The Colorado Sun

The Colorado Sun aims to produce fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism covering Colorado in the way the community can better understand itself.

The Sun pledges to tell the stories of all of the Coloradan community – meaning it must strive to include diverse voices and experiences, especially those from outside dominant cultural perspectives. 

The Colorado Sun says it is in the business of truth. By committing itself to produce fact-based journalism it aims to contribute to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

In this endeavor, according to The Sun, its journalists must tell the truth without any other agenda, and readers must be able to trust that they do. 

It pledges its journalists always seek the truth earnestly and with integrity, independence, compassion and accountability. In case readers think the Sun had stray from this promise, the Sun asks them to call it out and demand that the newspaper make amends.

The Colorado Sun strives to be transparent in its own ownership structure and funding sources. It aims to cite conflicts of interest on the same page as the relevant work. 

The Sun is a worker-governed nonprofit that relies on memberships, grants and advertising. Major grant funders include the Colorado Trust, Catena Foundation and the Gates Family Foundation. Catena Foundation supports the water reporting while the Colorado Trust funds equity reporting. Additional revenue is obtained through sponsorships of events. The Sun receives at most 5% of its advertising from government agencies. 

The Sun aims to tell the stories of all of the Coloradan community – meaning it must strive to include diverse voices and experiences, especially those from outside dominant cultural perspectives. 

It is also aims to be cognizant of the harms media institutions have actively or inadvertently perpetuated against historically disadvantaged communities. In this sense, it commits itself to work to break down stereotypes and bigotry.

The Colorado Sun has policies to tell readers when an error has been made, the magnitude of the error and the correct information, as quickly as possible.

It pledges to publish corrected and clarified articles, correct archive material when errors come to light and correct errors on social media, newsletters and podcasts.

The Sun has policies to avoid quoting anonymous sources as much as possible. There may be rare exceptions when the news value of a quote from an unnamed source outweighs the lack of transparency that anonymity creates, such as the material is vital to the report and is not information or speculation (in accordance with the Associated Press policy for anonymous sources). In those instances, and only with the approval of an editor, an anonymous source may be quoted or cited.                                                     

The Sun says it is committed to always examine requests for anonymity for possible ulterior motives.