Election Coverage Policy

Whittier 360 News Network is committed to fair, factual, and unbiased election coverage.

Elections affect the future of Whittier, South Whittier, nearby unincorporated communities, and the public agencies that serve local residents. Voters deserve accurate information about candidates, campaigns, ballot measures, public records, public statements, and the issues being debated.

Whittier 360’s role is to inform voters, not tell voters what to think.

No Candidate Endorsements

Whittier 360 News Network does not endorse candidates.

As Whittier 360 develops under its nonprofit public benefit structure, election coverage must remain focused on informing the public rather than promoting or opposing candidates.

Individual opinion, commentary, or analysis may discuss candidates, campaigns, issues, or public records, but Whittier 360’s election reporting should not be used to secretly support or attack any candidate.

Equal Opportunity to Respond

Whittier 360 believes candidates, public officials, campaigns, agencies, and organizations should have a fair opportunity to respond when they are the subject of serious criticism, disputed claims, or allegations.

When practical, Whittier 360 will make reasonable efforts to seek comment before publication.

If no response is received before publication, the article may note that an opportunity to respond was provided. If a meaningful response is received after publication, Whittier 360 may update the article, add a clarification, or publish a follow-up when appropriate.

Readers are best served when they can see the claim, the evidence, and the response.

Sources Used in Election Coverage

Whittier 360 election coverage may rely on:

• candidate statements

• candidate questionnaires

• campaign websites and public materials

• public forums and debates

• campaign finance records

• official election data

• public meeting records

• voting records

• public comments

• government documents

• interviews and direct responses

• public safety, housing, budget, development, and policy records

• credible firsthand information that can be reviewed or verified

Whittier 360 does not treat rumor, anonymous claims, social media attacks, or artificial intelligence output as established fact without review and context.

Fairness to Candidates

Whittier 360 seeks to cover candidates fairly.

Fair coverage does not always mean every article gives every candidate the same amount of space. Some candidates may receive more coverage because they hold public office, make newsworthy statements, are involved in public controversies, release campaign materials, respond to questions, or take positions on major issues.

However, Whittier 360 should not deliberately hide relevant candidate information, deny reasonable response opportunities, or use factual reporting as a disguised campaign weapon.

News, Analysis, and Opinion

Election coverage may include factual reporting, analysis, commentary, explainers, candidate comparisons, and public-records reviews.

These forms of coverage should be distinguishable.

Factual reporting should focus on what happened, what records show, what candidates said, what officials did, and what voters can verify.

Analysis may examine patterns, timelines, issue positions, campaign strategy, voting history, or possible political implications. Analysis should make clear when a conclusion is based on interpretation.

Opinion or commentary should be labeled or framed so readers understand that it reflects a viewpoint.

Public Records and Campaign Claims

Whittier 360 may compare campaign claims, candidate statements, public promises, and political arguments against available records.

This may include reviewing budgets, votes, meeting minutes, campaign finance filings, public agency documents, contracts, police or public safety data, development records, and other materials relevant to the election.

When records are incomplete, disputed, unavailable, or unclear, Whittier 360 should make that uncertainty clear.

Polls, Projections, and Election Analysis

Whittier 360 may publish election analysis, voter information, polling discussion, turnout analysis, precinct-level observations, and projections when appropriate.

Any projection, estimate, or analysis should be clearly described as such. Whittier 360 should distinguish between official election results, preliminary results, projections, predictions, and interpretation.

When using election data, Whittier 360 should make reasonable efforts to identify the source, date, and limitations of the data.

Candidate Questionnaires and Interviews

Whittier 360 may send questionnaires or interview requests to candidates.

When questionnaires are used, candidates should generally receive the same or substantially similar questions when they are running for the same office, unless a candidate-specific question is justified by public records, public statements, officeholder history, or direct relevance.

Responses may be edited for length, formatting, clarity, or grammar, but Whittier 360 should not edit responses in a way that changes their meaning.

Conflicts of Interest

Whittier 360 will make reasonable efforts to disclose relevant conflicts of interest in election coverage.

This includes situations where Whittier 360’s founder, board members, contributors, donors, volunteers, or close organizational interests are directly involved in an election, campaign, ballot measure, candidate dispute, or public controversy.

A conflict does not automatically prevent coverage, but readers should be given enough information to evaluate the context.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Election Coverage

Whittier 360 may use artificial intelligence as a communications, research-assistance, and production tool in election coverage.

AI may assist with organizing candidate statements, reviewing public records, comparing campaign materials, summarizing transcripts, drafting outlines, identifying unclear language, and improving readability.

AI is not used as a source, reporter, witness, editor, or decision-maker. AI does not decide which candidate to favor, which candidate to criticize, or what conclusion readers should reach.

Human editorial responsibility remains with Whittier 360 News Network.

Corrections and Updates

Election information can change quickly, especially during filing periods, campaign disputes, vote counting, and post-election certification.

If Whittier 360 publishes election information that is incorrect, incomplete, unclear, or missing important context, Whittier 360 will review credible correction requests and update the record when appropriate.

Corrections, clarifications, updates, editor’s notes, or follow-up articles may be used depending on the nature of the issue.

Our Standard

Whittier 360 News Network explains the records, the claims, the timeline, and the context.

Voters decide what to think.

Whittier 360 does not ask readers to support a candidate. It asks readers to examine the information and decide for themselves.