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These are the standards of our journalism.
NY Cannabis Insider offers detailed reporting, smart analyses and expert insight into one of New York’s biggest economic opportunities in years.
Preamble
Advance Local’s affiliated media groups are built for and driven by communities. The company’s newsrooms are dedicated to unrivaled local journalism across the United States to strengthen and empower communities, and we have a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion efforts both internally and externally.
As one of Advance Local’s newsrooms, NY Cannabis Insider is the first publication dedicated to covering the issues, policies, laws, regulations, politics and people making an impact on the state’s cannabis industry through accurate, timely and thorough journalism. We strive to maintain a watchful eye on powerful interests, monitor the use of taxpayer funds and amplify underrepresented and underserved voices.
These principles are defined by NY Cannabis Insider as the foundation of ethical journalism and the free exchange of public information.
Seek truth and report it
NY Cannabis Insider’s team believes that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. Staff writers and contributors strive to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough.
Staff and contributing writers provide reliable, timely and important information to readers and serve as an essential source for those serious about entering the nascent cannabis industry.
Our goal should always be to produce top-quality journalism that covers all aspects of the cannabis market, with a particular focus on the equity provisions in New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act.
Most stories have at least two sides. While there is no obligation to present every side in every piece, stories should be balanced and add context. Objectivity is not always possible, but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence.
We should always strive for accuracy, give all the relevant facts we have and ensure that they have been checked. When we cannot corroborate information, we should say so.
Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair, and journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
Ultimately, our purpose is to affect meaningful change across New York’s cannabis space by monitoring taxpayer funds, holding politicians accountable and righting wrongs.
Journalists should:
- Take responsibility for the accuracy of their work: Verify information before releasing it. Use original sources whenever possible. Remember that neither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy.
- Provide context: Take special care not to misrepresent or oversimplify in promoting, previewing or summarizing a story. Gather, update and correct information throughout the life of a news story.
- Identify and attribute sources clearly: The public is entitled to as much information as possible to judge the reliability and motivations of sources. Reserve anonymity for sources who may face danger, retribution or other harm, and have information that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Explain why anonymity was granted. Open a platform to important subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism or allegations of wrongdoing if their platform isn’t harmful.
- Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information unless traditional: These methods will not yield information vital to the public. Artificial Intelligence may be used as a means for testing headlines and for generating images (with an AI source attribution in the caption) when photographers and designers aren’t available. Any other use of the technology should be disclosed.
- Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable: Recognize a special obligation to serve as watchdogs over public affairs and government. Seek to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open, and that public records are open to all. Provide access to source material when it is relevant and appropriate.
- Label advocacy and commentary: Never deliberately distort facts or context, including visual information. Never plagiarize. Always attribute.
Diversity and inclusion
NY Cannabis Insider aims to highlight small businesses within New York’s cannabis industry and give a platform to those affected by changes in the marketplace.
We go further with our community engagement by bringing members of the industry together to build a foundation for the marketplace by holding regular conferences where professionals, entrepreneurs and ancillary businesses can make important connections and learn from each other.
Coverage can expand and strengthen when revenue increases. NY Cannabis Insider also strives toward bringing in profits for Advance Media through subscriptions, sponsorships and advertising opportunities.
Journalists should:
- Boldly tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience: Give a voice to the voiceless. Seek sources whose voices we seldom hear. Avoid stereotyping. Journalists should examine the ways their values and experiences may shape their reporting.
- Reach out and engage communities we serve beyond our current audience: There are people disproportionately affected by cannabis legislation, and their voices should be heard. Reach out to sources directly impacted by the industry, and make sure events are accessible to all that should be represented within journalism covering this specific marketplace.
Minimize harm
Journalists should do no harm. What we publish or broadcast may be hurtful, but we should be aware of the impact of our words and images on the lives of others. What is done cannot be undone.
Journalists should:
- Balance the public’s need for information against potential harm or discomfort: Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness. Show compassion for those who may be affected by news coverage. Use heightened sensitivity when dealing with juveniles, victims of sex crimes, and sources or subjects who are inexperienced or unable to give consent. Consider cultural differences in approach and treatment.
- Recognize that legal access to information differs from an ethical justification to publish or broadcast: Realize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than public figures and others who seek power, influence or attention. Weigh the consequences of publishing or broadcasting personal information. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity, even if others do.
- Balance a suspect’s right to a fair trial with the public’s right to know: Consider the implications of identifying criminal suspects before they face legal charges. Consider the long-term implications of the extended reach and permanence of publication. Provide updated and more complete information as appropriate.
Act independently
Journalists must be independent voices. We should declare to our editors and audiences any of our political affiliations, financial arrangements or other personal information that might constitute a conflict of interest. We tell people how to think, not what to think.
Journalists should:
- Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived: Disclose unavoidable conflicts. Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and avoid political and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility. Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; do not pay for access to news. Identify content provided by outside sources, whether paid or not.
- Distinguish news from advertising: Deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage. Shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two. Prominently label sponsored content.
Be accountable and transparent
A sign of responsible journalism is the ability to hold ourselves accountable. When we commit errors, we must correct them and our expressions of regret must be sincere, not defensive. We listen to the concerns of our audience. We may not change what readers write or say but we will always provide remedies when we are unfair.
Journalists should:
- Explain ethical choices and processes to audiences: Encourage a civil dialogue with the public about journalistic practices, coverage and news content. Respond quickly to questions about accuracy, clarity and fairness.
- Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly and prominently: Explain corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly. Expose unethical conduct in journalism, including within the newsroom.
NY Cannabis Insider’s Code of Ethics is based on the publication’s beat and mission to represent the state’s cannabis marketplace and those affected by cannabis legislation. This guideline contains information borrowed from the newsroom’s mother company, Advance Local, and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.