How we report

• Primary sources first: the sheriff, police, the courts, the county, cities, agencies and companies.
• Every fact is attributed, and every story links its sources at the bottom so you can read the originals.
• People are “arrested,” “accused” or “charged” until there’s a conviction. We never call someone guilty before a court does.
• Crime stories attribute facts to official records, such as arrest reports and court filings, note that charges aren’t proven in court, and we follow up on the outcome when we can.
• We don’t name minors who are accused of crimes, or details that would identify them, such as a relative’s name or how they’re related to someone in the story.
• We don’t name victims of sexual crimes.
• When another outlet breaks a story, we credit it at the top (“First reported by…”) and link to it.
• Quotes from other outlets stay short, and we always write our own headlines.

Corrections

• When we get something wrong or learn better information, we fix it as soon as we can confirm it.
• We add a dated correction note to the story that says what changed.
• We don’t quietly edit errors. Clarifications and updates are labeled too.
• Major errors are also noted on our social posts.
• Typo fixes that don’t change any facts may be made without a note.

AI and how the Wire is made

We use AI tools to help gather information and draft stories. Every story is reviewed by a person before it’s published. We do our best to catch every mistake, but some can slip through. When they do, we correct them and say so.

If you spot a mistake, tell us. We’ll check it and fix it if it’s wrong.

Every story is labeled Written with AI assistance and links its sources, so you can check the originals yourself.

Independence

No paid placement in our news coverage. Advertisers and sponsors don’t decide what we cover or how.

Ads are labeled “Advertisement.” Sponsored content, if we ever run it, will be clearly labeled “Sponsored.” An ad isn’t an endorsement, and we may refuse any ad.