AtholNews.com Editorial Standards & Ethics Policy

Our Mission

AtholNews.com exists to provide the North Quabbin region with accurate, fair, timely, and independent local news. Our responsibility is to the public. We strive to earn and maintain our readers’ trust by reporting facts honestly, correcting mistakes promptly, and remaining transparent about our reporting process.

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Accuracy First

Accuracy is our highest priority.

Before publishing a story, we will:

• Verify information using reliable and credible sources.
• Whenever possible, confirm important facts with at least two independent sources.
• Use official records, public documents, police reports, court records, government data, and firsthand interviews whenever available.
• Clearly distinguish between verified facts, allegations, and opinions.
• Never knowingly publish false or misleading information.

If information cannot be independently verified, we will clearly state that in the article.

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Fairness

Every story deserves fairness.

AtholNews.com will:

• Seek comment from people or organizations involved in a story before publication whenever practical.
• Give subjects a reasonable opportunity to respond.
• Present relevant facts and context.
• Avoid sensationalism or misleading headlines.
• Avoid taking political positions within news reporting.

Opinion pieces and editorials will always be clearly labeled.

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Corrections Policy

Nobody is perfect.

If AtholNews.com makes a mistake:

• We will correct it promptly.
• Significant corrections will include an editor’s note explaining what changed.
• We will never quietly change important factual errors without disclosure.
• Readers are encouraged to report possible errors.

Accuracy is more important than protecting our pride.

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Sources

We strongly prefer named sources.

Anonymous sources will only be used when:

• The information is important to the public.
• The source faces legitimate risk for speaking publicly.
• We have independently verified the information.
• An editor approves the use of anonymity.

We do not publish anonymous rumors.

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Public Records

Public records are an important part of local journalism.

AtholNews.com regularly reports information from:

• Police logs
• Arrest reports
• Court filings
• Fire department reports
• Town meetings
• Planning Board meetings
• School Committee meetings
• Public records obtained through Massachusetts law

Publication of public records does not imply guilt or wrongdoing beyond what those records establish.

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Crime Reporting

Crime reporting should inform the community—not sensationalize it.

We will:

• Clearly identify charges as allegations until proven in court.
• Use language such as “police say,” “according to court documents,” or “investigators allege.”
• Update stories when charges are dismissed or outcomes become available.
• Respect victims and their families.

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Artificial Intelligence

AtholNews.com may use artificial intelligence as a productivity tool for:

• proofreading
• grammar
• formatting
• transcription
• summarization
• headline suggestions
• image creation

Every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication, and all factual information must be independently verified.

We do not publish AI-generated content as fact without human verification.

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Photography & Video

Images must accurately represent reality.

We will never manipulate photographs or videos in ways that mislead readers.

Acceptable edits include:

• cropping
• brightness
• contrast
• color correction

We will clearly label illustrations, renderings, or AI-generated images.

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Sponsored Content

Advertising will never influence news coverage.

Sponsored articles, advertisements, or paid partnerships will always be clearly labeled.

Advertisers do not review or approve editorial content before publication.

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Independence

AtholNews.com serves its readers—not political parties, businesses, or special interests.

Our editorial decisions are based solely on news value and the public interest.

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Community Standards

We believe journalism should strengthen our communities.

Our reporting will strive to be:

• Accurate
• Respectful
• Transparent
• Accountable
• Inclusive
• Independent

We welcome corrections, news tips, and constructive feedback from our readers.

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Transparency

When possible, we will link directly to:

• Official documents
• Police reports
• Court records
• Meeting agendas
• Government data
• Original public sources

Readers should be able to see the evidence behind our reporting whenever practical.

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Reader Corrections & Feedback

If you believe we have made an error, please contact us.

corrections@atholnews.com

Every correction request will be reviewed promptly. If an error is confirmed, we will correct it as quickly as possible.

Trust is earned every day through honest reporting.

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Our Editorial Promise

AtholNews.com is committed to reporting the news accurately, fairly, independently, and responsibly. We value truth over speed, facts over speculation, and accountability over convenience. Our goal is to provide the North Quabbin region with journalism our readers can trust every day.