About Georgia Dossier — Our Mission & Editorial Standards

Our Mission

Accountability journalism, without fear or favor

Georgia Dossier was founded on a simple premise: that rigorous, document-driven journalism is essential to a functioning democracy. We cover state and local government, courts, public institutions, and the people who run them — not because it's easy, but because it matters.

We are editorially independent. We accept no government funding, no political advertising, and no money from sources with a direct financial interest in our coverage. Our journalism is funded by readers, foundations committed to press freedom, and a small number of institutional supporters who have no say in our editorial decisions.

We publish our methodology, share our source documents, and correct our errors promptly and transparently. When we get something wrong, we say so — clearly, at the top of the story.

Editorial Standards

How we work

Independence

No story is killed for business reasons. No source is protected because of their relationship with our funders. Our editors make all coverage decisions.

Verification

We do not publish allegations we cannot independently verify. We seek comment from every subject of our reporting before publication and give them adequate time to respond.

Transparency

We publish the documents we obtain. We describe our methodology. We name our sources when possible and explain why we grant anonymity when we do.

Corrections

Errors are corrected promptly with a clear note at the top of the story. We do not silently edit published work. Significant corrections are noted in our newsletter.

About the Editor

Thomas W. Penn Jr.

Editor & Founder

Penn brings more than 27 years of federal law enforcement, investigative, leadership, and training experience to the publication. During his federal career, he served with the U.S. Border Patrol, the former U.S. Customs Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, retiring after a career that included assignments as a Special Agent, Supervisory Special Agent, National Program Manager, instructor, and academy leader.

His investigative experience has included complex criminal and regulatory investigations, commercial fraud, intellectual property crime, counter proliferation matters, child exploitation investigations, and enforcement involving international trade. At the national level, he managed investigative programs, coordinated cases across jurisdictions, worked with federal prosecutors and partner agencies, and helped oversee training and professional standards for federal investigators.

Penn also served in leadership roles at the HSI Academy, where his responsibilities included accreditation, curriculum review, instructor development, emergency planning, program management, and the training of the next generation of federal special agents.

That background shapes the mission of The Georgia Dossier.

The publication approaches stories with an investigator's mindset: What happened? What does the evidence show? Who made the decision? What authority did they have? How was taxpayer money spent? And are public officials being held to the same standards they expect of the public?

The Georgia Dossier is particularly interested in government transparency, law enforcement, surveillance and privacy, public corruption, elections and campaign finance, local government, public spending, criminal justice, and matters of significant public interest throughout Georgia.

Penn believes journalism should be willing to ask uncomfortable questions regardless of political party, government agency, institution, or individual involved. The purpose of The Georgia Dossier is not to serve as a public relations arm for government or political interests. Its purpose is to examine the facts, seek primary source documentation whenever possible, provide context, and give readers the information necessary to reach their own conclusions.

Follow the documents. Ask the questions. Report what the evidence shows.

We follow the documents.