Local election season is in full swing, and here in Evanston we all have our opinions.
The RoundTable became a non-profit organization in 2020, and that comes with some new rules when it comes to political coverage and endorsement of candidates. Our editors thought it would be helpful to spell out those rules – so we’ve posted our policy on political coverage and endorsements.
You can read the full policy here, but in brief:
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Evanston RoundTable Media NFP is required to abide by Internal Revenue Service restrictions on our coverage of elections. During election seasons, this can include news coverage of candidate forums, information about voter registration drives, early voting times and places and time of voting on Election Day. We also have continued our tradition of offering candidates for local office the opportunity to answer questions, in an effort to inform and educate readers.
In light of the IRS guideline, the RoundTable does not publish endorsements of candidates – either our own or those that are submitted by third parties. We do, however, report as news when a particular group or public figure endorses a candidate(s).
Please send any questions or comments on our policy to our editors to news@evanstonroundtable.com.