Ethics and Standards

Fact-checking and sources

Tower writers fact-check by confirming information with authoritative, trustworthy sources via quote reviews, and by consulting multiple perspectives and conducting online research. 

The Tower will make swift corrections to grammar, stylistic, and informational mistakes to articles published on the website. An update will be posted at the bottom of the article if a correction is made. 

Each magazine issue, The Tower keeps a Corrections column to address errors printed in the previous issue. If a timely and significant error was printed?, The Tower will release a statement in the weekly newsletter and the next issue to correct the record. 

Anonymity

At The Tower, we value honesty, truth, and transparency. We only grant anonymity under extenuating circumstances, following the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics, which states, “Reserve anonymity for sources who may face danger, retribution or other harm, and have information that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Explain why anonymity was granted.” If an interviewee’s quote cannot be disclosed by law due to them being minors, we may grant anonymity to protect them. However, we try our best to avoid granting anonymity and only use it when absolutely necessary.

In the case anonymity is granted, The Tower has an ethical obligation not to disclose the identities of anonymous sources. The identity of an anonymous source remains confidential between the writer and the source. Only if the staff, editorial, and advisor believes the anonymous source will harm themselves or others will we disclose their identity.