Newspaper Tree is a nonpartisan, public service 501(c)(3) media organization. On March 28, 2014, the Newspaper Tree board of directors met to develop the project’s core values and core purpose, which comprise the project’s core ideology. The exercise was based on “Building Your Company’s Vision,” by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, published in the September-October 1996 edition of Harvard Business Review. Core ideology is defined as “the enduring character of an organization—a consistent identity that transcends product or market life cycles, technological breakthroughs, management fads, and individual leaders.” The article explains core values as “the essential and enduring tenets of an organization.” And core purpose is “the organization’s reason for being.”