# Source: Utahn Editorial Charter

**Type:** source
**Status:** Useful
**Confidence:** Medium
**Source Type:** official-page
**URL:** https://utahn.com/utahn-journalism/
**Publisher:** Utahn, LLC
**Retrieved:** 2026-08-12
**Raw:** raw/utahn-editorial-charter/2026-08-11-a9ffe9fbdf55.txt
**Updated:** 2026-08-11
**Relates:** cites [Utahn](utahn.md) · https://greatutah.work/pages/utahn.md · https://utahn.com/utahn-journalism/

## Summary

The full editorial charter of [Utahn](utahn.md), the Utah news publication founded by
[Clint Betts](clint-betts.md). Nine articles covering mission, editorial independence, standards,
disclosure, sponsorship, civic bounties, corrections, and source protection. It is the document the
publication points readers to when it describes how it works, and the document its early critics
argued with.

This is a **statement of policy, not a record of practice**: it establishes what Utahn promises, and
nothing on this page is evidence that any promise is kept.

## Useful Claims

- The charter states that Utahn **does not maintain a traditional editorial board** that issues
  institutional opinions, and that it "rejects that model entirely" (§2.3). It also states Utahn does
  not endorse candidates at any level (§2.4).
- Utahn describes itself as a **platform for independent journalists** who "retain full editorial
  control over their beats," with final editorial decisions resting with the journalist rather than
  with Utahn editors (§1.2, §2.2).
- The accuracy standard is stated as a duty on the individual: "Every fact published must be verified
  by the journalist who publishes it" (§3.1). The charter does not describe an institutional
  verification layer behind that duty.
- **AI policy (§3.9):** Utahn says it uses AI "to read documents, assemble data, and surface the
  questions worth asking," and says it does *not* use AI to write stories, aggregate other outlets'
  reporting, or generate additional versions of published work. It states every piece is reported,
  written, and edited by a journalist, and that AI use is disclosed.
- **Sponsorship (Article V):** all sponsored content must be labelled in plain language; advertisers
  may not review stories before publication; Utahn says it will not take sponsorship from political
  campaigns, foreign governments, or organizations under active investigation on the platform.
- **Civic bounties (Article VI):** readers can fund investigations, funds are escrowed by the
  platform, and journalists are paid regardless of what the investigation finds.
- The charter commits to an **annual transparency report** naming major revenue sources by
  percentage (§4.3), and to a **searchable public archive of every correction** (§7.5). Both were
  commitments rather than published artifacts as of the retrieval date.

## Verbatim

> "2.3 No Institutional Editorial Board
> This is one of our most important commitments. Utahn does not maintain a traditional editorial board that issues institutional opinions on matters of policy or politics. We do not believe a newspaper should tell readers what to think."

> "3.1 Accuracy
> Every fact published must be verified by the journalist who publishes it. When certainty is not possible, the level of confidence must be clearly stated."

> "3.9 AI-Assisted Content
> Utahn uses AI to read documents, assemble data, and surface the questions worth asking. Utahn does not use it to write stories, aggregate other outlets' reporting, or produce additional versions of work we've already published. Every piece is reported, written, and edited by a journalist. AI is never used to fabricate quotes, invent facts, or generate opinion content. We disclose whenever AI is used."

> "4.3 Financial Transparency
> Utahn publishes an annual transparency report detailing major revenue sources, including the percentage of revenue from subscriptions, sponsorships, civic bounties, and institutional partnerships."

> "6.1 Editorial Independence
> Contributors to civic bounties have no influence over investigative findings. Funds are escrowed by the platform, and journalists are paid regardless of what they discover."

## Reliability Notes

Self-reported tier. This document is authoritative about **what Utahn has committed to** and carries
no weight at all on whether the commitments are honoured — the charter itself names artifacts (an
annual transparency report, a public corrections archive) that a reader can check later, and checking
them is the only way this page's claims become verifiable.

**No archive snapshot exists.** The Internet Archive's most recent capture of `utahn.com` is
2022-03-21 and shows a domain-for-sale parking page; the publication that now occupies the domain has
never been crawled. Save Page Now needs credentials this project does not have, so the `**Raw:**`
capture below is the only copy of this text outside the live site. A charter is exactly the kind of
document that gets quietly amended, so treat the capture date as load-bearing.

## Related Pages

- [Utahn](utahn.md)
- [Clint Betts](clint-betts.md)
- [Source: "Why I'm Building Utahn" (founder's essay)](utahn-why-im-building-utahn-essay.md)