Editorial Independence Policy
We subscribe to standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News:
Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.
Our organization may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. We will cede no right of review or influence of editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content.
Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $5,000 or more per year. We will accept anonymous donations for general support only if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that the expenditure of that donation is made independently by our organization and in compliance with INN’s Membership Standards.
Donor & Financial Transparency
We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization.
Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics and special projects. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates as a public trust, we do not pay certain taxes. We may receive funds from standard government programs offered to nonprofits or similar businesses.
Our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors or any revenue source. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content.
We make public all revenue sources and donors who give $5,000 or more per year. As a news nonprofit, we avoid accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office. We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our board of directors, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.
2021-2023 Massachusetts Media Fund, Inc. Board of Directors
Zakiya Alake. A Boston-based African-American activist and small business owner; she is interested primarily in housing and socioeconomic issues, and was trained as a community journalist by BINJ through its journalism education program for working adults.
G. Valentino Ball. A Boston-based African-American cultural curator, journalist and content creator. Director of content and production for the King Boston memorial project at the Boston Foundation. Co-founder and editor at KBX Media, a Boston-based digital editorial platform and media content creation.
Chris Faraone. BINJ editorial director and founder. Also editor-in-chief and associate publisher, DigBoston newspaper.
John Loftus. BINJ operations director and founder. Also business manager and publisher, DigBoston newspaper.
Linda Pinkow. A Somerville-based development expert for Boston-area nonprofits and journalist, radio personality, and editor. Also a development consultant for BINJ.
Jason Pramas. BINJ executive director and founder. Also executive editor and associate publisher, DigBoston newspaper.
Cindy Rodriguez. A Latina senior journalist-in-residence at Emerson College in Boston. Noted for covering race relations and cultural affairs as a reporter and columnist at the Detroit News, the Denver Post, and the Boston Globe.
Clarence Smith, Jr. An African-Amercian senior systems engineer at Akamai Technologies in Cambridge, who is also an editor, visual artist, and the founder of BOLD Edition.
Felicia Sullivan. Boston-based associate research director of Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit; holds a PhD in public policy.
Saul Tannenbaum. A retired computer programmer, former community journalist, and current telecom policy activist living in Cambridge.
Donors Over $5,000 (FY 2020 and FY 2021 YTD)
In the interest of keeping our funding transparent to the public we serve as journalists, Massachusetts Media Fund, Inc. d/b/a Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism lists all donations over $5,000.
Reva & David Logan Foundation, $220,000
Democracy Fund, $50,000
Mo Lotman, $40,000
Janet Lowenthal, $17,000
Craig Newmark, $10,000
Fund for Investigative Journalism, $10,000
Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grant, $10,000
Anonymous Donor, $10,000
Solutions Journalism Network, $7,500
Google News Initiative, $5,000
Colin Kingsbury, $5,000
