Better to be right than first

Following our reporting on a recent controversial news event, we have received numerous complaints on how we gather our information.

Above everything else, we make every attempt to report the story as truthfully and accurately as possible.

To that end, we rely on police reports and direct quotations from responsible sources such as school superintendents, investigating police officers, county attorneys, fire marshals, etc.

When available and pertinent, we will quote persons involved and attempt get both sides of a story before publishing.

We will, however, never use anonymous sources. Never.

Nor will we report on one person’s complaints or charges about another individual or business or government entity without formal charges having been filed.

That practice is unfair and unsubstantiated.

We endeavor never to let our emotions or our personal beliefs impact our reporting on a story.

Our opinions are reserved for this page of the paper only.

If you want to read sensationalized stories that may or may not be the truth, go to social media. If you want stories told as accurately and truthfully as possible, rely on printed newspapers.

We don’t always do everything perfectly.

However, we would rather be right than first.

And we would rather be truthful and get the story correct than sensationalize a story to sell papers.