Sponsorship Policy

Sponsorships fund the work of keeping The Eighth running. To stay trustworthy as a civic information platform, we apply firm rules about who can sponsor, how placements are labeled, and where the line sits between editorial and sponsored content.

Who can sponsor

We accept sponsorships from:

• Local and regional businesses serving the 8th district.
• Nonprofits, civic organizations, and community groups.
• Local government agencies for public-service announcements.
• Schools, libraries, and cultural institutions.

Who cannot sponsor

The Eighth does not accept sponsorships from:

• Political candidates, campaigns, parties, PACs, or 501(c)(4) political organizations.
• Officeholders or congressional offices for self-promotional content.
• Industries we cannot responsibly promote in civic contexts (e.g. predatory lending, regulated vice categories) at our editorial discretion.

See our Nonpartisan Statement for the reasoning behind the political sponsorship ban.

Labeling

• Every sponsored placement is visibly labeled "Sponsored" (or with a similar disclosure like "Community Partner") and is visually distinct from editorial content.
• Placements appear in dedicated sponsor slots - they are not interleaved with editorial content in a way that suggests endorsement.
• We disclose the sponsor's name and link to their site so readers can evaluate the source themselves.

Editorial independence

• Sponsors do not get prior review of, or influence over, editorial coverage.
• Sponsorship does not buy favorable coverage. The fact that someone sponsors does not make them more likely to appear (or be excluded) in editorial content.
• We will decline or remove sponsorships whose messaging is misleading, illegal, harassing, or otherwise inconsistent with this policy.

Pricing and reporting

Sponsorship rates are based on placement type, duration, and jurisdiction. Sponsors receive an aggregate performance summary (impressions, clicks, CTR by placement) for their active dates. We do not share individual reader information.

Termination

We may end any sponsorship that violates this policy. In that case the sponsor receives a prorated refund for the remaining term.

Contact

Sponsorship questions: partners@theeighth.org · Apply via the sponsorship page.