Our Mission
WVXU's mission is to be a trusted, independent source of journalism that helps create and empower a vibrant, engaged, and informed community. What follows are the pillars of that journalism, which has been adapted from NPR's ethics guidelines.
Accuracy
The goal of every story heard on-air or printed online is always the truth. We take great care to ensure that statements in our journalism are both correct and in context. In our reporting, we challenge the claims we encounter and make every effort to gather and verify information ourselves. Our editing process aims to present the fullest version of a story available at that time. When we edit our articles and interviews, it is to add clarity to our journalism — never to slant or distort.
Completeness
We do our best to report thoroughly and tell stories comprehensively. We will not always have enough time or space in one broadcast story to say everything we would like, or quote everyone we wish to include. Oftentimes, you can find more information in the online version of a report.
In our journalism we aim to include diverse voices that reflect our community and different views to make the story complete. When we cannot deliver all the answers, we explain what we do not yet know and continue to work to fill any gaps.
Fairness
We make every effort to gather responses from those who are the subjects of criticism, unfavorable allegations, or other negative assertions in our stories. We state when a subject has not responded to or otherwise refused our requests for comment.
What we broadcast is edited for time and clarity. Whenever we quote, edit, or otherwise interpret what people tell us, we aim to be faithful to their meaning, so our stories ring true to those we interview.
In all our stories, especially matters of controversy, we strive to consider the strongest arguments we can find on all sides, seeking to deliver both nuance and clarity. Our goal is not to please those whom we report on or to produce stories that create the appearance of balance, but to seek the truth.
Independence
Our primary allegiance is to you, the public. Any personal or professional interests that conflict with that allegiance, whether in appearance or reality, risk compromising our credibility.
Journalists disclose to both their supervisors and the public any circumstances where loyalties may be divided. In some instances, this rule even extends to spouses and other family members (such as barring political yard signs). When necessary, we recuse ourselves from coverage that could present any conflict of interest, real or perceived.
Under no circumstances do we skew our reports for personal gain, to help Cincinnati Public Radio's bottom line, or to please those who fund us. Decisions about what we cover and how we do our work are made by our journalists, not by those who provide Cincinnati Public Radio with financial support. This includes the "firewall" between our news and underwriting and development departments. Those who choose to fund us with grants, sponsorships, or advertising do so knowing that our journalism serves only the public. When necessary, we disclose any funding relationship in our coverage.
The same is true for donors and sustaining members of the general public. While such financial support is essential to the work we do, journalists make their own decisions on what to report on.
Impartiality
We have opinions, like all people. But you deserve factual reporting and informed analysis without our opinions influencing what you hear or see. So, we strive to report and produce stories that transcend our biases and treat all views fairly. We do, on occasion, commission opinion pieces for our website. When we do, we explicitly identify the article as opinion in the headline.
Transparency
We attribute information we receive from others, making perfectly clear to our audience which information comes from which source. We avoid hyperbole and sensational conjecture. We strive to make our decision-making process clear to our listeners and readers, especially when we find ourselves wrestling with tough choices. We disclose any relationships, whether with partners or funders, that might appear to influence our coverage.
Work with media partners
We are an NPR member station. That means we air and put online stories from National Public Radio and fellow NPR member stations in our listening area. This includes stations throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. We also have a partnership with the TV news channel, WCPO 9.
It is our policy to edit on-air stories from member stations only when necessary, and most often such editing is done for length, as the stories we broadcast must meet certain time constraints.
When putting partner articles online, we do not edit these stories at all (though we may change the headline to make it more relevant to our Tri-State audience). The reason we do not edit these articles is because doing so could cause an unintended error or other harm and we want to respect the reporter's reputation and the station's finished product.
If a listener or reader has a comment or notices an error in a broadcast or web piece from a partner, we will forward the comment or correction to the station's main editor, as we have direct relationships with each of them.
When we make a mistake
We take full responsibility for our work, so we are always ready and willing to answer for it. Listening to you makes our journalism better. You can reach us at newsroom@wvxu.org. We welcome questions or criticisms, and to the best of our ability, we respond. Mistakes are inevitable. When we make them, we correct them as quickly as possible, and do so honestly, reflecting on what went wrong, and learning from the mistake.
Updated: March 18, 2024.