Disclose’s Charter of Ethics and Professional Conduct commits all those who participate in the life of the organization and in its work in favor of public interest journalism.

Disclose refers to the declaration of duties and rights of the journalist of Munich, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Article 34 of the French Constitution. This charter commits all employees taking part in Disclose’s activity as well as philanthropic foundations supporting the media.

Principle of general interest

Disclose journalists work for the general interest of citizens, the guarantee of fundamental freedoms and the independence of information.

Principle of public good

Disclose considers that information is a public good and not a commercial product.

Principle of free access to information

All investigations published by Disclose are freely accessible on all its distribution channels.

Principle of donation

Disclose is a media without subscriptions and without advertisements, financed by donations.

Principle of non-profit purpose

Disclose is a non-profit media. All profits made are fully reinvested in the associative structure for the development of the media.

Principle of absence of advertising

Disclose undertakes not to sell and distribute advertising inserts on its website and all its content. Any sponsored content is prohibited. No advertising partnership is authorized.

Principle of source protection

Disclose journalists take all necessary precautions to protect their sources. They do not reveal their identities under any circumstances and have all the necessary tools to secure their exchanges.

Principle of truthfulness

Disclose does not publish partial information, let alone erroneous or false information. Disclose details the limits encountered in cross-checking information.

Principle of transparency

All information from Disclose is sourced as precisely as possible, without contravening the fundamental principle of source protection, in order to give readers as direct access as possible to the information. Disclose publishes, as far as possible, the information on which the investigation is based (written document, photo, videos, etc.).

Principle of sharpness

The use of anonymity for sources is exceptional, reserved for sources that provide capital information – not opinions, speculations – that could harm them personally, professionally, or legally. When anonymity is granted, Disclose strives to qualify the source as precisely as possible and indicate their possible biases. Disclose describes as much as possible how documents were obtained. These principles are moderated by the primary concern for source protection.

Principle of honesty

Absence of hidden agenda on the part of journalists. Disclose refuses to take part in any communication operation, official or unofficial, organized by companies or government or international entities.

Principle of non-publication of editorials

Disclose is an investigative journalism media that only publishes cross-checked facts. The media does not publish any bias or editorial by journalists.

Principle of integrity

Disclose journalists and employees commit to filling out a declaration of interest. They do not hold shares in the companies they work on, except in the context of an investigation. They inform the editorial staff of the presence of members of their families or close associates who appear in investigation subjects, abstain from participating accordingly, are not informed of the investigation, and do not receive gifts from their sources. They do not suffer from any conflicts of interest.

Principle of exhaustiveness

No relevant editorial information is intentionally concealed by Disclose to support one version rather than another. Disclose strives to report on a subject in an exhaustive and unbiased manner and gives voice to all stakeholders concerned.

Principle of confidentiality

Non-disclosure of confidential information on ongoing or future investigations outside of Disclose.

Principle of non-affiliation

Disclose is not the instrument, direct or indirect, of any political party, union or any other partisan organization. Disclose journalists commit not to take part in political or union activities without reporting it in their declaration of interest.

Principle of non-intervention

With the exception of training activities in schools, Disclose journalists and employees should not intervene with a public service, private company or association solely for the purpose of being paid. Their participation in such events on a voluntary or simple participant basis, even in a private capacity, must be reported and validated by management. Only participation in such events as part of an investigation is allowed with the editorial management’s approval.

Principle of freedom of expression

Disclose employees and journalists are free to express themselves as they wish on social networks, respecting freedom of expression (Article 11 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and the law of July 29, 1881 on freedom of the press), and refraining from defamation and insult; on the other hand, from speeches calling for hatred (apology for crimes against humanity, anti-Semitic, racist, or homophobic remarks).

Principle of parity and diversity

Disclose commits to ensuring respect for parity within its editorial staff and decision-making bodies. Disclose commits to ensuring respect for diversity within its editorial staff and decision-making bodies.

Principle of independence

Disclose is not subject to any political or financial interest. Its patrons are not aware of the subjects of the investigations and cannot interfere with the media’s editorial line. They are prohibited from influencing the media’s editorial choices and commit to respecting its freedom of expression and information. The supervisory board guarantees respect for the principle of independence and editorial freedom. It may refer the matter to the board of directors in the event of a breach of these principles or issue an alert externally if Disclose’s decision-making structures do not respond to their referral.