About Us

Oakland Report is an experiment in nonprofit citizen-led media focused on observable and verifiable evidence free from implicit bias.

Our mission is to provide reasoned, fact-based, well-sourced analyses and critiques of the policies, actions, and inactions of our local government.

We started Oakland Report as a volunteer endeavor in 2023 to fill a critical gap in local independent media by producing high-quality, unbiased, unflinching articles by and for the citizens of Oakland and neighboring communities. 

A year later, we formed Citizens Oakland, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to support and continue our work to publish Oakland Report.

We seek integrity, accessibility, and quality in the articles we publish. We seek truth.

We don’t expect everyone to agree with everything that we publish, but we do expect that the articles are grounded in verifiable evidence and logic so that all observations and conclusions may be rationally challenged.

We aim to sustain this experiment with no advertisements, “advertorials,” or sponsored content. This is to avoid the conflicts of interest that inevitably arise when needed financial support is tied to such interests.

We strongly believe in and support private enterprise and the essential role it plays in contributing to a thriving community for all. But our work requires independence in order to be successful; therefore we seek to avoid the incentives other media outlets have to publish content that only tells influential people and organizations what they want to hear.  

We rely on you, our readers and supporters, to financially support our work. Help us continue our work by giving a tax-deductible donation:

Donate to Oakland Report

Thank you.

— The Oakland Report editorial board

Editorial and submission guidelines

Oakland Report’s editorial and submission guidelines were created to help contributors prepare and submit their work for consideration.

Before submitting an article, please tap this button to review our complete editorial and submission guidelines:

Editorial and submission guidelines

Here is a brief overview of our editorial standards:

1. Address the points at hand.

2. Back claims with verifiable evidence.

3. Provide sufficient context for claims (framing).

4. Avoid selective presentation of information (suppressed evidence).

5. If introducing an opinion, make the claim explicit.

6. Avoid implicit bias/judgment (loaded question).

7. If calling out people specifically, address the actions of the person relevant to the argument, not the individual.

8. Stick to the facts and evidence and let the reader judge for themselves.

9. Always remain open to examining and questioning our own biases.

There is no “perfect” in any of this -- i.e., everyone has bias. So we’re not looking for perfection, just a best effort to address the points. This inherent bias is why we publish guest commentaries and perspectives. We too have our biases.

Write for us

We encourage submissions (articles, letters, comments, ideas, research) from anyone in Oakland and neighboring communities.

Articles will be reviewed and collaboratively edited for adherence to our principles. Opinions must be explicit, well-reasoned, and supported by evidence. Superfluous adjectives (implicit judgement) will be removed.

Or share your reflections and ideas in the comments, or with a letter to the editor (some of which we may publish, with your permission).

We welcome story leads, bits of information, and primary research too.

• Letters to the editor: letters@citizensoakland.org

• Article submissions, leads, and story ideas: oaklandreport@citizensoakland.org

Confidential tips

Do you have a confidential tip with documentation or evidence about local governance in Oakland? Let us know at oaklandreport@citizensoakland.org.

Oakland Report adheres to ethical journalism best practices for protecting our confidential sources.1