The Conversation

10 ways we're different

The Conversation is an independent, nonprofit news organization, offering explanatory journalism, analysis and expert commentary from academics to the public.

  1. The Conversation is dedicated to facts and evidence, and to improving the health of our democracy by bringing the voices of experts into the public discourse.
  2. All our articles are written by university scholars and researchers with deep expertise in their subjects, sharing their knowledge in their own words. We don't oversimplify complicated issues, but we do explain and clarify.
  3. We are transparent, with all authors disclosing their expertise, funding and potential conflicts of interest. All of The Conversation's funders are disclosed here.
  4. We are committed to accuracy. We carefully vet the experts who write for us. When we make mistakes, we promptly correct them.
  5. We are part of a global network, with editions in the U.S., Australia, Africa, Canada, France, Indonesia, New Zealand, Spain and the U.K. Together we have worked with more than 100,000 scholars and researchers. Our ambition is to have editors in every part of the world.
  6. We give our journalism away to readers. No advertising on our website, no paywall, no subscription fees. Ever.
  7. We give our journalism away to other news outlets. All our content is free to republish under a Creative Commons license. We've been republished by more than 22,000 sites in all 50 states and at least 96 countries, and translated into 19 languages.
  8. We reach across political divides. Our republishers include sites across the entire political spectrum, from the far right to the far left.
  9. We employ a team of experienced journalists to help academic experts communicate effectively. We train these scholars in accessible writing and encourage them to engage with the public, because we believe experts have important facts for educated citizens to understand.
  10. We are funded by universities, foundations and individual donors, but we are zealous in maintaining our editorial independence. We are here to serve the public good.

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