True Soul Media Group (TSMG) affirms its commitment to delivering unbiased, impactful journalism that resonates with and serves the needs of our communities. TSMG (and by extension Arkansas Soul Media and Georgia Soul Media), in alignment with the standards set by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), firmly upholds the following principles of editorial independence:
Autonomy in Editorial Content: Our organization retains complete authority over editorial content to protect our journalistic integrity and business interests. This ensures that our reporting is conducted in the best interest of the communities we serve, free from external influences.
Firewall Between Revenue and News Coverage: We maintain a strict separation between news coverage decisions and all sources of revenue. The acceptance of financial support from any entity does not imply or result in the endorsement of donors, their products, services, or opinions.
Independent News Judgment: While we accept gifts, grants, and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, our news judgments are made independently and are not influenced by donor support.
Editorial Control Over Donor-Supported Coverage: Our organization may receive donations to support coverage of specific topics; however, we maintain full editorial control over such coverage. We do not allow any right of review or influence over editorial content by donors and/or sponsors.
Transparency and Public Disclosure: In the spirit of transparency, Arkansas Soul Media will publicly disclose all donors who contribute a total of $5,000 or more per year. This is to ensure our audience’s trust in our editorial process and content.
Handling of Anonymous Donations: We accept anonymous donations for general support, provided it is clear that such donations are expended independently by our organization. This is to ensure that our journalistic independence is not compromised by such contributions as we continue to serve our communities and maintain their trust.