Editorial Standards

Adopted July 2026 — Applies to all staff, contributors, and freelancers

Mission and Independence

The Erie Reader exists to inform, challenge, and connect the Erie community through independent journalism covering arts, culture, and civic life. Our editorial judgment belongs to our newsroom alone.

Advertisers, sponsors, donors, and funders have no influence over what we cover or how we cover it. No supporter may review, approve, or preview editorial content before publication. We disclose major funders and accept no funding that comes with editorial conditions.

Sourcing and Verification

Original, on-the-ground reporting is our standard: named sources, real quotes, and direct observation. We verify facts before publication, and claims that could damage a person or institution receive the greatest scrutiny.

Sources are on the record by default. Anonymity is granted only when information is important to the public, cannot be obtained otherwise, and the source faces genuine risk. The editor must approve anonymity and know the source's identity.

We attribute information we did not gather ourselves and credit other outlets whose reporting we build on.

Quotes are what people actually said. We may trim for clarity but never alter meaning.

Plagiarism—presenting another person's words, reporting, or ideas as one's own—is a firing offense. This includes reusing one's own previously published work without disclosure to the editor.

Fairness

Anyone who is the subject of significant criticism or allegation in our reporting is given a meaningful opportunity to respond before publication, and we report their response fairly.

We state facts in our own voice and attribute characterizations and opinions to those who hold them. We do not assert what someone intended; we report what they said and did, and let attributed sources draw conclusions. Descriptions of named individuals—particularly public officials—use neutral language, not loaded adjectives.

Opinion, Commentary, and Letters

Opinion content—editorials, columns, guest commentary, and letters—is clearly labeled and visually distinct from news reporting. Opinions belong to their writers, but factual claims within opinion pieces are held to the same accuracy standard as reporting, and we edit or decline pieces built on false premises.

We verify the identity of guest writers and letter authors before publication, and we disclose affiliations relevant to the subject. Letters run with the writer's real name and community.

Pseudonyms are not permitted, except in rare cases where publication under a real name would pose a genuine risk to the writer's safety. The editor must approve the exception, know the writer's true identity, and label the piece as pseudonymous.

Visual Journalism

News photographs show what the camera saw. Cropping, tonal and color correction, and dust removal are acceptable; adding, removing, or repositioning elements is not, and news scenes are not staged or reenacted without labeling. Photo illustrations, composites, and AI-generated visual concepts must be clearly labeled as such and may never be presented as documentary photography of real people or events.

We weigh news value against harm when photographing people in vulnerable moments. Minors who are the focus of an image require a parent or guardian's consent. Victims of crime, trauma, or grief, and private citizens in sensitive situations, are photographed and identified with restraint and, where feasible, their consent. Public officials acting in public carry no such expectation.

Conflicts of Interest

Staff and contributors do not cover subjects in which they, or immediate family, have a financial stake, close personal relationship, or other material interest. Disclose potential conflicts to the editor, who decides whether reassignment or disclosure to readers is required.

Editorial staff do not hold office in, or publicly campaign for, organizations or candidates they may cover.

We do not accept gifts, free travel, or payment from the subjects of our coverage beyond items of nominal value.

Freelancers must disclose any relationship to the subjects of their pitches.

Social Media and Public Conduct

What staff and regular contributors say publicly reflects on the Reader, whether or not it's intended to. On personal accounts, do not take public positions on candidates for office or on contested issues you cover or may cover, and do not post anything that would give a reasonable reader cause to doubt your fairness on your beat. Breaking news belongs in the Reader, not on personal feeds.

This is not a gag on having a life online. Opinions on matters well outside your coverage are your own business. When you're unsure which side of the line something falls on, ask the editor before posting.

Corrections

When we get a fact wrong, we correct it promptly and transparently. Online corrections are appended to the story with a note describing what changed; significant print errors are corrected in the next issue. Clarifications address language that was accurate but misleading. We do not unpublish stories in response to complaints; removal occurs only for legal necessity or serious safety concerns, at the editor's and publisher's discretion. Errors published to our social media accounts are corrected on the same platform where they appeared—via a correction post and, where the platform allows, an edit or annotation to the original. Significant errors are not silently deleted.

Artificial Intelligence

This policy governs editorial writing and reporting.

AI tools may assist with research, transcription, copy editing, fact-checking support, and editing suggestions.

AI may not be used to generate quotes, sources, interviews, or events. Fabrication by machine is fabrication.

Published reporting must reflect the writer's own work. Reported stories may not be substantially drafted by AI and presented as original writing. Contributors must disclose to their editor any AI use beyond routine assistance.

AI output is not a source. Any fact surfaced by an AI tool must be independently verified before publication.

Accountability never transfers to a tool. The writer and editor are responsible for every word we publish.

AI assistance does not substitute for on-the-ground reporting. Talking to people in this community is the job.

Advertising and Sponsored Content

Advertising and editorial are separate operations. Paid content is clearly labeled as such, is visually distinct from editorial work, and is never written by editorial staff in their reporting capacity. Advertisers receive no preferential coverage, and no advertiser is shielded from legitimate reporting.

Questions about this policy, or concerns about our conduct, may be directed to the editor. This document is reviewed annually.