My identities do not impact my reporting accuracy or quality.
Long story short, no matter who I am, I want you to be informed enough to make decisions that impact your community and your world.
In the interest of conveying trust, I created this document of relevant identities. My nature is to avoid areas in which I have a conflict of interest. If I have a conflict in a story or piece, you will find that information noted here. This is updated as often as I discover something worth adding!
My social media is my own, run by me. On occasion, I may include media criticism, news on media, and general news in the region I cover. At no point is my personal social media analysis a reflection of a brand, news organization, or any company. It should not be treated as such.
Social media engagements are not endorsements. A like, follow, share, or any other engagement may translate to everything from accidentally double-tapping a photo (on Instagram, this would be a “like”) to sharing linked media (which could be the subject of reporting or analysis, rather than an explicit endorsement). My personal social media is changing along with me and may not reflect who I am in the present.
In addition, I have a creative and audio-focused digital media project slate. Projects that exist under pseudonyms are attempts at maintaining a healthy barrier between professional, personal, and creative ventures. Creative and performative works aren’t governed by journalistic principles, as some items may be fictional or intentionally hyperbolic. I do not hold those bodies to the same standard I hold myself.
Those projects have their own social media and governing goals or principles. Unless such projects break with a legal or employment obligation that is fully provided in writing, I and my employers do not hold those creative spaces to the same standard as my personal or professional profiles.
Please treat each of these social media identities as tethered to ethics, law, and my humanity.
Questions on social media can be answered through the contact page or by email contact@ivylyons.com.
Ivy is a graduate student and budding researcher.
As a graduate student with a heavy research interest in journalism and mass communication, I create lines of demarcation between reporting in and around the educational institutions that I call home. Those institutions are a priority and my position as a graduate researcher remains paramount.
I do not report on non-breaking incidents at my current university and maintain a strong boundary between my advocacy and analysis as a graduate student, my work as a researcher, and my editorial work at any newsroom. This is in alignment with my personal ethics guidelines, follows the guidance of any organization I work with, and does not impact the accuracy or quality of my reporting.
Ivy is LGBTQIA+ — specifically gay and non-binary.
This is pretty clear, but I want to further clarify.
This identity is how I have identified and is how I choose to be known in public and professional settings. I speak on gender, sex, and identity as part of my being in research (and living this life). Sometimes, this gets complicated, but it is part of who I am.
I have worked with LGBT+ people in my younger years to improve the quality of their educational environment. I have shared stories from my experience that I stand by. However, this doesn’t give me room to be disrespectful to anyone who doesn’t support LGBTQIA+ identities. It also doesn’t provide cover for hateful or harmful rhetoric.
My sexual orientation and gender identity do not impact my reporting accuracy or quality.
Ivy has studied from and interned for Republicans.
I have, indeed, had impactful experiences with GOP members while living in Illinois. I have spoken with GOP-affiliated lawyers, doctors, nurses, students, teachers, etc… I’ve spoken with and navigated interviews with local and state GOP candidates, and maintained relationships with individuals employed under national administrations. These things do not impact my reporting accuracy or quality.
Ivy has held jobs and internships for Democrats.
I have worked for and interned with Democratic leaders while a resident of Illinois and Washington, DC. I have spoken with Dem-affiliated lawyers, nurses, teachers, congressmembers, and many more. I have maintained relationships with employees of national administrations. These things do not impact my reporting accuracy or quality.
Ivy has written for left-leaning publications.
I have written for entities that consider themselves “liberal” and host a left-of-center bias. These organizations are not affiliated with any party.
I am not a spokesperson, leader, or paid affiliate of any one political party. I have written some opinion and analysis pieces for publications, as other journalists at national and local outlets sometimes do. Of course, media analysis and personal experiences are what I most wrote about.
These things do not impact my reporting accuracy or quality.
Ivy talks about race and is BIPOC — specifically Black.
I often complicate journalism and stories by discussing race. I am Black, and overwhelmingly impacted by issues of race and civil rights movements impacting my social group.
I make every effort to learn and present an accurate representation of race-related issues, giving weight to accuracy and transparency. I talk to experts and community members to level the reality. I have worked at, driven people to, and walked alongside protestors in cities for months at a time. I have been at a number of protests as a student advocate for educational funds, and during the deepest parts of Black Lives Matter protests, I was in the field. I reported on and walked alongside friends for safety, documenting these moments.
Of course, I know this can be construed as direct support for organizations or political identities, which I don’t participate in. However, I do participate in the notion that you, whoever is reading this, matter. And that, yes, of course, the lives of minorities in this country matter. I don’t believe this is a political statement, but it’s clear that Black lives matter. It isn’t a lie, and so I say it boldly, while reminding you that every single life matters, including those of minority communities impacted by acts of violence.
These things do not impact my reporting accuracy or quality.
Ivy holds deep ties to Christianity
I attended a Christian university, was raised in a Christian household, lived within my minister mother, and still hold to several tenants of Christianity.
This isn’t to say I hold a popularized or secular belief, nor an acknowledgment of deep traditionalist belief. It is to say that Christianity is embedded in my vocabulary and inextricably linked to my development. It’s an acknowledgment less of what I believe and more of what lies at the foundation of my rhetoric.
I occasionally speak about Christian worldviews and operationalize theological points when asked in a personal capacity. This is not something I share opinions on often and, often during working hours, I avoid espousing specific beliefs. However, even when I’m asked to, one thing remains true: these things do not impact my reporting accuracy or quality.
I want to make clear that these things do not affect my reporting. My storytelling relies heavily on what others think, what documents and data show, how decisions are made, and where local cultures are headed. Those items don’t center me and often require engaging with people who are far different from me.
Often times, my interactions and identities help both interpersonally and organizationally as we work together to understand the world. We all have a lens that we see the world through, and I refuse to pretend like my lens doesn’t exist.
However, I promise a direct, accurate, and honest representation in every story. Because the audiences that I write and produce any content for should continue to trust me.
My current, condensed journalistic ethic.
(This is not extensive, exclusive, and it does not answer every question about my writing. Also, if I am affiliated with an organization, and any one ethical guideline is higher than my own standard or effects a standard, assume that the organization paying me for my time wins!)
I commit to providing for a dedicated public forum which provides space for freedom of expression amongst journalists. This medium should be free from censorship and advanced approval of consent.
I recognize that we make mistakes. I will openly and honestly admit to mistakes I make in my reporting and correct the record in an upfront and honest way.
As such, I must maintain trustworthiness and independence on social media platforms. I recognize that those journalists who present the news have a responsibility to communicate the news accurately and honestly.
I recognize that we must be respectful of the subjects, people, and positions that are held in my reporting. As such, I will be respectful of identifiers such as gender, race, sexuality, religion, status, class, and minority classes not explicitly listed in this ethical statement. I will respect my audience, subjects, and staff.
I take responsibility for my original reporting and work hard to provide sources in the United States and around the world. I hold myself to a standard that is both academically and professionally grounded in strong and professional communications.
I commit to continuing to provide a group of voices that reflect the educational and professional environment that journalists see in the world. This means intentionally representing the diversity of world I live in and properly expressing their stories.
I commit to these ethical guidelines and a standard of excellence. This includes limiting reliance on anonymous sourcing, providing accountability, and providing space for researching and creating quality work the first time.
I support and respect freedom of speech, as well as the freedom of individuals I speak with whenever possible.
I will center humanity in the creation, distribution, and editorial processes I choose to participate in. I do this because I understand journalism to be a cultural construction we participate in and a social institution that reshapes governments.
I will ensure that I adhere to all laws, including those of fair use. I will use content for criticism, commentary, or reporting, and will also ensure that I am not substantially using work, or effecting the market for a particular work if it is not my product to control.
Know that I am constantly reading and speaking to experts. I am constantly attempting to impact my discourse, other journalists, and myself. I am not always, or near always, correct. (I got a pizza order wrong at my side-hustle less than 24-hours before I updated this item. In 2026, I dare say we are still “Definitionally imperfect.”)
Long story short, no matter who I am, what’s in my past, or what lies in our future, I am working for an audience. I want you to be informed enough to make decisions that impact your community and your world.
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