MEDIA_ETHICS_STATEMENT.md

Media Ethics Statement

Federal FOIA Intelligence Search is designed to support ethical journalism, academic research, and public-interest investigation.

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Guiding Ethics

This project adheres to principles aligned with:

• Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
• Nieman Lab research standards
• Academic transparency norms

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Core Commitments

Accuracy

• Citations always link to primary sources
• AI outputs are labeled and bounded

Transparency

• No hidden automation
• No opaque data processing
• Clear provenance for every result

Accountability

• Users retain responsibility for verification
• AI is never authoritative

Harm Minimization

• No private individuals indexed
• No inference or profiling tools
• No amplification of unverified claims

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AI-Specific Ethics

• AI is assistive, not determinative
• AI is opt-in, not default
• AI is auditable, not opaque

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Editorial Independence

This application:

• Is not affiliated with any government agency
• Does not promote political positions
• Does not prioritize or suppress sources

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Misuse Prevention

The design explicitly discourages:

• Sensationalism
• Automated reporting
• Data laundering
• Citation abuse

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Final Statement

Transparency must empower the public without distorting truth.