The Weekly Footnote

Your weekly newssource for the latest in contemporary art and culture in Los Angeles

Editorial Policy

Our Policies and Standards. Updated February 20, 2024 at 8:10 p.m.

Conduct and Conflicts of interest

We at The Weekly Footnote strive to remain wholly independent with a critical eye toward contemporary art and culture. This policy outlines our stance on specific issues:

  1. We accept no gifts, favors or monetary compensation for critiques, reviews, features, or other mentions on our site.
  2. No freelance assignments nor honoraria may be accepted that might in any way be interpreted as disguised gratuities for either ourselves, spouse, partner, or someone else with whom the staffer has a close relationship.
  3. We make every reasonable effort to maintain independence and be free of obligation.
  4. We avoid active involvement that could compromise or seem to compromise our ability to review and critique fairly.

Exceptions to the no-gift, no-favors, no-monetary compensation rule are:

  1. Invitations to meals, when they are occasional and innocent.
  2. Free admissions/tickets to art events for a critic’s review.

Fairness

Our journalists, reviewers, critics, and editors are committed to fairness. We find that fairness results from a few simple practices:

  • Fairness includes completeness.
  • Fairness includes relevance.
  • Fairness includes critical honesty.
  • Fairness includes providing individuals or organizations the opportunity to address assertions or claims about them made by others.

Editorial Oversight

Our stories are independently fact-checked. Articles and stories are subject to review by one or more editors. Initial reviews and secondary reviews are provided by section editors who are experts in their field. Reviews of complex or sensitive stories will be conducted on a case by case basis by a review board. The number of editors who review a story prior to publication depends on several factors including complexity, sensitivity and time pressure.

Corrections policy

We try to promptly correct errors in material published. When we run a correction/clarification/editor’s note, anyone should be able to understand how and why a mistake has been corrected or why a comment has been added.

Requests to take-down (unpublish) articles

As a matter of editorial policy, we do not grant take-down requests. If there is a claim that an article is inaccurate, we should be prepared to investigate and, if necessary publish a correction. In other cases, our response will be to consider whether further editorial action is warranted, but not to remove the article as though it had never been published.

Policy on sources

It is our policy not to pay sources. We are committed to disclosing the sources of the information to the maximum possible extent. In cases where sources request to remain anonymous, it is our policy to protect their identities.

Diversity policy

We strive for journalistic voices that reflect a range of backgrounds and life experiences.