Your conduct
Our editorial policy is simple. Unlike anti-democratic blogs on the left like "MichiganLiberal" or "Blogging for Michigan" which openly censor (although admittedly the legal "private censorship" kind) individuals on purely political or arbitrary grounds, OaklandPolitics.com will generally not censor any political viewpoint unless the situation is extraordinary. We do have a civility policy and will exercise out discretion appropriately, but we both realize it is impossible to check everything and inappropriate to restrain speech based on its political slant. If you behave uncivilly, we we will attempt to work with you and caution you, but ultimately we reserve the right to any remedy appropriate as necessary. Our conduct
On the other hand, the authors of OutsideLansing do have political views and while we focus on quality over quantity, and news and investigative sourcing over commentary (which is still encouraged), we do not claim the traditional journalistic mantle of so-called "objective reporting" that is devoid of opinion. Aside from the argument that such reporting is a mythical invention and impossible in real life, the purpose of this forum is as much political as it is to advance our notions of reason, evidence, liberty, and decorum in the public debate. Standards
While we do not claim the traditional journalistic mantle of neutrality, the standards of evidence, reason, and the journalism industry in general are worth aspiring to. The front page authors of this blog will be held to those standards internally, and it is hoped that other authors and commenters can aspire to them too. |
