Journalistic and Ethical Standards

The Daily Caller understands and appreciates that news organizations must have a bond of trust and credibility with its readers. In our experience we have learned that maintaining high principles of accuracy, transparency and fairness is the only way to keep that bond strong. In pursuit of these goals, journalists at The Daily Caller undergo regular training in best practices and ethical journalism. Some of the keystone tenets that make up our journalistic and ethical standards are:

  • We won’t publish what we can’t prove: It’s not enough for us to “just know” something or follow “conventional wisdom.”
  • We rely on sources with first-hand knowledge: Mere gossip or rumors are not news. Although sometimes rumors may have newsworthiness, we will not adopt them as provably true.
  • We will rely on confidential sources only as a last resort, and only when the public interest demands it: We demand transparency from government officials and public actors, so we should hold ourselves to the same standard.
  • We respect privacy interests: We avoid salacious or titillating personal information as “click bait” and believe that matters such as personal and family life should be treated with good taste.
  • The press has no special “right” to break laws in pursuit of a story: We are truth tellers dedicated to exposing wrongdoing. Knowingly violating the law in pursuit of the story is wholly unethical.
  • All complaints about a story’s accuracy or fairness must be taken seriously: We are committed to giving everybody a fair hearing if they believe a story is unfair or incorrect. Complaints about a story should be emailed to corrections@dailycaller.com. If a correction is warranted it will be published as soon as possible. Serious errors will be highlighted at the top of a story.
  • Published articles are labeled appropriately: Articles purely representing the author’s opinion are labeled Opinion. Some opinion articles from Daily Caller News Foundation are labeled “Big Tent Ideas.” Informal commentaries are labeled Blog. Articles providing news in context, including incidental opinionated statements, are labeled Analysis.