Aquafornia, which is owned by the
Water Education Foundation, is a news aggregator. We cover
California water news from both traditional and non-traditional
news sources, presenting the many sides and views of the water
picture, with the goal of fostering an understanding of various
positions and discussion toward resolution of these often
controversial issues. The views expressed in these various
sources represent those of the writer or source and not the views
of the Water Education Foundation and/or Aquafornia.
Code of Ethics
Reporting on Aquafornia adheres as much as possible to the code of ethics of the
Society of Professional Journalists. To read the code, click
here.
What We Post
We post all water news pertaining to California and the
watersheds it depends on, including the Colorado River
basin. We post pertinent newspaper stories and editorials,
press releases, blog commentaries, legislator statements and
releases, law firm legal alerts, public meeting notices and some
publicity on selected events. We selectively post blogs from
anonymous sources when we are convinced the writer has a reason
to guard their identity, the writer makes significant points and
the blog does not seem to be a front for an interest group.
Coverage of blogs and other non-traditional sources is what
differentiates Aquafornia from other news clip blogs.
What We Don’t Post
We don’t post information about local water board election races,
calls to action such as protest announcements, job announcements
or promotions, letters to the editor, posts or commentaries that
we deem are disrespectful and product endorsements. We reject
blogs using overly combative tones and using name calling. As
journalists, we follow Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s
famous comment to describe his threshold test for pornography: “I
know it when I see it.” We rely on our experience as journalists
on what not to post.
The Order We Post Articles
We use our journalistic skill to decide the importance of
stories, and we rank the most important at the top of the scroll,
thus the phrase we use. Posts are generally completed by 9 a.m.
Breaking news is posted as soon as possible.
Why We Post Blogs and Commentaries
We do not reject blogs as irrelevant as many people involved in
the water world have blogs as well as environmentalists,
legislators, journalists, farmers, attorneys and citizens. These
blogs actually can be a first source of news information and they
have become important to read. A particular blog is chosen to
post if it is within our general guidelines and contains
informational content, analysis or points of view not published
in the mainstream press. We use our journalistic judgment in
selecting which blogs and commentaries to post. We take into
consideration our reader’s interests and requests.
Citing this Website
All articles on the Information Desk have been written or
reviewed by the Water Education Foundation. The individual
authors are listed below the title of each article.
