The Free Press Journalistic And Ethical Standards

  • We won’t publish what we can’t prove: It’s not enough for us to “just know” something or follow “conventional wisdom.”
  • We rely on sources with first-hand knowledge: Mere gossip or rumors are not news. Although sometimes rumors may have newsworthiness, we will not adopt them as provably true.
  • We will rely on confidential sources only as a last resort and only when the public interest demands it. We demand transparency from government officials and public actors, so we should hold ourselves to the same standard.
  • We respect privacy interests: We avoid salacious or titillating personal information as “clickbait” and believe that matters such as personal and family life should be treated with good taste.
  • The press has no special “right” to break laws in pursuit of a story: We are truth-tellers dedicated to exposing wrongdoing. Knowingly violating the law in pursuit of the story is wholly unethical.
  • All complaints about a story’s accuracy or fairness must be taken seriously: We are committed to giving everybody a fair hearing if they believe a story is unfair or incorrect. Complaints about a story should be emailed to admin@tampafp.com If a correction is warranted it will be published as soon as possible. Serious errors will be highlighted at the top of a story.