Editorial accountability and transparency

The Lookout publishes every story with a real name on the byline.

All sources will be credited appropriately and hyperlinked as possible.

In the event that The Lookout publishes factually incorrect information, a prominent correction will be promptly appended to the coverage addressing the error.

The Lookout will never retract or remove coverage without prominently addressing the reason for doing so.

On/off the record and anonymous sourcing

All conversations will be considered “on the record” unless a source explicitly requests to speak “on background” or “off the record” and The Lookout explicitly agrees to do so.

This also applies to emails, texts, etc.—do not send The Lookout things you do not want published unless you have already obtained confirmation from Fingers of “on background” or “off the record” status.

“On the record” means The Lookout may publish quotations attributed by name, job title, etc., from any portion of a conversation with a source.

“On background” means The Lookout may publish anonymous quotations from any portion of a conversation with a source, alongside verified contextualizing information (job title, work experience at a given firm, relationship to a given subject, etc.) so the reader understands the source’s relevance to the matter at hand.

“Off the record” means The Lookout will not publish quotations or descriptions from any portion of a conversation with a source, or acknowledge publicly that the conversation has taken place, unless the source does first.

Editorial independence

The Lookout does not accept money, food/drink, travel, or other in-kind gifts in exchange for coverage.

Fingers does not publish press releases or accept guest “editorials” promulgated by publicists for the purpose of establishing their clients as “thought leaders,” or whatever.

Artificial intelligence

Fingers does not use generative artificial intelligence (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) to produce text, images, or video at any point during the editorial workflow process, including but not limited to coming up with things to write about, researching those things, writing about those things, etc.

Speaking, consulting, ghostwriting, etc.

The Lookout is an editorial publication, not a “lead-generation funnel” for a consulting practice. Dave does not consult or collaborate with firms on any aspect of their businesses in exchange for cash, group subscription purchases, in-kind gifts, etc.

On occasion, Dave may take for-hire speaking engagements from firms in/with interests in Richmond.

These engagements are strictly on a for-hire basis, with Dave in full editorial control of the content of his material. That material never includes proprietary reportage gathered at a firm’s behest.

On occasion, Dave may take ghostwriting contracts from individuals working on books or other editorial projects. Those projects may include proprietary reportage gathered at the individuals’ behest. The Lookout will disclose any conflicts of interest that may arise from this work.

Dave does not ghostwrite marketing copy for firms or executives (e.g., “thought leadership”) in exchange for cash, group subscription purchases, in-kind gifts, etc.

Financial interests

The Church Hill Lookout is part of DINFONTAY LLC, a sole proprietor limited-liability company wholly owned by Dave Infante.

Neither The Lookout, DINFONTAY LLC, nor Dave currently has direct financial stakes (shares, equity arrangements, etc.) in any businesses or investment interests in Richmond.

Any other relevant financial relationships that may arise in the future will be immediately and prominently disclosed and managed as conflicts of interest, according to the guidelines set forth above.

Miscellaneous

This document will be updated from time to time as new ethical issues arise. The most recent update was made on 3/21/26.

The Loookout was inspired to publish this ethics code by The Food Section, whose own ethics code serves as the foundation for many of the editorial tenets above.