Transparency & policies

This page shares key policies for our newsroom operations and details about our finances, including organizations and individuals that have contributed a total of $5,000 or more per year.

Table of contents:

• Editorial independence policy
• Donor transparency policy
• Corrections policy
• Republication policy
• Advertising policy
• Funders
• Disclosures
• Budget

Editorial independence policy

We subscribe to standards of editorial independence, following the lead of other esteemed nonprofit newsrooms and the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Our organization retains full authority over editorial content, with no outside financial influence.

When we accept grants, donations, and other forms of financial support for our activities, accepting this support does not constitute endorsement of our donors or their products, services, or opinions.

While our small team of four does not have the capacity to maintain a firewall between news coverage and managing our finances, we maintain internal boundaries to ensure that donors have no influence on our editorial decisions. We also make it clear to donors that our coverage is independent; for example, while they may share story ideas or propose sources, we do not give those pitches special consideration in comparison to those from other readers.

Our organization may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, both by applying for specific grant and fellowship opportunities and through project proposals from donors. However, our organization maintains editorial control of this coverage. We thoroughly review all stories to ensure they meet our standards of reporting that is based on scientific consensus and lived experience of Long COVID, without influence from any specific organization or individual.

Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $5,000 or more per year on our Transparency page. We will accept anonymous donations for general support only if sufficient safeguards are in place to ensure that we utilize the funds as an independent organization and comply with standards set by the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Donor transparency policy

We are committed to transparency in every aspect of funding The Sick Times. Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services, opinions, or organizations.

We accept gifts, grants, and sponsorships from individuals, organizations, and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics, and special projects. As an organization sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we do not pay certain taxes. We may receive funds from standard government programs offered to nonprofits or similar businesses.

Our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors or any revenue source. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review, or edit content. For example, coverage of scientific research on Long COVID occurs without any input from scientists who have donated to us.

We make public all revenue sources and donors who give $5,000 or more per year. We also make public our monthly budget and provide regular updates on our website and in our weekly newsletter about how we are utilizing donations.

As a news nonprofit, we avoid accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office. We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our advisory board, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.

Corrections policy

We will correct or clarify any errors that are deemed to be inaccurate or misleading due to missing or incomplete context as quickly as possible once we can verify correct information. Corrections are publicly disclosed with editor’s notes stating the date and time of the correction. If you notice an accuracy issue, contact us at editors@thesicktimes.org.

Republication policy

All original news stories and essays by The Sick Times are available for other outlets to republish free of charge. If you are interested in republication, we require that you credit us and link back to our website. This policy does not apply to articles that we republish from other outlets. If you have any questions about republishing, please contact us at editors@thesicktimes.org.

Advertising policy

The Sick Times is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to rigorous, independent journalism on Long COVID, infection-associated chronic illnesses, related health issues, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We are primarily supported by donations, grants, and readers like you. To sustain and expand our critical work, we also accept advertising and sponsorships aligned with our values and editorial integrity.

Our advertising standards:

We have a firm boundary between editorial content and advertisers/sponsors.

• We are editorially independent. Our editorial decisions are ours alone — never influenced by advertisers or sponsors. Sponsored content and advertisements are clearly marked and do not reflect editorial endorsements.
• We value quality and ethics. We reserve the right to reject advertisements that are misleading, discriminatory, offensive, intrusive, or not aligned with our mission and values.
• We value the trust of our audience. If you encounter advertisements you find inappropriate or concerning, please contact us directly at sponsorship@thesicktimes.org. Your feedback helps us maintain our commitment to ethical journalism.

Who we partner with:

We seek advertisers who share our commitment to evidence-based health and wellness, chronic illness advocacy, and enhancing the lives of individuals affected by Long COVID and related conditions. To uphold our integrity, we will reject advertising from entities that do not align with our mission and standards (such as those promoting pseudoscience, unproven health claims, or misleading wellness products).

If you encounter an ad you believe violates our standards or feels inappropriate, please let us know immediately at sponsorship@thesicktimes.org.

Funders

2024:

• Silver Giving Foundation ($25,000)
• Kanro Fund ($250,000; for support through fall 2025)
• Disability Visibility Project ($5,280; for the Color of Long COVID series)
• Strategies for High Impact ($16,600; for the Long COVID Essentials project)

2025:

• Disability Visibility Project ($30,000)
• Eli Dickinson & Kat Zambon ($16,000)
• NewsMatch 2024 matching funds & bonuses ($22,500)
• Google News Initiative Fundamentals Lab for INN Members ($20,000)
• Silver Giving Foundation ($25,000)

If you’re interested in submitting a larger donation or sponsoring a newsletter issue, article, event, or other form of content, please reach out to betsy@thesicktimes.org.

Disclosures

The MuckRock Foundation is our fiscal sponsor. See their website for tax forms and other financial information; The Sick Times will be listed on forms starting in 2023.

Budget

Our monthly budget is estimated at about $25,000 per month. By fall 2025, we aim to support this budget on a sustainable, ongoing basis through reader donations, sponsorships, grants, and other forms of revenue. Our expenses include: