Our Editorial Standards

Our audience informs what we cover. The facts determine what we report.

The Bayou Progressive is committed to accurate, independent, fact-based journalism.

We recognize that our readership includes many left-leaning, progressive, and Democratic Louisianans. We make no secret of our interest in issues important to that audience, nor do we believe serving an underserved readership undermines journalistic integrity.

But we draw a firm distinction between editorial priorities and editorial conclusions.

We do not manufacture facts to support a political position, ignore inconvenient information, or treat allegations as established truths simply because they align with the views of our readers.

We aim to follow several straightforward principles:

• Accuracy before assumptions. Our reporting begins with the available evidence, not a conclusion we're trying to prove.
• Context matters. Facts without sufficient context can leave readers with an incomplete or misleading understanding of an issue.
• Accountability is not partisan. Public officials, political candidates, institutions, and organizations deserve scrutiny regardless of their party affiliation or political orientation.
• Reporting and opinion are different. We welcome strong perspectives and candid analysis, but distinguish factual reporting from commentary and editorial opinion.
• Transparency builds trust. We strive to identify our sources, explain relevant limitations, acknowledge uncertainty, and correct substantive errors when they occur.
• Fairness does not require false equivalence. We make a good-faith effort to accurately represent relevant perspectives without pretending that every argument carries equal factual weight.

Our goal is not to convince readers that their existing political beliefs are always correct. It is to give them reliable information and meaningful context so they can reach informed conclusions of their own.

We believe good journalism can be rigorous without being timid, accessible without sacrificing complexity, and independent without pretending to have no perspective on which stories deserve attention.