuracy: Names, dates, locations, quotations, statistics, claims, and other material facts must be verified to the extent reasonably possible before publication. Independence: Editorial decisions must be based on newsworthiness and the public interest, not pressure from advertisers, political figures, sources, sponsors, or personal relationships. Fairness: Individuals and organizations must be represented accurately and in appropriate context. Relevant perspectives should be sought, particularly when reporting disputed allegations. Transparency: We must clearly distinguish verified facts, allegations, opinions, analysis, sponsored content, and information that remains uncertain. Accountability: We acknowledge material errors, correct them promptly, and take reasonable steps to prevent their recurrence. Public service: We prioritize information that helps Texans understand government, education, public safety, business, sports, culture, health, transportation, and community affairs. Professionalism: Our reporting, communications, photographs, videos, headlines, captions, and social media posts must meet consistent standards of credibility and respect.

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3. Editorial Independence

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TXAN 24 News retains final editorial authority over the content published under its name. No advertiser, sponsor, political campaign, elected official, public relations representative, interview subject, or outside contributor may require TXAN 24 News to publish an unsupported claim or suppress legitimate reporting as a condition of doing business with the organization. Commercial agreements must not guarantee favorable editorial coverage, a predetermined conclusion, or the omission of material facts from independent journalism. Paid collaborations may be accepted under approved commercial terms. They must be identified appropriately and must not be presented in a way that misleads readers into believing that paid material is independent reporting. Journalists must disclose personal, financial, professional, or other relationships that could reasonably affect—or appear to affect—their impartiality. The News Director or designated editor will determine whether disclosure, reassignment, additional review, or another safeguard is appropriate.

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4. Accuracy and Verification

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Before publication, journalists must take reasonable steps to verify the material facts of a story.

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Required practices include:

• Confirming the correct spelling of names, titles, organizations, locations, and dates.

• Reviewing original documents, official records, court filings, public statements, recordings, or other primary sources when available.

• Independently verifying consequential claims rather than relying solely on a press release or a single interested source.

• Distinguishing confirmed information from preliminary reports, estimates, speculation, and unverified claims.

• Checking quotations against recordings, transcripts, or reliable contemporaneous notes whenever possible.

• Confirming statistics, calculations, and historical comparisons against identifiable sources.

• Clearly attributing information that cannot be independently established.

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Official statements are sources, not automatic proof. Government agencies, businesses, political campaigns, law enforcement, advocacy groups, and other institutions must be scrutinized according to the same verification standards. When facts remain uncertain, the article must communicate that uncertainty rather than manufacture certainty.

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5. Sources, Attribution, and Anonymous Information

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TXAN 24 News should identify sources by name and relevant title whenever possible. Anonymous sourcing may be used when the information is important to the public interest, the source has a legitimate reason to fear harm or retaliation, and the information cannot reasonably be obtained through an attributable source. Anonymous sourcing requires prior approval from the News Director or designated editor. The newsroom should understand the source's identity, assess the source's credibility and potential motives, and explain to readers why anonymity was granted without unnecessarily exposing the source. A source's identity may not be concealed merely because the source wishes to avoid accountability for a routine statement. Social media posts, screenshots, anonymous tips, and user-submitted materials must be authenticated before being treated as reliable evidence.

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6. Fairness, Allegations, and the Right of Response

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When reporting serious allegations, disputes, misconduct, or claims that could materially harm a person's or organization's reputation, journalists must make reasonable efforts to contact the subject for a response before publication. The opportunity to respond should be meaningful and documented. Deadlines must be reasonable given the urgency of the story. If a subject does not respond, the article may state that the newsroom sought comment and did not receive a response by the publication deadline, provided that statement is accurate. A lack of response must not be portrayed as an admission of wrongdoing. Allegations must be attributed to the person, filing, agency, or record making them. The newsroom must distinguish an allegation from an established fact, an arrest from a conviction, a lawsuit from a court finding, and a charge from a verdict. Fairness does not require giving unsupported claims equal weight with well-established evidence. It requires accurately representing relevant evidence and perspectives.

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7. Conflicts of Interest, Gifts, and Benefits

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Journalists must not accept payments, gifts, favors, travel, lodging, or other benefits in exchange for favorable coverage or editorial influence. Any complimentary access, event invitation, credential, product, meal, travel arrangement, or other benefit that could reasonably raise a question about editorial independence must be disclosed to the appropriate editor. Credentials and media access are granted for legitimate reporting purposes. They do not authorize a journalist to promise favorable coverage or surrender editorial independence. Staff members must not use their position to threaten unfavorable coverage to obtain money, access, services, or personal benefits. When a conflict cannot be adequately managed through disclosure or other safeguards, the journalist may be removed from the assignment.

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8. Sponsored Content, Advertising, and Paid Collaborations

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TXAN 24 News may enter into advertising, sponsorship, branded-content, underwriting, and other approved commercial partnerships. The newsroom and commercial operations must maintain a clear distinction between independent journalism and paid promotional material.

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Paid material must be labeled prominently and in language appropriate to the format, such as:

• Sponsored Content

• Paid Partnership

• Advertisement

• Presented By

 

The label must be visible to a reasonable audience before or as the audience begins consuming the material. Social media captions, videos, newsletters, and app notifications must use disclosures appropriate to their presentation.

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Advertisers may review paid promotional material for factual accuracy concerning their products or services, but they may not dictate independent newsroom conclusions. The newsroom must retain authority to reject content that is deceptive, defamatory, unlawful, unsupported, or inconsistent with TXAN 24 News standards. Payment does not guarantee publication of independent editorial coverage. Any paid arrangement must be documented and approved through the organization's established commercial process.

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9. Headlines, Writing, and Editorial Presentation

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Headlines must accurately represent the content of the story. They must not exaggerate the evidence, imply guilt without proof, manufacture controversy, or promise information the article does not deliver. Every TXAN 24 News article must include a clear, descriptive headline. Headlines should use TXAN 24 News's house style: capitalize the first letter of each word, except where standard capitalization, acronyms, names, or established usage require otherwise.

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Articles should use clear, direct language that is accessible to a broad Texas audience. Avoid unnecessary jargon, repetitive wording, unsupported adjectives, sensationalism, and editorial commentary presented as fact. The opening paragraph should establish the central development and its relevance. Subsequent paragraphs should provide supporting facts, context, relevant perspectives, and verified details in a logical order. Opinion and analysis must be distinguishable from straight news reporting. Commentary must not be disguised as neutral reporting.

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10. Texas Focus and Statewide Relevance

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TXAN 24 News prioritizes journalism that matters to Texans across the state's diverse regions and communities. Coverage may include state government, local government, elections, education, public safety, courts, business, the economy, high school and collegiate athletics, professional sports, community events, arts, entertainment, and public-interest investigations. Local stories should include enough geographic and institutional context for readers outside the immediate community to understand their significance. The newsroom should avoid treating any one city, political perspective, demographic group, or region as representative of all Texas residents. National and international stories may be published when they have meaningful consequences for Texas, involve Texans, or warrant broader coverage under the organization's editorial judgment.

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11. Breaking News and Developing Stories

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Speed must never replace reasonable verification. For breaking news, journalists should prioritize confirmed facts, identify the source of information, and communicate what remains unknown. Initial reporting may be brief when facts are developing, but it must not present rumors as established information. Stories should be updated when material new facts emerge. Significant updates should reflect the latest verified information and, when appropriate, note the time of the update. In emergencies, coverage must avoid publishing information that could unnecessarily endanger victims, witnesses, first responders, or the public. When practical, journalists should consult authoritative sources while remaining alert to conflicting accounts and evolving circumstances.

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12. Crime, Courts, and Public Safety

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Crime reporting must distinguish allegations from proven facts and respect the presumption of innocence.

Journalists must verify the identity of individuals involved in criminal matters and use care when reporting on minors, victims of sexual violence, grieving families, and vulnerable individuals. Names should not be published automatically merely because they appear in an online post or unverified report. Editors should consider public interest, identification risks, applicable law, and the reliability of the source. Court reporting should accurately describe the status of proceedings and avoid implying that a filing, accusation, or preliminary ruling is a final judicial determination.

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Graphic details, disturbing imagery, and information about victims must be handled with restraint and a clear editorial purpose.

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13. Elections, Politics, and Public Officials

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TXAN 24 News covers political parties, candidates, campaigns, public officials, ballot measures, and public policy according to newsworthiness and public interest. Coverage must distinguish news reporting, analysis, opinion, campaign communications, and paid political material. Candidates and public officials must not receive favorable or unfavorable treatment solely because of their political affiliation or personal relationship with the newsroom. Polling, election results, fundraising figures, endorsements, and campaign claims must be accurately attributed and placed in appropriate context. Paid political content must be clearly disclosed and handled in accordance with applicable legal requirements and company policy. Editorial coverage must not be sold, traded, or promised as a benefit of a political advertising agreement.

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14. Sports, Entertainment, and Event Coverage

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Sports and entertainment coverage must follow the same standards of accuracy, attribution, fairness, and independence as other reporting. Credentials provide access for legitimate reporting purposes but do not guarantee publication, favorable treatment, or editorial approval of a subject's preferred narrative. Scores, statistics, rosters, schedules, records, quotations, and reported injuries must be verified against reliable sources. TXAN 24 News may cover high school, collegiate, professional, and community athletics, as well as entertainment, premieres, festivals, and cultural events.

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Interviews, press conferences, and promotional materials should be represented accurately. Publicity materials must not be rewritten in a way that creates false claims or implies independent verification that has not occurred.

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15. Photographs, Video, Audio, and Artificial Intelligence

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Visual and audio materials must not be manipulated in ways that materially mislead audiences about real events. Images and videos obtained from outside sources must be checked for authenticity, date, location, ownership, permissions, and appropriate attribution. Illustrations, file footage, reconstructions, and materially altered images must be labeled when audiences could reasonably mistake them for authentic depictions of the reported event. Artificial intelligence tools may assist with research organization, transcription, translation, editing, and other newsroom tasks, subject to editorial review.

 

AI-generated quotations, fabricated sources, invented eyewitness accounts, and synthetic evidence must never be presented as authentic reporting.

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AI-assisted material must be checked by a responsible journalist before publication. Sensitive, consequential, or investigative uses require appropriate editorial oversight. Confidential sources and unpublished sensitive material must not be entered into unapproved third-party systems.

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16. Privacy, Minors, and Vulnerable Individuals

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The newsroom must balance the public's right to know against unnecessary harm to individuals. Private information should not be published solely because it can be obtained. Editors should consider relevance, consent where appropriate, safety risks, and the potential consequences of disclosure. Extra care is required when reporting on children, victims, survivors, people experiencing emergencies, and individuals who may not understand the implications of public exposure. Names, addresses, identifying details, medical information, and sensitive images must be evaluated according to their relevance and the risks associated with publication. Public availability alone does not eliminate the need for sound editorial judgment.

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17. Corrections, Clarifications, and Retractions

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TXAN 24 News is responsible for correcting material errors promptly and transparently. Corrections should identify what was wrong and provide the accurate information. Material corrections must be clearly distinguished from routine stylistic edits. When a story contains a significant factual error, the newsroom should correct the article and, when appropriate, update associated social media posts, captions, videos, newsletters, or other versions. A clarification may be appropriate when the original wording was technically accurate but incomplete or potentially misleading.

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Retractions should be considered when a story cannot be responsibly maintained because of fundamental factual failures, fabricated evidence, or other serious defects.

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Corrections must not be concealed merely to protect the organization's reputation. Requests for corrections should be evaluated on the evidence, not on the status or influence of the person making the request.

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18. Social Media and Digital Publishing

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All content published through TXAN 24 News websites, apps, newsletters, social media accounts, and other official platforms must comply with these editorial standards.

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Social media posts are publications, not informal exceptions to newsroom policy. Captions, thumbnails, graphics, push notifications, and short-form videos must not misrepresent the underlying reporting. Staff members speaking in an official capacity must identify themselves accurately and avoid presenting personal speculation as an institutional position. Engagement metrics, including views, shares, and comments, may inform distribution strategy but must not override accuracy, fairness, or public-interest considerations.

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19. Confidentiality and Source Protection

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Journalists must protect unpublished reporting materials, confidential source identities, private communications, and sensitive newsroom information. Promises of confidentiality must be made carefully and with appropriate editorial approval. Staff must not promise absolute protection beyond the organization's ability and legal obligations. Requests for unpublished material, interview recordings, source identities, or internal communications must be referred to the News Director or appropriate management when necessary. Staff must handle newsroom files, credentials, passwords, and sensitive records using approved security practices.

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20. Editorial Review and Publication Authority

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Journalists are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their submissions. Editors are responsible for reviewing content according to its significance, complexity, risk, and urgency.

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Stories involving serious allegations, potential defamation, confidential sources, sensitive personal information, disputed public records, major corrections, or significant legal exposure require escalation to the News Director or designated editor.

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TXAN 24 News may delay, revise, decline, or remove content when warranted by factual deficiencies, legal concerns, ethical issues, or material changes in circumstances.

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No contributor may represent a draft as approved, guarantee publication, or make commitments on behalf of the newsroom without proper authority.

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21. Enforcement and Accountability

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Violations of these standards may result in correction requirements, additional editorial review, reassignment, suspension of publishing privileges, termination of a contract or employment relationship, or other appropriate action.

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The response will depend on the nature, severity, intent, and recurrence of the violation.

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Good-faith reporting of mistakes or ethical concerns must be taken seriously. Staff members are encouraged to raise concerns promptly through the appropriate editorial channel.