About
Golden Gate Xpress has been SFSU’s student-run newspaper since 1899. Staff members are dedicated to providing an independent and accurate information source for the San Francisco State University campus and the greater Bay Area community.
The Journalism Department hosts two student-run and managed publications: the Golden Gate Xpress newspaper, which is the daily online newspaper updated throughout the academic school year, and Xpress Magazine, which posts online throughout the regular school year and publishes a glossy print magazine twice a semester. These publications are designed to be lab courses where students can experiment with the latest trends in the field. Decisions always rest with the students.
To serve on the publications as staff members, students must complete JOUR 300: Reporting, with a final grade of C or higher, or with permission from an adviser.
At the discretion of the editor-in-chief, community members may contribute content without being enrolled in a publication lab course. Those who contribute content on a recurring basis will be given the role of “Contributor.”
Contact Us
Mailing address
Golden Gate Xpress
1600 Holloway Ave.
Humanities Building, Room 308
San Francisco, CA 94132
Archive
Please visit the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine website to view past iterations of the Golden Gate Xpress website.
Our newsroom
Our standards and practices
We are dedicated to reporting stories accurately and correctly quoting/citing our sources. In the era of digital media, we recognize the persisting influence of our published articles online. As journalists, our foremost responsibility is to deliver stories factually, ethically, and transparently, prioritizing the integrity of our reporting above all else.
By agreeing to be interviewed by a GGX staff member or contributor, you are agreeing to be a part of a story that will remain on our site indefinitely. However, GGX and its editors understand the importance of building a system of trust and must put the safety and well-being of our sources first over compelling published articles. These situations will be dealt with thoughtfully and we’ll be willing to issue changes in dire circumstances.
We sincerely value the fairness and honesty of reporting and strive to work with sources to publish a story that is serviceable to all parties.
Ethics
Our staff abides by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics to guarantee we remain transparent, accountable, and responsible.
Staff are prohibited from accepting free gifts, meals and other amenities from sources. All offers should be declined unless it is free to access as part of their journalistic coverage of events.
Writing style
Golden Gate Xpress mostly follows the Associated Press Stylebook, with a supplemental, in-house style guide to ensure that we can report on the San Francisco State University community effectively.
Corrections
We are committed to making prompt corrections of factual errors.
Correction requests can be sent to [email protected]. In the email, please provide any relevant information or evidence and the link to the story you believe needs a factual correction.
How we handle corrections:
When a story contains a factual error, such as a misspelled proper noun or misidentified location, a correction notice will appear in italics at the bottom of the story, stating what has been corrected. In unusual situations, we may include more context about the error.
When a story contains a typo that does not affect factual accuracy, editors may fix the typo without adding a correction notice.
AI
Golden Gate Xpress prohibits the use of generative artificial intelligence to write or rewrite original content, create imagery, edit articles and images, communicate with sources or generate interview questions during the story process.
Staff members are required to disclose to editors if and how AI is planned to be/was used during their brainstorming or writing processes. Golden Gate Xpress permits their staff to use AI for grammar, transcriptions, translations, developing story pitches of an original story idea, summarizing documents, pulling data and making pre-recorded audio quality clearer. After any use of AI, staff members must double-check the product to ensure it is accurate and to Golden Gate Xpress standards.
This AI policy was implemented by Golden Gate Xpress 2025 Editor-in-Chief Paula Sibulo on April 21, 2025. It will be reviewed at the beginning of every academic semester and be updated as needed.
Removal of published material
Upon request to remove or retract any content, including photos or statements made on the record, the content will not be taken down, as it was accurate at the time of publication. In circumstances where we determine that a significant error(s) in a story is beyond repair, we will completely remove the article and limit its discoverability through search engines by de-indexing tags and leaving an editor’s note in place of the content.
Advertising
Golden Gate Xpress does not allow political advertising. All advertisements will be published or not published at the discretion of the editor-in-chief.
Anonymous sources
Golden Gate Xpress follows the Society of Professional Journalists’ guidance on anonymous sources. Staff members should identify sources when feasible. Anonymity is allowed when sources may face danger, retribution or legal repercussions. Writers must consult with their editors before granting a source anonymity. If anonymity is granted, the reason will be stated either within the body of the story or in italics at the bottom of the article.
Copyright and permissions
Golden Gate Xpress is a publication run by students enrolled in the Journalism Department publication laboratory courses. By enrolling, students grant permission to the Journalism Department’s students and faculty for the indefinite use of any material produced for this class within the Golden Gate Xpress website and social media accounts, and all of the Journalism Department’s programs and activities. This includes unpublished content. Students retain copyright to their work and the right to sell their work. To use photos that have been published, please contact the photographers themselves.
Comments
Golden Gate Xpress welcomes feedback from our readership and encourages participation in the form of commenting on our site and our social media posts. We seek to create an engaging, informative environment for our readers. To that end, we maintain an actively enforced commenting policy to facilitate a safe and civil online environment. We reserve the right to choose which comments or portions of comments are published on the Golden Gate Xpress website and social media posts.
On our website:
When a person comments, it is unpublished. All submitted comments are read by editors. Editors retain the right to choose to publish a comment the way it has been submitted, to publish a version of a comment that has been modified to remove offensive content, or to not publish a comment. In general, we strive to publish comments.
On social media posts:
We will only remove a comment if it is hateful or offensive.
On all publishing platforms, we will not allow comments that are:
• Hateful or abusive
• Intended to harass
• Spam
Each person who chooses to participate in the comments may respectfully express their opinions.
