Like many news observers in Maine, I read with interest recent reports about the money behind the purchase of 22 Maine newspapers by a national nonprofit. Both conservative activists and mainstream newspapers are asking questions about the transaction, fueled partly by a report that progressive megadonor George Soros’ Open Society Foundations contributed millions of dollars for the purpose. The newspapers say they remain independent and nonpartisan, and will soon reveal more details about their funding.
The reports highlight the importance of donor transparency in nonprofit news. At the Anchor, donor transparency was a priority from the beginning. Because talk, unlike news, is cheap, here’s a little transparency about where our money comes from.
In 2022, 44.7% of our income was from donations, 41.6% from advertising and sponsorships, 10.5% from grants, and 3.2% from other sources, such as obituary fees.
We do not accept anonymous donations, and we publish the names of every one of our hundreds of donors in our annual report, which you can find on Pages 16 and 17 of the March 2023 edition. This is not just to acknowledge them, although we appreciate their support. It is to show the community where our money comes from.
Our donors give because they support the Anchor and want to have a robust, professional newsroom in their community. They do not give for access or control. As our Editorial Independence Policy states, “Our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.”
As editor, I rely on board members, colleagues and community members for valuable advice and tips, but ultimately I decide how to cover the news, from what stories to run on the front page to where to put the last comma in the last sentence of the last jump. No donor, advertiser or anyone else has the power to kill a story, demand a story or change a story.
In a previous column, I mentioned the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics’ counsel on giving subjects of news coverage an opportunity to respond to criticism. The code weighs in on the issue of independence, too. In its “Act independently” section, the code calls on journalists to “Deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage.”
Independence is key to trust, and transparency is necessary to demonstrate independence. The Anchor’s commitment to transparency is inseparable from its commitment to be a trustworthy news source for the Harpswell community.
J.W. Oliver, Editor, Harpswell Anchor
