Last updated: July 27, 2026

The Stillwegian is owned and operated in Stillwater. That means the person responsible for what we publish lives here, shops here, and runs into readers at the grocery store. Local ownership means local accountability, and this page explains what that accountability looks like in practice.

If you believe something we published is wrong, email corrections@thestillwegian.news. Every message to that address is read.

What we owe readers

Accuracy first. Getting it right matters more than getting it first. We verify before we publish. When a fact cannot be confirmed, we either leave it out or tell readers plainly what we do not know.

Showing up. We report from meetings, gyms, sidelines and sidewalks rather than from press releases alone. When a story relies primarily on a release, statement or secondhand account, we say so.

Independence. No source, advertiser, sponsor or member gets favorable coverage or a spiked story. Advertisers and sponsors have no input into editorial decisions and no advance notice of stories. Sponsored content is labeled as sponsored content, every time.

Fairness. Anyone facing criticism or an allegation in our reporting gets a meaningful opportunity to respond before publication. If they decline or do not respond, we say that in the story. We do not treat silence as an admission.

Clarity about opinion. News coverage and commentary are labeled and separated. Community Record is reported news. Weekend Briefing and other editorial content is clearly identified as opinion, and takes positions only on subjects covered directly.

Sourcing

Named sources are the standard. We grant anonymity rarely, and only when the information is of clear public importance, the source faces a real risk of retaliation or harm, and the information can be corroborated. When we use an unnamed source, we explain to readers why the name is withheld and what the source is in a position to know.

We do not accept quotes for approval or allow sources to review stories before publication. We will read back a quote or a technical passage for accuracy when it serves the reader.

We identify ourselves as a reporter for The Stillwegian before conducting an interview, and we do not misrepresent who we are to obtain information.

Photographs and video document what happened. We do not stage news images or alter content beyond standard cropping and adjustments for tone and exposure.

Conflicts of interest

Stillwater is small, and conflicts are unavoidable. We manage them by disclosure rather than pretending they do not exist.

When we cover an organization, business or event that the owner belongs to, serves, has a financial interest in, or has a close personal relationship with, that relationship is disclosed in the story. Where a conflict is serious enough that disclosure will not cure it, we do not run the story.

We do not accept gifts, meals, travel or favors from sources beyond items of nominal value. We do not pay sources for information.

Artificial intelligence

We do not publish AI-generated reporting. Every story published under a Stillwegian byline was reported and written by a person. AI tools may be used for narrow, non-substantive support tasks such as transcription, copy editing or headline options, always with human review, and never to gather facts, generate quotes or produce images that could be mistaken for documentary photography.

Corrections

We correct errors promptly, clearly and in public. We do not quietly edit mistakes away.

How to report an error. Email corrections@thestillwegian.news with the headline, the specific passage at issue, and what you believe the correct information is. Supporting documentation helps and speeds the process. Anyone may submit a correction request; you do not need to be a subscriber or a source in the story.

What happens next. We acknowledge every request. We independently verify the disputed information against original records, notes and audio. If we were wrong, we correct it. If our reporting was accurate, we explain to you what our reporting was based on. Most requests are resolved within two business days.

How corrections appear. Corrections are appended to the bottom of the story, dated, and describe both the error and the correct information. The story itself is updated so it is accurate going forward. We do not delete the record of what was wrong.

The wording follows a standard form:

Correction, [date]: An earlier version of this story misstated [the error]. [The correct information]. The story has been updated.

Distinctions we observe:

  • Correction — a factual error. Names, numbers, dates, titles, scores, attributions, characterizations of fact.
  • Clarification — the story was accurate but capable of leaving a wrong impression, or omitted context material to a fair reading.
  • Update — new developments added to a previously accurate story. Not an admission of error.
  • Editor's note — a broader problem with a story's reporting, framing or sourcing that warrants explanation beyond a single correction line.

Significant errors, and errors that reached readers by newsletter, are corrected in the next edition of the newsletter as well as on the web page. A correction is delivered to the same audience that received the mistake.

Retractions. If the central premise of a story proves false, we retract it. A retraction stays online with a clear notice explaining what was wrong, what happened, and how the error occurred.

Requests to remove or update published stories

Published stories are a public record and we do not unpublish accurate reporting because a subject later finds it inconvenient, embarrassing or bad for business. That standard protects the value of the archive.

We will consider narrow updates where circumstances have changed and the published record is now materially incomplete — an outcome that reversed what we reported, a decision that was later rescinded, a resolution that arrived after the story ran. Send documentation to corrections@thestillwegian.news and we will add that outcome to the original story.

We will also consider removal or de-identification in rare cases where continued publication creates a genuine safety risk. These requests are evaluated individually, and the reasoning for any change is noted on the story.

Complaints beyond corrections

Concerns about fairness, conduct or coverage decisions that are not factual disputes can go to the same address. Every message is read. We will respond if we find that a complaint identifies a legitimate problem with how we work, and we will say so publicly and explain what changed.

Standing invitation

This policy is a working document, not a monument. If something here is unclear, insufficient or wrong, we want to hear it — hit reply on any newsletter, or email corrections@thestillwegian.news.

Last updated: July 27, 2026