ALAMEDA NEIGHBORHOODS NEWS (aka “ANN”)
BUSINESS DISCLOSURES, CORE POLICY AND PROCEDURES

1. 1. OUR LEGAL STATUS

    

   ANN is a privately owned, 501 C-3 Federally designated non profit organization, and  a State Of California designated Public Benefit Corporation.  The following constitutes our Editorial Independence, Conflict Of Interest Policy, Donor Transparency and Sources Disclosure and more.  

    

    

   2. EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE POLICY

    

   Alameda Neighborhoods News, aka ANN or Alamedanews.org  is a privately owned 401C-3  Charitable corporation per IRS policy and a California Public Benefit Corporation per California Requirements.

    

   The sole owner of ANN is Lawrence D Freeman at 1519 Fernside Bl. Alameda, Ca. 94501.

    

   ANN is dedicated to core principles and practices of ethics based journalism, first hand sourcing and reporting and attainment of accuracy, balance, and objectivity that serves the public good for our local community.  

    

   We require that any reporter, photographer, videographer or other content contributor  adhere to and/or be trained in these practices (ie in the case of student interns) by our free, public Journalism Education Program  (see website for details)

    

   We do not accept nor reprint information from outside sources unless by special vetting and arrangement, and, in such cases, full and obvious disclosure shall be made known to our readership.  We do however, with clear mention of the source, engage in the standard practice of pulling additive material from second hand sources as press releases, public events, documents of record and sometimes other news sources to augment our own reporting.

    

   Content contributors must also be informed about and avoid any and all potentially tortious content, especially all types of defamation or invasion of privacy matters, and to employ ethics  and sensitivity to those as well.

    

   If and when we engage in opinion or ‘news analysis’, we insure that such pieces are clearly designated as such and hew to foundational facts at their basis.  By IRS criteria we are not allowed to engage in political advocacy or endorsement of candidates, ballot measures or legislation.

    

   A trained editor, as content gatekeeper, will vet all material to insure that the central and necessary firewalls of law and ethics are maintained.

   Policy on Unsolicited Submissions

    

   We will first consider whether an unsolicited submission –content not asked for by ANN from its readers or the community and outside of the “Content  Feedback” or Letters To The Editor (assuming we have that feature)—in terms of news value.

    

   We will consider any such submission as “off the record” and will use it for deep background only to allow us to trace on our own any sources who can go on the record or communicate with the sender to ascertain identity, credibility, motive etc.

    

   Such will not be printed as sent unless and until we vet it and decide to use it after independent confirmation of authenticity and after our own independent sourcing.

    

    

   3. DONOR TRANSPARENCY AND SOURCES

    

   ANN will disclose, upon request to Alamedaneighborhoodsnews@gmail.com, the names and other pertinent information about our donors for those who contribute less than $2,500. .  

    

   Those who contribute $2,500 or more, will be identified on the site by name or business entity.  

    

   All donors must be willing to disclose their names and other relevant  information about them as a condition of ANN’s acceptance of their donation.

    

   As an independent news entity, ANN does not accept donations in exchange for any accommodation, request or demand related to influencing our content, coverage, ethics, position on issues, favoritism, story suppression and so on. 

    

   Simply put, donations are only accepted with no strings attached from the donor(s). 

    

    The specific amounts of donations offered and accepted from any given source will remain as proprietary information of ANN and disclosed when required as a matter of law or at ANN’s sole discretion.

    

   ANN thanks Northern California Swapmeets Inc.  for its two kind donations in fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

    

    

   4. NAMES, ROLES & CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY PERTINENT TO ALL BOARD MEMBERS

    

   1. A) Lawrence Freeman CEO, founder and primary architect of our mission, content and design. Duties include all corporate registration and business matters, content production and oversight, outreach and promotion, education curriculum authorship, consultation with board members, web functionality in conjunction with our web designer and site manager and ongoing re-imagining and building of our content products along with recruitment and training of all student contributors and other community members.

    

   Freeman is a veteran freelance news writer/photojournalist for local SF Bay Area publications appearing in The S F Chronicle, East Bay Times,  The Alameda Journal, The Alameda Sun (now defunct) and other pubs.  Thirty year journalism curriculum  master and advisor of multi national, state and local award winning Acalanes High School newspaper, The Acalanes Blueprint.

    

    Mentor, journalism advisor and teacher trainer before and after retirement from the public schools.   Contracted social studies curriculum designer for Learn City, Lucas (George) Learning and other private education companies and textbook publishers.

    

   B  Michael Robles Wong   Secretary. 

    

    Michael is a pragmatic,  yet  visionary, out of the box thinking conceptualist and  Alameda native with deep professional and personal ties to the community.  His bedrock schooling in organizational structure led him to a 33 year stint in the world of HR with many notable local governmental agencies.

    

   In that capacity, he worked with BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)  The City Of Berkeley, The Berkeley Unified School District,  Alameda County and more. Now, semi retired, he heads up security camera acquisition project management for a large Alameda Homeowner’s association, where he has also served as Interim Executive Director and Board President.  He has been a local, shaker mover to help assist in the passage of several school parcel tax measures.

    

   Most importantly, Mr. Robles Wong is a highly valued ‘brain trust’ idea generator and wise counsel for ANN in its ongoing mission  and reimagining  to find new, innovative ways to expand news content types and reach through varietal media aimed at various news consumer demographics.

    

   1. Rick McKinley Treasurer  

    

    Rick is a grounded, no-nonsense semi-retired insurance broker whose eagle eye and fine tooth comb scrutiny assisted ANN in navigating the byzantine field of getting various types of media liability insurance that would protect the corporation and its board members, a key condition of our original grant funding donor,  The Robert Lippert Foundation.

    

   Rick pored through every exhaustive (and exhausting) fine print detail of various policy proposals  to determine ‘the fit’ and rejected a number of them (and sales agents’ assurances)  until we finally, after six months of anxious searching, got his hard won approval. 

   Article I – Purpose Of Conflict Of Interest Policy Pertaining To ANN Board Members.

   The purpose of this policy is to protect the interests of ANN by: (a) preventing the personal interest of the Board, Employees, and Independent Contractors from interfering with their duties to the organization and (b) avoiding any unethical financial, professional, or political gain on the part of such individuals. The intent of this policy is to supplement, not replace, any applicable federal, state, or local laws regarding conflicts of interest.

   Article II – Persons Concerned

   This statement applies to Board Members, Officers, and all Employees who can influence the governance and actions of ANN.    This includes anyone who makes financial decisions, might be referred to as “management personnel,” or have proprietary information regarding ANN.

   Article III – Procedures

   1. Duty to Disclose
      Each Member, Director, Officer, Employee, and any other Interested Person is under an obligation to disclose the existence or potential existence of a Conflict of Interest as it arises.
   2. Investigating Conflicts
      When a potential Conflict of Interest is disclosed, the Governing Board will then provide the individual with an opportunity to disclose all material facts. The Board will collect all pertinent information and question the involved parties. If it turns out that a conflict does not exist, the inquiry will be documented but no further action will be taken.
   3. Addressing a Conflict of Interest
      If the Board determines that a conflict of interest exists, they will take the appropriate actions to address the conflict. This may include (but not be limited to): (a) prohibiting any Interested Parties from voting on any matter related to said Conflict of Interest or (b) terminating employment with ANN.

   Affected parties both within and outside of ANN including  directors  and independent contractors, or volunteers will be notified. If the Conflict of Interest in question involves a member of the Board, that individual will be excused from deliberations.

   4. Disciplinary Action
      All conflicts of interest will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The board has full discretion to deem what disciplinary action is appropriate and necessary for disclosed conflicts of interest.

   If the governing officers reasonably believe a member or staff member failed to disclose an existing or possible Conflict of Interest, it shall inform the individual of the rationale for such belief and grant the individual an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose the Conflict of Interest.

   5.

   In the event that we need the advice of expert legal counsel for content that is factual, confirmed and central to a story but that raises a red or yellow flag,  we will consult with  The Institute For Non Profit News, The Digital Media Law Project or Reporters’ Committee For Freedom of the PressWe may also consult with those who have decades of expertise in the news industry and who  are affiliated with the likes of  The SF Chronicle,  Bloomberg News,  and KCBS News radio and more.

    

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   THE NEXT SECTION DESCRIBES VARIOUS CONTENT CRITERIA, STANDARDS AND OTHER POLICIES.

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   5. COMPLAINT, TAKEDOWN, RETRACTION POLICY AND PROCEDURES

    

   Our TAKEDOWN policy is spelled out in the following procedure to our readers

   TO OUR READERS:  OUR POLICY ON ERRORS, CORRECTIONS AND RETRACTIONS  (TAKEDOWNS)

    

   All of the following related to content issues will be handled by password  authorized persons who log in to the private, secure, content management areas of our website.

    

   If ANN errs in some regard related to content  (ie a name is misspelled, a date or location is in error, or some element of fact  as printed turns out to be inaccurate, subject to dispute or lacking in context) on either our part or from those conveyed a reader, we will promptly  post a correction or clarification conspicuously on our webpage.

    

    In other circumstances, as we deem fit, we will formally delete, part of or retract all of a story and promptly remove it from our webpage.

    

   We encourage readers to provide any such concern by clicking on our “Content Feedback” button on the Homepage.

    

    

   6. READER FEEDBACK, INCLUDING COMPLIMENTS, COMPLAINTS TO OR CRITICISMS OF ANN

    

   Those wishing to convey complaints or criticisms related to ANN’s coverage of the news and the community or relating to particulars of content in any given story  –or the lack thereof—may convey them on our website by selecting the “Content Feedback” button.

    

   Please fill out the form provided in the Communicate!  option on the navigation bar on the homepage, and  state your concern clearly and accurately in your first sentence, hew to the facts, mention any story particulars or specifics underlying your complaint, concern or suggestion for improvement.

    

   Please be succinct and avoid name-calling, ridicule, hostile language, ranting  and so on in keeping with a tone of informed civility. 

    

   We will read your feedback  conscientiously and, if we determine that it has  merit, we reserve the right to  contact you directly about the matter,  as long as  you provide both an e-mail and phone contact.

    

   We discourage anonymous complaints, and reserve the right to reject or ignore them unless you provide a convincing reason justifying the need for anonymity.

    

   We reserve the right to block future communication on our site from any source who does not provide serious, relevant, conscientious  content according to the parameters above.

    

   Your information will be kept confidential by ANN and we will not print it without your express permission.

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   7. POLICY AND PRACTICES RELATED TO DEFAMATION, PRIVACY COPYRIGHT ELEMENTS ETC. 

    

   All  ANN “reporters and editors”  (we will dub them “Certified Content Contributors” indicating that they have studied, demonstrated proficiency in understanding  and become practiced in all aspects of our  fact/ truth centered brand of news as described earlier) will be trained in and demonstrate proficiency through  educational  curriculum produced and  provided free of charge  by ANN online and through in person, or hands on  means as needed.

    

   This includes those who already have academic and or professional training and experience in news journalism.

    

   Our curriculum and training requires that contributors be versed in the  core elements of defamation, privacy rights/invasion,  –especially  the scope and limits of what  content a journalist legally and ethically can and can’t (or should not)  gather, especially photographic or video content with respect to a person or entity’s  “ reasonable  expectation of privacy,” in a public  (vs. private setting.)

    

   Our core emphasis on first-hand, fact based reporting that is verified is designed for both high quality news and to minimize or eliminate types of false or inaccurate  content which can cause injury to one’s reputation and livelihood, key bases in potential  defamation matters.

    

   This centrally means never purporting a falsehood to be fact in the first place, even if it does not  directly involve the reputation of an individual or entity.

    

   In matters of stories dealing with crime, for example, all contributors will be required to judiciously use the term  “alleged” before a guilty plea or verdict is officially recorded, no matter how obvious the commission of it may be.

    

   For example a story would read  “Police led the 49 year old suspect, Johann Rankle,  away in handcuffs for his alleged theft of two bags of laundry detergent from The Rite Aid store, even as he shouted,  ‘I did it and I’m proud!’ “

    

   Stories will also hew to fact based reporting and avoid speculation, conjecture etc. by the reporter as another defamation firewall.

    

   With respect to privacy matters, we will err on the side of caution even in a public setting by indicating our presence and news gathering purpose and obtain lawful, documented consent if  we are gathering, or seeking to gather,  content in a private setting wherein we have requested permission to be there,  have gotten consent to do so  and been informed of any limits or proscriptions on what content we can gather and from whom. 

    

   If needed, as a condition of consent or copyright elements that do not fall within the “fair use doctrine,” we will obtain a written release often termed a “model release” as a liability waiver  granting the right to publish  their name, voice, image, likeness and/or performance  (ie. for a private celebrity or music band in a private setting)

    

   All content contributors are required, in all cases, to first identify themselves as members of ANN and will ask prospective sources if they wish to be interviewed.

    

   All ANN contributors will respect the right of any person to decline to be interviewed for a story.  In the case of public officials or those who have authority in a given situation we have the obligation to tell the readers that  “X declined to be interviewed for this story;  X did not respond to  e mails or phone calls seeking comment”  etc.

    

    The training also involves matters of ethics surrounding sensitive areas and types of persons who should be provided higher levels of privacy protection   (ie children at play in a park, people grieving over a tragedy, people with disabilities, juveniles etc.)  copyright and plagiarism parameters and other core elements related to the scope and limits of “the fair use doctrine”,  as well as updates on  emerging case law related to the above.

    

   Our mandate for first hand, fact based reporting is designed to avert any plagiarism or copyright aspects. 

    

   Our mandate that all sources give written or audio consent and acknowledgment that they are “on the record” and will have their names attributed to their statements etc. and the requirement  that our content contributors preserve it is another core protection related to this question.   

    

   As noted earlier, “off the record sources” may be used only for deep background and are  not subject for  inclusion in a story.  

    

   This is designed as a safeguard related to our policy not to report second or third party information that generally constitutes second-hand  “hearsay” especially including that often found online in a blog, post, social media site etc. 

    

   Social media content may be used in a story to chronicle a given event, trend etc. but must be contextualized and clearly attributed as such. 

    

   We will not rely on any content it provides as verified until we do so through independent sourcing and follow up. 

    

   Any social media content that even remotely borders on defamation etc. will not be used as posted, though it may be paraphrased/generally characterized in the context of a story if it is of importance for factual reporting after offensive content is omitted.

    

   In other words, we will not  ‘re-report’ the news. Even official press releases will be subject to the same handling and scrutiny.

    

   Those who consent to be on the record but only  on the condition that the name be withheld for attribution purposes will have to have a legitimate, persuasive  reason for “speaking on the  condition of anonymity” and their information and credibility for any  use on the record  must be verified by one or more editors before it can be published. 

    

   In no case will we use any such content that could even remotely be grounds for defamation claims, no matter how important the information is to the story.

    

   It is our general policy not to use  ‘on the record source material’ with no name attributed to it. Readers have a right to know who is saying stuff to assess credibility and meaning on their own terms.

    

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   Stories will also hew to fact based reporting and avoid speculation, conjecture etc. by the reporter as another defamation firewall.

    

   Wit respect to privacy matters, we will err on the side of caution even in a public setting by indicating our presence and news gathering purpose  and obtain lawful, documented consent if  we are gathering, or seeking to gather,  content in a private setting wherein we have requested permission to be there,  have gotten consent to do so  and been informed of any limits or proscriptions on what content we can gather and from whom. 

    

   If needed, as a condition of consent or copyright elements that do not fall within the “fair use doctrine,” we will obtain a written release often termed a “model release” as a liability waiver  granting the right to publish  their name, voice, image, likeness and/or performance  (ie. for a private celebrity or music band in a private setting)

    

   All content contributors are required, in all cases, to first identify themselves as members of ANN and will ask prospective sources if they wish to be interviewed.

    

   All ANN contributors will respect the right of any person to decline to be interviewed for a story.  In the case of public officials or those who have authority in a given situation we have the obligation to tell the readers that  “X declined to be interviewed for this story;  X did not respond to  e mails or phone calls seeking comment”  etc.

    

    The training also involves matters of ethics surrounding sensitive areas and types of persons who should be provided higher levels of privacy protection   (ie children at play in a park, people grieving over a tragedy, people with disabilities, juveniles etc.)  copyright and plagiarism parameters and other core elements related to the scope and limits of “the fair use doctrine”,  as well as updates on  emerging case law related to the above.

    

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   8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR OPERATING CONTENT STANDARDS FOR ALAMEDA NEIGHBORHOODS NEWS

    

    

   1. a) . Risk Management Procedures   

    

   As a 30 year veteran news writer and editor trained and experienced in best practices of news based journalism, I, Lawrence Freeman, CEO and owner of ANN,  write all procedures for our content  contributors, who must be certified by having trained and committed in writing to adhere to our standards requiring first hand reporting, accuracy, objectivity and balance, and fundamental legal understanding of potentially tortious content.

    

    ANN’s content standards  require  that content contributors  (aka ‘reporters’) steer clear of content that might even remotely be approaching defamation, invasion of privacy, infringement on copyright or plagiarism.

    

   All contributors are to be trained in knowing and adhering to these principles, and I or another experienced professional, will review content submitted and either edit it, send it back for a rewrite or reject it if it is not within lawful and ethical content standards.

    

   These are the central and necessary firewalls in the hands of editors in chief who have final say as the gatekeepers of content. 

    

   1. b) If legal advice is needed

    

   In the event that we need the advice of expert legal counsel for content that is factual, confirmed and central to a story but that raises a red or yellow flag under our content standards and expertise,  we will consult with  The Institute For Non Profit News, The Digital Media Law Project or Reporters’ Committee For Freedom of the Press.

    

    ANN also has  a host of veteran journalism law  experts who have been in the news industry for decades and who  are affiliated with the likes of  The SF Chronicle,  Bloomberg News, and KCBS News radio on whom ANN can rely.