About Aquafornia

Overview

About Aquafornia

Aquafornia, which is owned by the Water Education Foundation, is a news aggregator. We cover California water news from both traditional and non-traditional news sources, presenting the many sides and views of the water picture, with the goal of fostering an understanding of various positions and discussion toward resolution of these often controversial issues. The views expressed in these various sources represent those of the writer or source and not the views of the Water Education Foundation and/or Aquafornia.

Code of Ethics

Reporting on Aquafornia adheres as much as possible to the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. To read the code, click here.

What We Post

We post all water news pertaining to California and the watersheds it depends on, including the Colorado River basin. We post pertinent newspaper stories and editorials, press releases, blog commentaries, legislator statements and releases, law firm legal alerts, public meeting notices and some publicity on selected events. We selectively post blogs from anonymous sources when we are convinced the writer has a reason to guard their identity, the writer makes significant points and the blog does not seem to be a front for an interest group. Coverage of blogs and other non-traditional sources is what differentiates Aquafornia from other news clip blogs.

What We Don’t Post

We don’t post information about local water board election races, calls to action such as protest announcements, job announcements or promotions, letters to the editor, posts or commentaries that we deem are disrespectful and product endorsements. We reject blogs using overly combative tones and using name calling. As journalists, we follow Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous comment to describe his threshold test for pornography: “I know it when I see it.” We rely on our experience as journalists on what not to post.

The Order We Post Articles

We use our journalistic skill to decide the importance of stories, and we rank the most important at the top of the scroll, thus the phrase we use. Posts are generally completed by 9 a.m. Breaking news is posted as soon as possible.

Why We Post Blogs and Commentaries

We do not reject blogs as irrelevant as many people involved in the water world have blogs as well as environmentalists, legislators, journalists, farmers, attorneys and citizens. These blogs actually can be a first source of news information and they have become important to read. A particular blog is chosen to post if it is within our general guidelines and contains informational content, analysis or points of view not published in the mainstream press. We use our journalistic judgment in selecting which blogs and commentaries to post. We take into consideration our reader’s interests and requests.

Citing this Website

All articles on the Information Desk have been written or reviewed by the Water Education Foundation. The individual authors are listed below the title of each article.

How to contact Aquafornia

Please email aquafornia@watereducation.org