MediaNews Group
The Mercury News
San Jose, California, United States • Founded in 1851 • Trust Project news partner since
The Mercury News is a regional daily print and digital newspaper based in San Jose, California, that serves readers in Silicon Valley and its global technology community. Its policy is to shine a light on injustice and the public’s right to know, with two story themes it says are central to its mission — the impact of technology and the changing demographic landscape of America.
The Mercury News says it is passionate about serving readers in Silicon Valley and its global technology community. Its aim is to report and write accurately and fairly, shining a light on injustice and defending the public’s right to know. It strives to reflect the changing demographics of the community in both coverage and hiring, recognizing that diversity is a core component of accuracy.
The Mercury News has undergone numerous iterations throughout the years to transform with the Bay Area’s community. It was first published in 1851 as the San Jose Weekly Visitor.
- Sharon Ryan – President and Publisher
- Frank Pine – Executive Editor
- Bert Robinson – Senior Editor
- Randall Keith – Managing Editor/Digital
Best Practices Policies
Mercury News inherits best practices policies from its parent news organization Bay Area News Group.
Mission
The Bay Area News Group is focused on informing Bay Area communities through accurate and compelling stories to make an impact in Bay Area communities.
The Mercury News' mission is to inform Bay Area communities by telling accurate and compelling stories that make an impact.
Ethics
The Bay Area News Group's policy states it is committed to the highest ethical standards, with fairness and accuracy among its core values.
The Bay Area News Group’s ethics policy covers fairness and accuracy in reporting; use of unidentified sources; quotations and attribution; bylines, datelines and credit lines; meals, tickets and travel and gifts and sample products.
The ethics policy also addresses credibility and conflicts of interest. Its policy is that staff members should avoid online and real-world activities that could conflict with their jobs. The policy covers financial holdings, freelancing, use of company property while freelancing, radio and television, honorariums, connections and relationships.
Ownership & Funding
The Mercury News and East Bay Times are part of the Bay Area News Group (BANG). In April 2016, Bay Area News Group consolidated its several major daily newspapers into two regional publications: The Mercury News, which serves Silicon Valley and the Peninsula, and the East Bay Times, which serves Oakland, Alameda County and Contra Costa County. Further coverage is provided by additional Bay Area News Group publications including the Marin Independent Journal and dozens of community weeklies.
All of the Bay Area News Group publications are owned by MediaNews Group, which is based in Denver, Colorado. MediaNews Group is a privately-owned company. The majority owner is Alden Global Capital, a a privately held investment firm based in New York City. As a private company, MediaNews Group makes business decisions that keep shareholders in mind, but it says editorial decisions are independent.
The company’s largest properties include The Orange County Register, The Denver Post, The Mercury News, East Bay Times, Riverside Press-Enterprise, Los Angeles Daily News and St. Paul Pioneer Press. Other MediaNews Group publications are listed at http://www.medianewsgroup.com/our-brands/.
The Mercury News is committed to transparency in its ownership structure, and its policy is to cite potential conflicts of interest on the same page as the relevant work.
Diverse Voices
The Bay Area News Group says that inclusiveness is at the heart of thinking and acting as journalists, and that the complex issues society faces requires respect for different viewpoints — with race, class, generation, gender and geography all affecting points of view. Its policy is to reflect these differences in the reporting of its newsrooms, with the aim of creating better, more nuanced stories and a better-informed community. The group says it is interested in hearing from different ethnic, civic and business groups in the communities it serves.
Corrections
The Bay Area News Group's policy is that it corrects all significant errors that are brought to the attention of the editors.
The group says that a correction will include the date of the error and the location of the article, if it appeared in print. The policy is for material errors to be acknowledged promptly in a straightforward correction. The group explains that it may repeat the error in a correction if doing so helps to provide clarity.
The group says it does not generally “unpublish” content or remove details such as names from its websites and archives other than for legal reasons, but says it does correct and update articles as necessary if there is a significant factual error.
Unnamed Sources
The group's policy is that unnamed sources are to be used only when the news value warrants it and the information can’t be obtained any other way. When forced to rely on them, the group's newsrooms policy is to not rely on them as the only basis for a story, and does not allow them to make personal attacks. It asks that its newsrooms describe them with as much detail as possible and tells readers why the source requested or was granted anonymity. The group tries to apply these standards when using unnamed sources cited by other news organizations, wire services, blogs or independent journalists. When using information distributed via social media, the newsrooms are asked to verify the identity of the person posting the information.
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