Editorial Standards
The Manchester Guardian is committed to providing accurate, fair, transparent, and community-focused journalism for Manchester, Coffee County, and Middle Tennessee.
Our goal is to help residents understand the issues, decisions, and events that affect their community while maintaining clear standards for how information is gathered, verified, presented, and corrected.
ACCURACY FIRST
Accuracy is more important than speed.
Before publishing factual claims, The Manchester Guardian will make reasonable efforts to verify information through reliable sources, public records, direct interviews, official statements, firsthand observation, or other credible documentation.
When information cannot be independently verified, that limitation will be made clear.
FAIRNESS
Our reporting should accurately represent the facts and the perspectives relevant to the story.
When a person, business, organization, or government agency is the subject of significant criticism or allegations, reasonable efforts should be made to provide them an opportunity to respond before publication when circumstances allow.
Fairness does not require treating all claims as equally credible. Evidence, documentation, and verifiable facts remain the foundation of our reporting.
NEWS AND OPINION
News reporting and opinion content must remain clearly distinguishable.
News articles should focus on verified information, context, and relevant perspectives.
Opinion pieces, editorials, guest columns, and commentary should be clearly identified as opinion.
Opinions expressed by guests or contributors do not automatically represent the views of The Manchester Guardian.
ATTRIBUTION
Information should be attributed whenever appropriate.
Sources may include:
- Public records
- Government documents
- Meeting agendas and minutes
- Official statements
- Interviews
- Court records
- Publicly available data
- Business representatives
- Community members
- Subject-matter experts
Anonymous sourcing should be used carefully and only when there is a legitimate reason to protect the identity of a source.
PUBLIC RECORDS
Public records are an important part of local journalism.
The Manchester Guardian may use records obtained from government agencies, publicly available databases, meeting documents, court records, and other lawful sources when reporting matters of public interest.
Documents should be represented accurately and in context.
CORRECTIONS
The Manchester Guardian is committed to correcting significant factual errors.
If a published story contains incorrect information, the article may be updated with the correct information.
When appropriate, a correction or editor’s note will explain what was changed.
Requests for corrections may be submitted through our Contact page.
TRANSPARENCY
Whenever relevant, The Manchester Guardian will disclose information that could reasonably affect a reader’s understanding of a story.
This may include:
- Sponsorship relationships
- Paid promotional content
- Significant conflicts of interest
- Material relationships involving contributors
- Use of previously published material
SPONSORED CONTENT
Advertising and sponsorship do not determine editorial coverage.
Paid or sponsored content will be identified when appropriate.
Advertisers and sponsors do not receive control over independent reporting, headlines, conclusions, or editorial decisions.
INTERVIEWS
Interviews may be recorded, edited, summarized, or quoted for publication.
Editing may be used for clarity, length, pacing, or relevance, but should not intentionally distort the meaning of a guest’s statements.
When possible, important claims made during interviews should be supported with additional context or documentation.
HEADLINES
Headlines should accurately represent the content of the article.
The Manchester Guardian does not intentionally use misleading headlines, fabricated controversy, or sensational language solely to generate clicks.
PRIVACY AND PUBLIC INTEREST
The Manchester Guardian will consider the public interest when deciding whether personal information should be published.
Particular care should be taken when reporting on:
- Minors
- Victims
- Private citizens
- Medical information
- Personal contact information
- Sensitive family matters
The fact that information is publicly available does not always mean it is necessary to publish.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY
When reporting arrests, charges, investigations, or court proceedings, The Manchester Guardian will distinguish allegations from proven facts.
An arrest or criminal charge does not establish guilt.
When appropriate and reasonably available, coverage should reflect the outcome of significant cases previously reported.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Writers, hosts, editors, or contributors should avoid situations where personal, financial, political, or business relationships could improperly influence reporting.
When a relevant conflict cannot reasonably be avoided, disclosure should be considered.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Technology and artificial intelligence may be used to assist with research organization, transcription, editing, formatting, headline development, or other production tasks.
The Manchester Guardian remains responsible for the accuracy and integrity of published material.
AI-generated information should not replace appropriate verification of factual claims.
COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY
The Manchester Guardian exists to inform the community, not to create unnecessary division.
We believe difficult questions can be asked directly while still treating individuals with dignity and respect.
Our responsibility is to provide readers with accurate information and meaningful context so they can form their own conclusions.
OUR STANDARD
We will not always get everything perfect.
When mistakes happen, we will work to correct them.
When questions deserve answers, we will ask them.
When facts are available, we will report them.
Our commitment remains:
Unbiased. Unapologetic. Unafraid.
The Manchester Guardian
Manchester, Tennessee