The following policies govern Connecticut News Project / Connecticut Mirror operations and decision-making:

News and Editorial Independence Policy:

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. (CNP) is a nonstock, nonprofit corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Connecticut and recognized as such by the United States Internal Revenue Service pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. CNP (which does business as the Connecticut Mirror or CT Mirror), publishes news and information about state and public policy in Connecticut that is fair, accurate and reflects the standards for editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News and the Society of Professional Journalists.

CNP’s news and editorial staff has and retains full authority over news and editorial content of CNP’s reporting and publications to protect the best journalistic interests of CNP and the public.

CNP may accept gifts, grants, sponsorships and advertisements from individuals and organizations for the general support of its activities. CNP also may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics. However, the news and editorial judgments of CNP’s staff are made independently and not on the basis of donor, sponsor, foundation or advertiser support or the involvement of CNP’s Board of Directors. CNP will cede no right of review or influence of news and editorial content.

Acceptance of financial support or advertisements by CNP does not constitute its implied or actual endorsement of foundations, donors, sponsors, advertisers, their products, services or opinions. CNP may decline to accept financial support or advertising if, in the opinion of the Publisher, such support or advertising may be perceived as implied or actual endorsement of the donor, sponsor or advertiser, their products, services or opinions, or as an endorsement of public officials or candidates for public office.

The CNP Board of Directors share a belief that vigorous coverage of government and public policy is essential to the common good. It is that belief, rather than a commitment to any particular cause, that leads them to contribute their time and expertise to CNP. In furtherance of this policy, the Board of Directors of CNP exercises no role in shaping news or editorial coverage and each board member adheres to the organization’s news and editorial independence policy. Board members, however, may share a commitment to public service through their work in various other nonprofit and educational organizations.

A copy of CNP’s News and Editorial Independence Policy shall be provided to those individuals and organizations who wish to offer gifts, grants, sponsorships or advertisements to CNP or The Connecticut Mirror.

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Reporting Code of Standards and Ethics:

CT Mirror is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, digital media organization. Our mission is to produce original, in-depth, nonpartisan journalism that informs Connecticut residents about the impact of public policy, holds government accountable, and amplifies and engages diverse voices and perspectives.

This mission drives the principles and guidelines set out in our code of ethics, which adopts and is inspired by policies set by other nonprofit news organizations. Staff should consider these principles and exercise judgment in deciding how to best serve our audiences with journalism they can trust. As our industry and the technology surrounding it evolve, this code will also evolve.

Guiding framework

These principles provide a foundation for how we do what we do:

  • Responsibility – We know our journalism has an impact on Connecticut’s people and institutions. We take that seriously and we strive to meet the highest standards for serving our readers.
  • Truth – We are committed to truth, accuracy and fairness in reporting. We have no hidden agendas.
  • Independence – Our reporting is independent from all revenue sources.
  • Transparency – We are transparent about our sources of funding and how we produce our journalism.
  • Community – We aim to create a community of readers and partners who believe in nonprofit news, civil discourse and an informed electorate.

Who is covered by this policy

All Connecticut Mirror journalists, as well as freelance or contract contributors to our journalism, are expected to abide by this policy — to be free of conflicts of interest, to be fair, and to perform their work in a manner consistent with CT Mirror’s principles.

Accuracy, attribution and corrections

Our reporting on all platforms will be truthful, transparent and respectful; our facts will be accurate, complete, diligently verified and fairly presented. We strive to include the strongest arguments we can find on all sides. Our analysis will represent our best independent judgment, not our preferences or those of our sources. There will be no hidden agendas in our endeavors.

We recognize that errors of omission and partial truths can inflict great damage on our credibility, and we seek to provide context. If we can’t deliver all the answers to important questions, we explain what we don’t yet know and why.

We strive to be as accurate as possible when quoting our sources, and we do not take people’s words out of context. If a quotation is flawed because of grammar or lack of clarity, it may be paraphrased in a way that is true to the original quote. Ellipses should be used sparingly and must not alter the speaker’s meaning. When relevant to the reader’s understanding, stories should provide information about the setting in which a quotation was obtained. Quotes from one language to another must be translated faithfully; if appropriate, we should note the language spoken.

We routinely analyze and present data from a range of sources to bring more context to our stories and deepen readers’ understanding of issues. We don’t manipulate original data sets in the course of our analysis, other than through standard data-cleaning techniques. We create charts at visually proper perspectives to give an accurate representation of the data. We credit our sources on every graphic, including those for which we compiled the data.

CT Mirror photojournalists and multimedia producers may improve the technical quality of photos and video or audio recordings, but may not alter the substance of that media. All photo illustrations, graphics or animations will be clearly labeled as such.

CT Mirror does not use artificial intelligence to write stories, but we may use it to assist in news gathering or data analysis. All instances of AI assistance or content generation are independently verified by staff journalists. Illustrations created by AI will be clearly labeled and may not be based on copyrighted images.

We take full responsibility for our work. When we make a mistake — and from time to time, we will — we work quickly to fully address the error, correcting it within the story and detailing the error on the story page. The correction must be written in a way that makes clear the error that is being corrected.

Our journalism is edited for clarity. Sometimes sources will ask us to add additional information after a story has published. Editors should make these decisions, applying this general test: If you would have included the additional information had you known it at the time the story published, it’s worth incorporating into the story later to provide a more thorough report. Substantial changes to any story will be noted.

When a story contains a misspelling or other typo that does not otherwise affect the accuracy of the story,editors may make those fixes. Minor typos do not require an italicized correction notice.

CT Mirror journalists will not republish stories, images or other content from outside sources without permission and/or credit. Plagiarism, fabrication and misappropriation of intellectual property are all grounds for termination.

If another outlet broke a particular piece of news, it is best practice to state where the news was originally reported.

Anyone seeking to republish our content must seek permission. We don’t allow unauthorized distribution of editorial content.

Sourcing and professional conduct

We treat individuals we interview and report on with fairness and professionalism.

Everyone affected by our journalism deserves to be treated with respect and compassion. When we ask tough questions, we do so to seek answers — not confrontations. We are mindful of privacy and sensitive to differences in attitudes and culture, and we take special care with those who are vulnerable or suffering.

We will try our best to identify all of our sources, granting individuals anonymity only when the information is critical to the story, we are certain the source is reliable and there is no other way to obtain the information. We will not say that a person declined to comment if they are quoted anonymously. Anonymous sources should know that the reporter will share their identity with a senior editor, who will also keep that information confidential.

We strive to be genuine and candid. Our journalists will never misrepresent themselves or mislead a source to get an interview or a story, and they will always identify themselves as journalists.

We do not use hidden cameras or microphones, go undercover or pay for interviews. CT Mirror complies with state law regarding recorded conversations.

We avoid hyperbole and conjecture and seek to present information honestly. Our journalists will always make an effort to contact the primary subjects and sources of criticism in our stories.

Editorial decisions and conflicts of interest

We aggressively pursue stories we deem newsworthy. Editorial decisions are made by our journalists alone. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of revenue.

Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors, sponsors or advertisers — or their products, services or opinions. We do not give financial supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content. If a board member, institutional or major individual donor is covered in a news story or other editorial content, we disclose this in the story.

CT Mirror accepts donations to support the coverage of broad policy areas, but our journalists maintain editorial control of the coverage. We don’t give anyone the right to review our work before publication. We make public all donors on our list of supporters. No CT Mirror employee will actively solicit funding from any political parties, political or political action committees, and the like, or from any elected officials or candidates actively seeking public office.

Our fundraising team informs all potential donors — individuals, foundations, corporate sponsors, advertisers — that their contributions to CT Mirror do not entitle them to preferential editorial treatment or to relationships with newsroom staff, and in no way protect them from investigations or scrutiny. Our journalists do not directly solicit donations from major donors or corporate sponsors.

Journalists may not work on stories or projects in which they have a vested interest, financial or personal. They should avoid investing directly in companies or industries they regularly cover. Journalists who own stock in a company, or have a spouse or dependent who owns any such securities, will recuse themselves from working on content related to that company.

All news personnel can participate in CT Mirror’s employer-sponsored retirement plan, which is managed by a third party, without having to recuse themselves from working on content related to the plan or plan manager.

We encourage staffers to make public appearances to help raise our visibility and to talk about our work, including making speeches and participating on panels — as long as there are no real or perceived conflicts of interest. Any such appearances must be approved by a supervisor. CT Mirror journalists may speak at events hosted by other companies or institutions, but any honoraria must be paid to CT Mirror — not to the journalist — in the form of a tax-deductible donation.

From time to time, editorial employees may promote CT Mirror membership drives or fundraising initiatives on their personal social media profiles or be featured in our marketing materials. They do this at their own discretion and are under no obligation to do so.

Employees seeking secondary employment or freelance work to supplement their income must discuss the work with a manager to ensure it does not conflict with their responsibilities at CT Mirror. If the supplemental work presents a potential or actual conflict with work hours or the organization’s mission, then the work must be approved by an editor.

CT Mirror journalists must submit in writing to their supervisor all requests to serve on the board of any non-profit organization; these will be reviewed and approved or disapproved on a case-by-case basis. Employees may not serve as directors or officers of any profit-making company.

Journalists should refuse gifts or meals of more than a nominal value from any company, individual or institution that could have an interest in our reporting. Likewise, journalists will not treat sources to meals of more than a nominal value. The purpose of this policy is to avoid the appearance or existence of quid pro quo situations between journalists and sources.

CT Mirror employees may not make campaign contributions to political candidates, parties or PACs. Personal donations to charitable causes should steer clear of organizations that could present a conflict of interest in each journalist’s reporting.

All journalists, contractors and interns who perform reporting or editing will refrain from partisan political activity of any kind.

On social platforms, reporters and editors must conduct themselves just as they would in other public circumstances as a CT Mirror journalist. Treat those you encounter online with fairness, honesty and respect; verify information before passing it along; be honest about your intent when reporting; and avoid actions that might discredit your professional reputation.

Journalists are encouraged to discuss with management any other potential conflicts of interest or situations that fall into an ethical gray area.

A note about sponsorships and advertising

CT Mirror accepts corporate sponsorships, underwriting and advertising that does not compromise its editorial integrity. All such support is clearly and obviously distinguished from editorial content. Sponsor or advertiser messages that contain false or unlawful content — or that may undermine our integrity, mission or brand — may be removed at our discretion. Corporate support is solicited by our business staff, and no sponsored content will be produced by CT Mirror journalists.

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Diversity Policy:

The Connecticut News Project (CNP) believes journalism is most powerful when it reflects the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences of all people of Connecticut. Diversity encompasses differences in race, ethnicity, gender, language, age, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, political perspective, geographic coverage, physical and mental ability, thinking styles, experience, and education. CNP aspires to, and will aggressively seek, board and staff diversity, diverse newsmakers and interviewees, topics of interest to diverse audiences, and diversity of voices on the Viewpoints opinion page.

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Funding Acceptance Policy:

The Connecticut News Project, doing business as the Connecticut Mirror on CTMirror.org (collectively, CNP), is committed to transparency in every aspect of its funding. To that end, its routine practice will be to publicly disclose the identity of individuals and organizations that donate or provide grants or sponsorships to CNP or for any of its operations or activities and to publicly disclose the amount of donations, in general categories, provided by each donor, grantor, or sponsor.

CNP will, however, accept anonymous gifts, grants and sponsorships and publicly disclose them as “anonymous” if requested and if in the opinion of CNP’s Publisher, such anonymous funding would not impair, or be perceived as impairing, the news and editorial independence or integrity of CNP.

In addition, CNP will not actively solicit funding from any political parties, political or political action committees, and the like, or from any elected officials or candidates actively seeking public office. The Publisher may refuse any gift at his or her discretion, if the Publisher believes that gift would impair, or be perceived as impairing, the news and editorial independence or integrity of CNP.

The Publisher will inform the CNP Board of Directors of funding in the form of securities. Donations of real property will be accepted only with the affirmative concurrence of the CNP Board of Directors.

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Donor Privacy Policy (click for policy)

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Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy:

This policy outlines The Connecticut Mirror’s standards for the use of AI tools in all newsroom and business operations.  It transparently communicates how we consider using such tools in our journalistic, revenue generating, and marketing processes. It was developed in 2025 in consultation with the Connecticut Mirror’s Ethics Committee and partially modelled on the work of the Texas Tribune and other newsrooms. We will regularly review and update the policy to ensure that our approach to and use of AI technologies remains rooted in our values and communicated to our audiences.

 NEWSROOM AI Policy:

 AI requires journalistic oversight.

  • Our journalists do essential, original and intensive work gathering and reporting Connecticut’s public policy and government news. The Connecticut Mirror will use AI to enhance our work processes, allowing reporters to dive deeper.
  • We will not publish article text generated by AI tools. Our journalists will not use information from generative AI tools as a primary source of information.
  • Journalists will disclose to their editors if they used tools such as ChatGPT in the reporting process. They will be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of generative AI tools, including how AI introduces uncertainty about where information comes from. They will disclose how they independently confirmed any information they learned through the use of AI tools.

Cautious experimentation with AI tools is encouraged in the newsroom.

  • Journalists may experiment with AI tools for tasks such as data analysis, transcription, translation, generating story ideas, optimizing stories for search engines, social platform writing, and other external communications like emails, but they will be critical of the tools. Their assessment of the accuracy and quality of the output will inform how they use it. They will treat AI-generated output as unverified information and work to independently verify it.
  • Journalists will avoid putting confidential information such as anonymous source names or privately obtained documents into third-party AI tools.
  • CT Mirror staff are aware of the environmental impact of AI and will be conscious of the resources we use when implementing AI tools. 

We will disclose how we use AI.

  • We will disclose when AI played a role in developing the key findings of a story.
  • We will disclose the use of AI in any tools that interact directly with readers. 
  • We do not use AI to alter any elements of photos, video, or audio. We do not publish news photographs created by or manipulated by generative AI. 
  • Before utilizing a new AI tool, individuals should openly discuss and disclose their usage with their manager. Staff will abide by the CT Mirror’s standards of security and accuracy. 

Got questions about our Newsroom’s AI policy? Email data@ctmirror.org

BUSINESS OPERATIONS AI Policy:

Purpose:
This policy governs the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in CT Mirror’s business operations, including fundraising, marketing, audience growth, analytics, and administrative processes. It requires that AI is used ethically, transparently, and in alignment with CT Mirror’s mission and values.

1. Mission-Driven Use

  • AI tools will be used to enhance — not replace — human decision-making in ways that strengthen our mission, deepen public engagement, and support long-term sustainability.
  • As outlined by this policy, we will deploy AI tools in ways that align with our core values of integrity, trust, transparency, respect, inclusion, and public service.

2. Human Oversight and Accountability

  • CT Mirror may occasionally use AI to generate initial drafts of business content such as marketing materials, email marketing, fundraising campaign emails, thank-you notes.  When we do use AI for this purpose all materials will be reviewed by human staff before distribution.
  • All AI-assisted marketing analyses — including segmentation, predictive analytics, and A/B testing — will be overseen by trained staff who remain ultimately accountable for outcomes.
  • Business decisions informed by AI (e.g., audience engagement strategy) will be evaluated for integrity to the CT Mirror mission and for unintended consequences, including bias or exclusion.

3. Use in Workflow and Productivity

  • AI may be used to automate administrative tasks (e.g., data entry, donor research summaries) to increase efficiency. Such automation will be monitored for accuracy.
  • AI-generated copy, graphics, designs and other content used in fundraising or marketing will be reviewed by a human staff member before public release.
  • Staff will be informed when AI tools are embedded in workplace platforms or processes and will receive training in their ethical and effective use.
  • CT Mirror will not use AI in its recruiting and hiring processes.

4. Copyright and Intellectual Property Compliance

  • CT Mirror will not use AI tools to generate, reproduce, or distribute text, visual, video, or audio content that violates copyright law or the intellectual property rights of the owners of that content. 
  • We will only use AI models, data sources, or platforms that are transparent about their training data and that offer mechanisms to avoid infringing use.

5. Transparency and Consent

  • We will comply with all relevant privacy laws and will honor user preferences regarding communication and data usage.
  • Any third-party content integrated into fundraising, editorial, or marketing outputs will be properly attributed or licensed, regardless of whether it was generated with or without AI assistance.
  • Any use of AI-assisted chatbot responses will be labeled accordingly.

6. Data Ethics and Privacy

  • CT Mirror will not sell or share donor, subscriber, or reader data nor will it sell or share the results of any AI-assisted analysis that we conduct on such data in ways that violate confidentiality or trust. 
  • We may occasionally share such data and analysis with third parties to whom we outsource marketing services, strictly for their use on our behalf, including organizational learning.  This information will be protected by strict confidentiality requirements and will not be shared for any other entity’s commercial purposes.

7. Continuous Review and Learning

  • CT Mirror will periodically review its use of AI in business operations and adapt practices to reflect evolving best practices, legal standards, and community expectations.
  • Staff are encouraged to propose, test, and evaluate AI tools that can improve performance while maintaining our core values and transparency.

This policy itself was partially informed by Open AI’s enterprise version of ChatGPT and was carefully reviewed and amended by CT Mirror Publisher Bruce Putterman and Director of Philanthropy Clare Dignan and reflected input from CT Mirror board member Mark Robinson. Please email CT Mirror Publisher Bruce Putterman (publisher@ctmirror.org) with any questions about our Business Operations AI policy.

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