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Editorial Transparency · Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Candidate Firewall Policy

Effective: the date Torie Cortez files for Lathrop City Council (November 2026 election) · Adopted: May 2026 · Ethics Policy

Disclosure

Torie Cortez, Publisher & Managing Editor of Dismal Freedom Press, has filed as a candidate for Lathrop City Council in the November 2026 election. This page describes the editorial firewall DFP has put in place to protect the independence and integrity of our newsroom's coverage of that race and of Lathrop city government.

Dismal Freedom Press has covered Lathrop City Council, the Lathrop Police Department, and San Joaquin County government accountability matters since our founding. That coverage — including ongoing investigations into city spending, public safety conduct, and records compliance — predates this candidacy and continues under the same editorial standards that govern all of our work.

The firewall described below is editorial, not topical. We do not step back from covering Lathrop city government. We step back from a specific, defined conflict: the Publisher writing stories about the race she is running in, or endorsing candidates in that race.

The Six Rules

  1. No endorsements, period. Dismal Freedom Press does not endorse candidates for elected office. This includes Torie Cortez. DFP publishes factual coverage of all candidates and races in its coverage area without preference or advocacy.
  2. DFP continues Lathrop accountability coverage. DFP may continue to cover the Lathrop City Council, Lathrop Police Department, and related accountability matters — because these are matters of public record that preceded the candidacy. The firewall is editorial, not topical. This newsroom does not abandon its beat because a publisher becomes a public figure in it.
  3. The Publisher does not write about the race. Torie Cortez does not write DFP stories about the Lathrop City Council race, candidates in that race, or editorial endorsements in that race while she is a candidate. A designated editor or contributor handles any such coverage. Bylines, story assignments, and editorial decisions on those stories are made independently of the Publisher.
  4. Radio Free America has a separate disclosure standard. Radio Free America (RFA) is a separate editorial institution under Torie Cortez's editorship. RFA is not subject to the same topical firewall on Lathrop coverage, but any RFA story about Lathrop city government carrying Torie Cortez's byline includes an editor's note disclosing her candidacy.
  5. Campaign communications are entirely separate. Campaign communications for Torie Cortez for Lathrop City Council 2026 are issued exclusively from a dedicated campaign account. No campaign communications — solicitations, endorsement requests, policy statements, or voter contact — are sent from newsroom@dismalfreedompress.org, torie@radiofreeamerica.press, or any other DFP or RFA institutional address.
  6. This policy is public from the day of filing. This page is published on the same day Torie Cortez files her candidacy paperwork. It is linked from our Ethics Policy and accessible from our site footer. Any updates to this policy are dated and noted on this page.

Designated Coverage

For the duration of Torie Cortez's