BirminghamWatch is a digital-based news organization and program of the Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism (AIIJ). AIIJ is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that aims to serve the civic good of Birmingham and Alabama by supporting journalism that makes a positive impact and encourages citizen engagement with fair, factual, unflinching and focused news. 

Our goal is to promote journalism that acts as a watchdog on government and other powerful institutions, highlights significant issues, uncovers solutions, involves the public in its work, and helps to build a better Birmingham and Alabama.

BirminghamWatch is dedicated to local reporting on the following topics:

• government performance and transparency;
• education;
• the environment;
• economic development and opportunity;
• health and social equity.

It distributes news and information and connects with citizens through various means, including:

• its website, newsletters and accounts on various social media platforms;
• partnerships with other news organizations (print, electronic, and online);
• collaborations with universities involved in journalism training and research;
• working with civic groups, especially on in-person conversations.

The following core values guide AIIJ: 

• a commitment to independence, openness, and recognized ethical standards of journalism;
• support for journalists who create thoughtful, probing, and engaging work in a variety of mediums;
• respect for both the standards and purposes of journalism’s best tradition and the inventive and effective tools of the digital present;
• to consult, empower and inform readers, listeners, viewers, and followers of the journalism this association supports.