Editorial standards
Accuracy
Every fact in a story is taken from a named source, which is linked in the story: a meeting agenda or minutes, a police release, a permit record, a court filing, a school district notice, a state agency, a company's own statement or a reader who is named. We report what the record says and attribute opinion to the person who holds it. Where a document and a press release differ, we report the document.
How we use automated tools
Our stories are drafted with the help of artificial intelligence tools that read public records and official releases. An editor checks each story against its sources before publication and is responsible for it. Every story carries this disclosure under its byline. We do not invent reporters, quotes or photographs, and we do not use artificial portraits of people who do not exist.
Crime and courts
An arrest is not a conviction and we say so. We report charges from the arresting agency or the court record, we name the court and the case where there is one, and we do not publish booking photographs as illustrations. We do not name juveniles accused of crimes.
Sponsored content
Paid articles are labeled "Sponsored Content" wherever they appear and are never placed in a title's lead story position. See the sponsored content policy.
Corrections
If something in a story is wrong, email the title or hello@southernlocalmedia.com with the link and what is incorrect. We check it against the source and, where we were wrong, correct the story promptly and add a dated note at the foot of the article saying what changed. Significant corrections also run in the next newsletter.
Right of reply
Anyone named in a story may respond, and we add the response to the story, clearly attributed, normally within one business day.
Complaints
Tell us the story, what you believe is wrong or unfair, and what you would like us to do. We acknowledge every complaint within two business days and answer in full within ten. If you are not satisfied you can ask for the editor to review it, and we tell you the outcome in writing.
Photographs and takedown requests
Photographs are published with the permission of the person or organization that supplied them. If you appear in a photograph and did not consent to its publication, or a photograph includes a child in your care, email us and we remove it while we look into it. Notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act may be sent to the address on the contact page.
Privacy and fairness
We do not publish home addresses, phone numbers or medical details of private individuals. We do not publish allegations about named people from anonymous or unverified sources.
Reader comments and submissions
Comments are off on our titles at launch. Tips, photographs and event notices sent to a title may be published with credit to the sender unless the sender asks otherwise; a sender can stay anonymous on request.