TriplePundit Code of Ethics

Last updated March 16, 2026

Journalism fundamentals

TriplePundit follows the fundamental principles of journalism, including:

Telling the truth

• Our journalists should be honest, accurate, truthful and fair. They must not distort or fabricate facts, imagery, sound or data.
• We strive to provide accurate context for all reporting.
• We seek out diverse voices that can contribute important perspectives on the subjects we cover.
• Our journalists should ensure that sources are reliable. To the maximum extent possible, we make clear who and what our sources are, what motivations our sources may have and any conditions people have set for giving us information. When unsure of information, we leave it out or make clear it has not been corroborated.
• We correct errors quickly, completely and visibly, and we make it easy for our audience to bring errors to our attention.
• If a report includes criticism of people or organizations, we give them the opportunity to respond whenever possible.
• We clearly distinguish fact from opinion in all content.

Conflicts of interest

• We avoid any conflict of interest that undermines our ability to report fairly. We disclose to our audience any unavoidable conflicts or other situational factors that may validly affect their judgment of our journalists’ credibility.
• Our journalists do not allow people to make them dishonestly skew their reporting and do not offer to skew their reporting under any circumstances.
• We do not allow the interests of advertisers, sponsors or others funding our work to affect the integrity of our journalism.

Community

• Our values are rooted in respect for our audiences and those we write about.
• We keep our promises to sources, readers and the community.
• We provide all staff with expectations, support and tools to maintain ethical standards.

AI Policy

We understand many reporters now use AI tools at various stages of the writing process, but because of our commitment to original journalism, TriplePundit only allows the use of AI under specific and constrained conditions that include careful human oversight. All of TriplePundit’s reporting is original, and we do not publish articles that include AI writing.

Images, graphics and data visualizations. If we use AI to create graphics or images included in our stories, we will disclose it, but it is not our preference to use AI to create these assets. We never distort or fabricate imagery, sound or data, including in assets created with AI assistance.

Audio and video transcription. TriplePundit allows the use of AI transcription, but reporters must verify quotes using audio playback before including them in a story.

Translation. Under certain circumstances, reporters may use AI to assist in translating direct quotes from interviews conducted in languages other than English, but this must be approved by editors in advance and disclosed to readers in the published article. If TriplePundit publishes an article that was originally written in a language other than English, it must be translated by a credited human translator.

Research and data analysis. TriplePundit contributors may use AI tools for article research or to organize, analyze, and parse data, but they commit to validate and fact-check the results. The reporter is ultimately responsible for the accuracy of the information they include in articles they submit to TriplePundit, whether they use AI in their process or not.

Writing and editing. All of TriplePundit’s reporting is original. If we quote another source or republish an article from another platform, we disclose it to our readers clearly and prominently. That’s why we do not publish articles that include AI writing. However, with AI integrations everywhere we turn, often giving us recommendations we didn’t ask for, we acknowledge that AI intervention can be difficult to get away from and the line between AI assistance and AI writing can blur.

For TriplePundit, we approach AI writing the same way we approach the use of any other third-party source. We never pull verbatim from third-party sources without direct-quote attribution, and since we cannot quote an AI system, we cannot use AI-written copy in our articles. That includes original sentences and phrases that have been reworked or rewritten by an AI editor.

Acceptable use of AI editors are limited to basic spelling and grammar checkers that flag or underline words or phrases and prompt human revision. For example, using a grammar checker to flag run-on sentences or use of the passive voice is acceptable, but accepting a grammar checker’s “suggestion” that changes full phrases or sentence structure is not. In other words, 3p reporters may use AI editors as a guide, but any direct revision to their copy is made by them, in their own words.

We acknowledge our policy falls on the more stringent end of the spectrum and may present a barrier to some reporters, particularly those who are reporting undertold stories from around the world in languages other than English. With the help of partners, we commit to make human translation available as an option for reporters whose story ideas are approved but face language barriers.

Advertising and Sponsored Content

• We partner with sponsors and advertisers through our branded content studio. These partnerships are clearly disclosed to our readers and the public.
• We require news-like content produced through our Brand Studio to be clearly identified as “Sponsored,” with labeling above the fold.
• Sponsors and advertisers may review and request changes to stories that are part of their commercial engagement, such as a sponsored editorial series, but they may not seek to influence any other coverage produced by TriplePundit or our writers.
• We do not allow advertisements for certain types of products or accept business from prospective Brand Studio partners in certain sectors, including but not limited to tobacco.

Our ethical standards

Accuracy

• Our staff should take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of information that we publish and note our sources.
• We should not publish rumors or other information we have not verified.
• If we are unsure of the accuracy of information, we should cite our sources, word stories carefully to avoid spreading false rumors, acknowledge what we don’t know and ask the community’s help in confirming or correcting our information.

Balance and Fairness

• To ensure fairness, we believe in covering not only the most powerful voices on an issue, but also those who are not normally heard.
• We will refrain from presenting multiple points of view if one perspective on an issue has been credibly established as fact. In other words, we will avoid “false balance.”

Interviewing

• Our organization never pays for interviews.
• Upon request, our organization may provide interview subjects with a general idea of our questions in advance.
• Articles and reports must state the method of interviewing (i.e., whether it was in person, by telephone, video, Skype or email) if doing so enhances the context of the interview and article.

Diversity

• We will seek diverse pools of candidates for all jobs, but will always seek to hire the most qualified candidate.
• We encourage staffers to seek diverse sources, both in specific stories and in routine beat coverage.

Sources: Reliability and Attribution

• We may use sources with a conflict of interest in stories, but details that signal the conflict of interest should be included (e.g. a scientist who conducted a study about a drug’s effectiveness when the study was funded by the manufacturer).
• We use links, if available, for source attribution.

Quotations

• We will clean up random utterances such as pauses, “um” or “you know” unless they materially alter the meaning.
• We will allow separate phrases of a quote separated by ellipsis.
• We will allow separate phrases of a quote separated by attribution.

Plagiarism and Attribution

• TriplePundit is based on a foundational principle of original journalism. Every word in the articles we publish is written by the author, unless clear and specific attribution suggests otherwise.
• We believe a link to a digital source is sometimes sufficient attribution; we need not always name the source in the text if the information is routine.
• When we are using someone else’s exact words, we should use quotation marks and attribution.
• Attribution should be as specific as possible, including the name of the author and publication or organization of the source we are quoting.
• We should always cite news releases if they are our sources, and should quote them if using their exact words.
• Even when taking basic facts from another source, we should vary the wording from the phrasing used in source materials.

Race and Gender

• We will seek out people in the groups we cover to gain perspective on our coverage and terminology.
• We will use racial, ethnic, gender and sexuality identifiers when specifically germane to a story but not otherwise.
• We will Identify transgender people by the gender they express publicly.

Withholding Names

• Unless we have a compelling reason to withhold a name, we always publish names of people involved in the stories we cover.
• We recognize that many sources cannot talk to us freely. We grant confidentiality if we think the source has a good reason. We will use information and quotes from unnamed sources we consider reliable.

Online Commenting

• We do not include a comments section on any of our articles, but readers are encouraged to share their feedback with us on social media or the Contact Us form on our website.
• We will never share the identities or email addresses of people who contact us unless given express permission to do so.

Corrections

• We will show all corrections in the place the incorrect material originally appeared (e.g., put corrections related to a story at the bottom of that same story).
• If a mistake is made in a social media post, we will delete the original post and publish a corrected version with an indication that the new post is a correction.

Financial Interests

• Our journalists should immediately disclose to a supervisor any interests they have in a company they are asked to cover. Supervisors should consider putting another journalist on the story.

Community Activities

• We will provide factual coverage in a neutral voice despite our organization’s involvement in the issues we cover. We will disclose our affiliation for transparency reasons, but the affiliation should not be evident from a promotional voice or content.

Gifts, Free Travel and Other Perks

• Our journalists may accept tickets or press passes to events we are covering or reviewing.
• Our journalists may accept free travel if financially necessary for the purposes of reporting a story, but we should disclose this in our reporting.
• Our journalists may receive free products for the purpose of reviewing them, but we should disclose this in our reporting.
• Our journalists may accept small gifts that are typical for event attendance, such as pens or T-shirts.
• Supervisors should be informed about any other gifts to discuss whether something needs to be returned, disclosed, paid for, donated to charity or handled in some other way that protects our integrity.

Personal Ethics Statements by Staff

• Our journalists are encouraged to make personal ethics statements, which provide more information about themselves and their attitudes, even though they must follow our corporate values.

Political Activities by Staff

• Our journalists may engage in political activities, including running for office and participating in campaigns, so long as they do not cover stories relating to the area of their political activity.

Social Networks

• Our journalists are free to express opinions on social media.
• We encourage staff members to retweet, reblog, share and otherwise pass along things they find interesting on social media. We trust them to provide context where appropriate.

Removing Archived Work

• We will remove an outdated story from our archives if it is causing problems for someone.
• We will delete inaccurate social media posts but acknowledge the deletions in subsequent posts.

Data Journalism

• We will put all data in relevant context.

Photo and Video

• We do not need to label a photo or video if it is clearly posed (e.g. an award-winner holding up a trophy).
• We will clearly label the source of all “handout” photos or video.
• We will verify photos or videos from social media before using them.

Hate Speech

• We report on hate speech and actions but include original offensive expressions only when specifically necessary for audience understanding of the case.

Mental Health and Suicide

• We will cover mental health and suicide as broad public health issues as consistently as we cover other health matters.

Obscenities

• We will use slurs only in direct quotations and only if the quote is essential to the story. Otherwise we will replace them with a descriptor (e.g. “an anti-gay slur”).
• Online we will allow obscenities and vulgarities in non-quoted material if they fit with the voice of the writer and tone of the outlet.

Privacy

• When readers choose to give us personal information about themselves, such as their email address or name when signing up for a newsletter or sending us feedback, we will never share it or sell it unless given express permission to do so.
• We view everything on social media and the Internet as fair game for journalists, and everyone knows it, even private individuals. We reserve the right to publish whatever we find online or from public sources.

Clickbait and Metrics

• We are encouraged to write clever, creative headlines and social media posts that will entice readers to click on our stories, but headlines will not make promises that our stories don’t deliver.
• We will accurately reflect the content of related stories in headlines and social media posts.
• We will use metric considerations as one of a number of factors in determining what we cover and how we place stories.

Sensational Material

• We will refrain from running sensitive material specifically or solely for the revenue purposes, such as increased digital traffic.

This code was created through The Online News Association’s Build Your Own Ethics Code project, designed to help news organizations, startups and individual bloggers and journalists create codes that reflect their own journalistic principles.