National Observer

The National Observer expresses a belief in the power of investigative reporting to improve the lives of Canadians and provide them with the wherewithal to make important decisions and to engage with society's challenges. The publication will check facts, reveal and correct mistakes and listen to feedback from its audience.

The publication aspires to be gender-balanced, to give women and those identified as nonbinary or LGBTQ a voice as sources and as subjects of stories, and to have sources, subjects and images reflect Canada's diversity. They recognize that they do not always live up to these aspirations and regularly discuss how to make improvements. 

The National Observer aims to report news responsibly with fairness and accuracy. Reporters should avoid bias in interactions with sources and members of the public on all of the platforms. The policy states all facts in an article must be backed by at least one primary source, and that all editorial decisions are made by staff and are not subject to inappropriate interference from advertisers, owners or any other special interest group. The publication says it takes steps to verify information provided by sources before sharing it with the public. 

National Observer is owned by Observer Media Group, which was incorporated with the launch of Vancouver Observer, a hyperlocal publication founded and edited by Linda Solomon Wood. The corporation is registered in British Columbia, and Linda Solomon Wood is the majority shareholder. Eleven independent investors also hold shares in the company as well as long-term team members.

The company is funded by its readership through the use of a paywall and subscription sales. Additional sources of revenue stem from fundraising campaigns for special projects and advertising. 

National Observer is committed to addressing the national media representation by making sure women, visible minorities, religious minorities, Indigenous voices and people of different sexual orientation are given a voice and opportunity to work with National Observer.

Factual corrections are made as quickly as possible and will be disclosed when any material changes to the content of a story, including the date of the correction and what information was changed. Material changes include verifiable facts, including name spellings, location, numbers, dates or other information that impacts the content of a story. 

Sources are only allowed to remain unnamed or anonymous when there is a real threat to personal safety, a serious threat to their employment or future employment, or when the source must remain unidentified for legal reasons, such as a publication ban. Sources are otherwise identified when possible and the policy states that caution and skepticism should be exercised about unnamed sources.