Last Updated: September 1, 2024
Why This Matters As a fact-checking organization, our credibility depends on staying neutral. This policy of employment and political affiliations helps everyone understand how to balance their personal political beliefs with our commitment to impartiality.
Who needs to follow this everyone who works with us – whether you’re full-time staff, a board member, contractor, or partner – needs to understand and follow these guidelines.
Our basic principles we believe in:
- Staying professionally neutral while respecting personal beliefs
- Being clear about personal political connections that might affect work
- Never letting politics influence our hiring or promotion decisions
- Protecting everyone’s right to their own political views
Your political activities: what’s oK and what’s not personal political life
- Feel free to be politically active in your personal time
- Don’t use our organization’s name or resources
- Keep your personal political views separate from your work with us
Speaking publicly
- When representing us, stay neutral on political issues
- Don’t make political endorsements while wearing our “hat”
- Be mindful that your public political statements might affect our reputation
Running for office
- Tell us if you plan to run for public office
- We’ll work together to handle any potential conflicts
- Some roles might need adjusting during your campaign
Working in politics
- You can’t work for us while actively working for a political party or campaign
- This helps prevent any questions about our independence
Keeping things clear
- Tell us about any political connections that might affect your work
- Using our resources for political purposes isn’t allowed
- An independent team reviews any concerns about conflicts
Staying current we review this policy every year to make sure it still works for everyone while maintaining our standards.
Remember: While we respect everyone’s right to their political beliefs, our work requires us to remain visibly neutral and independent. When in doubt, ask the compliance team about specific situations.