UPDATE: Tuesday, Mar 7, 2023 · 1:07:33 AM +00:00 · kos
Want this clarification all the way at the top. Everything below is a guiding document for staff writers. The community can do what the community does best—write about whatever it is they want to! I mean, that is literally the best part about the community—its fun, unpredictable, oftentimes surprising freewheeling nature!
Hi all! I wanted to share our new internal document guiding our editorial work. For several years, we tried to broaden our approach, to be a hub for all things progressive. It didn’t quite work out. Whether it was community comments, other engagement stats, or plain old traffic numbers, everything pointed to the same conclusion: Daily Kos is about fighting for democracy, and your favorite content is directly related to that. This is why we’re here. It’s why you’re here.
Our new editorial mission statement is about returning to the core of who we are, and I thought it was important to share with you all.
Daily Kos editorial mission statement
Our editorial mission:
Daily Kos is a progressive news site that fights for democracy by giving our audience information and resources to win elections and impact government.
Our voice:
Our voice is strong, authoritative, confident, and informative, yet strikes an emotional chord. We need people to feel something when they read, motivating them to take action. We write with passion, fierceness, joy, humor, and urgency. Our language is accessible, conversational, colloquial, and jargon-free.
People should be able to read a story, source unknown, and think, “That must be from Daily Kos!”
Our coverage:
Our coverage is assiduously factual, ethical, and unapologetically progressive—there’s never a need to “both sides” the truth. Still, everything we write is based in reality, which means that we do not hesitate to report when the news does not favor our preferred party or positions. We don’t contort facts to fit preconceived narratives or biases.
Daily Kos offers unique insights and angles you won’t find anywhere else. We amplify what we think is important, with the proper context—not just what is happening (which myriad other outlets do), but how it’s happening and why people should care. We give you news you can do something about.
We prioritize original-source material, whether from interviews, social media, video, studies, reports, and research rather than aggregating other outlets’ work. We add value to the conversation, connecting the dots, highlighting the buried ledes, and driving progressive solutions.
We work to elect more and better Democrats and provide information, tools, and inspiration to turn readers into activists.
Our wheelhouse:
Certain stories have always been central to Daily Kos’ mission and identity. It’s what we do best, it’s what our audience expects from us, and it’s what Daily Kos will preferentially dedicate its time and resources to covering:
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Democracy. We amplify the fights for individual freedom and self-determination, both at home and abroad.
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Elections. We give readers the information they need to effectively engage in, and influence, the electoral process.
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Politics. We show, from a progressive perspective, how politics impacts policy and drives election campaigns, at the state and federal level.
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Culture wars. We track conservative efforts to weaponize hate, fear, bigotry, and ignorance to pit Americans electorally against each other.
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The media. We analyze the shortcomings of the traditional media and how conservatives manipulate it to influence public opinion.
Daily Kos has always published stories on a wide range of topics—from elections to book reviews to space exploration to personal essays. We encourage our staff writers to write about outside interests only if their core beats are fully covered.
