Our Mission
MarylandReporter.com is a daily news website produced by journalists committed to making state government as open, transparent, accountable and responsive as possible – in deed, not just in promise. We believe the people who pay for this government are entitled to have their money spent in an efficient and effective way, and that they are entitled to keep as much of their hard-earned dollars as they possibly can. These taxpayers also expect their government:
- to aggressively protect public safety and public health;
- to act as the caregiver of last resort to care for the poor, the sick, the ignorant, the disabled, the abused and the victims of crime;
- to provide an adequate transportation infrastructure;
- to promote their state as a place that is business friendly and environmentally sound.
We believe that these goals should be pursued without waste, fraud or abuse and with approaches that do not automatically favor the government’s involvement, funding and growth.
The editors, reporters and contributors to MarylandReporter.com follow the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists as a model of journalism, and they welcome the feedback of readers, viewers, sources and others who think they have not lived up to this ideal. As the preamble of the code states: “Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues.”
That is the mission of MarylandReporter.com on state government and politics.
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Our organization
MarylandReporter.com, Inc. was incorporated in Maryland as a nonprofit organization Sept. 2, 2009 and was granted its exemption from federal income tax under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code Feb. 3, 2010.
MarylandReporter.com is supported by grants from foundations, by advertising, by contributions from donors and sponsors and by payments from other news organizations for customized content produced for them. All donations are tax deductible. We do not accept political advertising.
MarylandReporter.com was launched with the help of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. It has had grants from the Knight Foundation, the Abell Foundation, the Rothschild Arts Foundation, the John J. Leidy Foundation, the Maryland State Education Association and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.
Other news organizations which use or have used our content include The Business Monthly, The Daily Record, CityBizList, Baltimore Post-Examiner, MoCoVox, Southern Maryland Online, the Annapolis Capital, What’s Up—Annapolis and Watchdog.org.
MarylandReporter.com is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, National Newspaper Association, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, the Online News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Editorial Independence Policy
We subscribe to standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News:
MarylandReporter.com retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not based on donor support.
MarylandReporter.com accepts donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. We will cede no right of review of editorial content.
Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $5,000 or more per year. We will accept anonymous donations for general support only if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that the expenditure of that donation is made independently by our organization and in compliance with INN’s Membership Standards.
Donor Transparency
MarylandReporter.com is committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization.
Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or advertisers or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics, and special projects. Our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content.
We will make public all donors who give $5,000 or more per year. As a nonprofit, we will avoid accepting donations from anonymous sources, and we will not accept donations from government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates actively seeking public office.
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Financial Statements and Tax Returns
Here are copies of IRS Form 990 and Schedule A that have been filed with the Internal Revenue Service and are required to be made public. (These files may not display properly unless they are opened with Adobe Reader.)
IRS 501 (c)(3) Determination Letter
A copy of the current financial statement of MarylandReporter.com (IRS Form 990) is also available by writing Len Lazarick, MarylandReporter.com Inc., 6392 Shadowshape Place, Columbia, MD 21045, by e-mailing [email protected], or by calling 410-312-9840. Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Maryland Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis MD 21401, (410) 974-5534.
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Comment policy
We welcome and encourage your comments on our content. However, may be removed at the discretion of MarylandReporter.com. We ask that you follow these guidelines:
- Be polite. No personal attacks against other commenters or private individuals are allowed.
- Be considerate. We will not publish comments using inappropriate language.
- Be yourself. Any comment or trackback that is not relevant to the story and is deemed spam will not be published.
If you come across a comment that you feel does not meet our standards, please flag it. MarylandReporter.com will look at it and make a final decision.
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