Editorial Standards

The Center Square exists to hold government accountable through citizen-focused, straight-news journalism with a taxpayer sensibility. These standards govern every story we publish and every decision our editors and reporters make. They are the operating discipline behind our work and the assurance we offer to the donors who support our mission and the media partners who carry our content to their audiences.

Our Mission

The Center Square delivers objective, citizen-focused government accountability journalism to news outlets nationwide. Our reporting examines how federal, state, and local policy decisions affect the taxpayers and businesses that fund them, giving readers the information they need to understand the cost and consequences of government.

Who We Serve

The Center Square is a newswire service. That role heightens our responsibility to accuracy, velocity, and frequency. Our work is produced primarily for distribution by our media partners, not solely for publication on TheCenterSquare.com.

Our journalism is written for U.S.-based readers, listeners, and viewers in the local markets where our partners republish our content. Our coverage is designed to inform audiences across the center of the American political spectrum by focusing on the question all citizens share: how are tax dollars being spent?

The Taxpayer Standard

Every story begins with a single question: what does this mean for the people who fund government?

Editors and reporters identify the taxpayer impact, the government transparency or accountability dimension, and the reporting plan before work begins. Stories without a clear taxpayer angle are evaluated against alternative coverage where taxpayer-focused issues exist. Where appropriate, the taxpayer focus appears in the headline and lede: how much does it cost, who pays for it, and what is the impact on taxpayers.

A national newswire also has a responsibility to cover public-interest stories that may not carry an immediate taxpayer angle, including severe weather, major crime, school incidents, and other breaking news our partners rely on us to deliver quickly and accurately. In those cases, we cover the news first and pursue the accountability dimension as the story develops.

Reporting Standards

Original reporting. Direct sources and on-the-record, first-person quotes are the foundation of our journalism. Reporters request interviews rather than statements, and accept statements only after a source declines to be interviewed. When a source refuses to talk, the story identifies them by name. When the interview is ours, the story makes that clear by attributing the source to The Center Square.

No press release rewrites. News release rewrites are not acceptable unless the topic is highly newsworthy, includes substantive data or breaking news, and carries a clear taxpayer focus. Validation and additional reporting are required regardless of where a story idea originates. The default question for any release-driven pitch is whether the story can be advanced beyond the release through original reporting. If it cannot, we move on.

Direct sourcing. Citing sources who spoke to other publications without first attempting to reach the original source, or a comparable source, does not meet our standard. We reference other outlets only when they provide background we cannot independently obtain, or when we are documenting through our own reporting that a public statement was false, misleading, or inconsistent.

Confidential sources. Use of a confidential source requires approval from the executive editor or publisher, and the source's identity must be disclosed to that manager. The decision to go off the record rests with the reporter, not the source. Reporters generally decline off-the-record conversations unless those conversations advance the reporting.

Identification of subjects. When an individual is named in a public document, has made a public statement, or is central to a story, we identify them by name unless there is a compelling reason not to. Exceptions, which most often involve victims of crime, are evaluated internally before publication.

Fairness and context. Reporters address all sides of a story, provide appropriate context, request documentation supporting source claims, and pursue public records that contribute to a complete account. Every party named in a story is given an opportunity to respond. When questions cannot or will not be answered by officials, the story discloses that fact.

Writing Standards

The Center Square writes in plain English for readers who are not policy specialists.

We frame developments in terms of cost, savings, and fiscal consequence, identifying who pays and who benefits. Where appropriate, we lead with dollar figures and explain their significance to ordinary citizens.

We translate budget and policy language into terms readers can use.

We use "taxpayer-funded" rather than "government-funded" and "tax dollars" rather than "public money," recognizing that the distinction between voluntarily and coercively collected revenue determines which term applies.

We avoid bureaucratic jargon and acronyms on first reference. We use analogies to convey scale: a $342 billion budget is the equivalent of every person in the United States contributing roughly $1,000.

We examine conflicts of interest among those advocating for, voting on, or receiving taxpayer dollars, with particular attention to the pass-through of federal, state, and local funds to nongovernmental organizations operating at the local level. We test whether promised outcomes materialized or whether the promise itself was the product.

Editing Standards

Editors are the first and last line of defense against low-impact journalism. They work with reporters at the front end of the process, not solely as copy editors at the end.

Before reporting begins, editors and reporters identify the audience, the taxpayer angle, the sources, and the projected length and impact. If a story evolves or weakens during reporting, the reporter contacts the editor promptly so a decision can be made about whether to continue or redirect resources to a stronger story.

When stories do not meet our standards, editors return them for revision with specific direction on what is missing. Active editing across print, audio, and video is central to how The Center Square produces consistent work at scale.

Before publication, editors evaluate each story against four questions: whether a taxpayer would understand from both the headline and the body why the story matters to them, whether government spending has been made tangible, whether the reporting helps readers make informed civic decisions, and whether all parties have been held to fiscal accountability standards.

Corrections

When we make an error of fact, we acknowledge and correct it promptly. Our integrity is our most valuable asset, and a disciplined corrections practice protects it.

Independence

The Center Square is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. No donor, partner, or outside party directs our editorial decisions. Our taxpayer perspective is declared and consistent; it is not assigned by any funder or political interest. Reporters and editors do not use their positions at The Center Square to seek personal advantage or special consideration from the public officials and institutions they cover.

Accuracy. Velocity. Frequency.

Three words govern our work.

Accuracy is the foundation. A single inaccurate or one-sided story can erode the trust we have built with the partners who carry our reporting.

Velocity matters because accountability journalism is valuable only when it reaches readers in time to inform their decisions.

Frequency matters because our partners depend on a consistent flow of taxpayer-focused reporting every day.

These standards are how we earn the trust of the media partners that carry our work and the readers they serve. They are the discipline behind every story published under The Center Square byline.