Here are the best practices I found:
Resource/mission alignment:
— The case for philanthropy is linked to editorial independence and objectivity.
— The organization solicits small donations and/or other forms of grassroots support.
— The organization’s board of directors operates on a volunteer basis.
Transparency of mission and operations:
— The organization’s financial statements are posted online.
— The organization’s major donors are named online.
— The organization has clear accountability measures for its publications.
Which nonprofits incorporate all six practices? Just a few. ProPublica was one. No surprise there; the organization was built to operate under a microscope. Given its high profile, ambition and achievement, it should set the pace.
Jay Rosen asked Jim Barnett to look for steps that a Non-Profit could make if they want to be legitimate news providers.
Jim opened with this:
"the first thing I did was ditch the idea of trying to evaluate journalism or practices within the editorial process. For example, I’d suggested the presence of an advisory board as one possible marker — but one newsroom’s advisory board may have teeth, while another’s might not. There’s no way to tell from the outside what impact, if any, that kind of structure or any other have on the final product. Plus, most criticism of nonprofit journalism goes to the question of funding — not reporting, writing, and editing."
I think that this is such a helpful set of ideas - what matters is what influences you overall. How you are funded is at the heart of that issue.