joe@barroncountyfreepress.com
Call Joe Morey at 715-558-5612
Reach the office at 715-620-1268
431 S. Main St. #5, Rice Lake
Corrections and Editorial Standards
The Barron County Free Press is a print and digital weekly serving Barron County, Wisconsin, including Rice Lake, Barron, Turtle Lake, Chetek, Cameron and Cumberland. Our purpose is to provide honest, useful hometown reporting. This policy explains how we handle errors, make editorial decisions and respond to readers.
Corrections Policy
Our commitment to accuracy
We work to report facts accurately and correct significant errors promptly and visibly. Correcting an error is part of responsible journalism. It does not mean we agree with every objection to a story or opinion expressed in it.
How to report a possible error
Contact us through any of these channels:
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Email: joe@barroncountyfreepress.com
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Phone: 715-558-5612 or office 715-620-1268
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Mail or in person: 431 S. Main Street, Rice Lake, WI 54868
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Online: https://www.barroncountyfreepress.com/contact
Please include the article headline, publication date, section or web link, the specific information you believe is wrong, and any supporting documents or other evidence. Please also provide your name and contact information so we can follow up. We will use those details to review the concern and will not publish them without permission.
We will generally acknowledge a correction request within two business days. Acknowledgment does not mean we have reached a decision. The time needed to review a concern will depend on its nature and the information available.
Corrections, clarifications and retractions
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Correction: We publish a correction when we determine that a material factual error was made.
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Clarification: We add or revise information when the original wording was incomplete or unclear, even if it was not factually wrong.
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Retraction: We may retract a story or a substantial part of it when we determine that it should not have been published. A retraction will explain, to the extent appropriate, what was withdrawn and why.
We may contact people involved in the story, review records and ask for documentation before deciding how to respond.
Where corrections appear
We aim to correct an error where readers are likely to encounter it:
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Print: A correction will appear in the next available print edition, in a consistent corrections location.
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Online: We will append a dated correction or clarification to the original article. We generally update the article rather than quietly replacing or deleting it.
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Social media: If the Free Press posted the error on its social media account, we will correct or update that post when practical.
We maintain a corrections log or archive at [Link to Corrections Log]. Corrections are not removed or quietly deleted from our archives. In limited legal, privacy or safety circumstances, we may remove or alter material, while preserving an appropriate note about the change when practical.
Content from wire services or other publishers
When an error appears in material supplied by a wire service, syndicator or another publisher, we will contact the provider and seek a correction. We will also correct or clarify our own presentation of the material when needed and explain the source of the correction when appropriate.
Reader comments and social media
The Free Press is responsible for correcting errors in its own reporting and statements. Comments or posts made by readers are not statements by the newspaper. We may moderate, label or remove user content under our comments and social media standards. If we discover that a reader comment on a Free Press platform contains harmful or materially false information, we may take appropriate action, but we do not treat every disagreement in a comment as a newspaper correction.
If you disagree with our response
If you are not satisfied with the response, you may ask for a review by the editor via email at joe@barroncountyfreepress.com
Editorial Standards
Accuracy and verification
We seek to verify important facts using reliable sources, documents and direct observation. We aim to consult more than one independent source for significant claims when practical. A single source may be appropriate in some circumstances, such as when the source has direct knowledge and the information can be reliably checked in another way.
We do not publish rumors as established fact. We distinguish verified information from allegations, estimates and opinion, and we correct material errors under the policy above.
Fairness and coverage of allegations
We seek to treat people fairly, including people accused of wrongdoing. Before publishing critical or potentially damaging information, we make reasonable efforts to contact the person or organization affected and offer a meaningful opportunity to respond. We document those efforts. A person’s failure to respond does not by itself prevent publication.
An arrest, charge or allegation is not proof of guilt. We use accurate language that reflects the status of a case and update coverage when significant developments warrant it.
News, opinion and editorial independence
News reporting is separate from opinion. Editorials, columns, reviews, letters to the editor and other opinion content will be identified as such. The newsroom does not shape news coverage to support the newspaper’s editorial positions.
When the Free Press publishes an editorial board endorsement, it will be presented as opinion and will not direct or determine news coverage.
Conflicts of interest
Staff members should disclose personal, financial, family or other relationships that could affect—or reasonably appear to affect—their work. Editors will address conflicts through disclosure, additional review, reassignment or recusal, as appropriate.
Newsroom staff must disclose outside employment or activities that could create a conflict with their reporting duties. Staff in newsroom roles may not make political contributions or take part in campaign activity in a way that compromises, or reasonably appears to compromise, their journalistic responsibilities. Questions about a specific situation should be raised with an editor before the staff member acts.
Independence from advertisers
Advertising and news decisions are separate. Advertisers do not receive advance approval of news stories and are not promised favorable coverage. Advertising concerns should be directed to the publisher or advertising staff, not handled by changing editorial coverage.
Anonymous sources
We use anonymous sources only with an editor’s approval, when the information is important, cannot reasonably be obtained another way, and the source has a sound reason for needing confidentiality. Editors must know the identity of an anonymous source and assess the source’s basis of knowledge and credibility.
When we grant anonymity, we will explain to readers why the source was not named, without revealing details that would defeat the purpose of protecting the source. Anonymous information is not a substitute for verification.
Use of artificial intelligence
AI tools may be used to assist with tasks such as transcription, translation, research organization or editing. A human journalist or editor must review material before publication and remains responsible for its accuracy.
We do not use AI to invent quotes, sources, events or reporting. We will disclose material AI use when it is relevant to readers’ understanding of published content. AI-generated or materially altered images will not be presented as documentary photographs.
Attribution, plagiarism and images
We identify and credit outside reporting, quotations, photographs, graphics and other work when required and appropriate. We do not present another person’s reporting or creative work as our own. We obtain permission or appropriate rights when needed.
Photographs may be cropped or adjusted for ordinary presentation, but we do not materially alter a documentary image in a way that changes its meaning. Illustrations, file photographs, composites and other images that could be mistaken for current documentary photography will be identified appropriately. We provide photo and graphic credits when available and appropriate.
Privacy and sensitive coverage
We weigh the public interest in a story against potential harm, especially when reporting on grief, health, crime, minors and other sensitive matters. We use care when identifying children and people involved in traumatic events, and we follow applicable law and court restrictions concerning juvenile cases.
We do not name victims of sexual assault without their consent. We avoid unnecessary disclosure of private information and consider whether details are relevant to the story.
Public records and open government
We seek to report on public business and attend public meetings when appropriate. We use Wisconsin’s public records law and other lawful means to obtain records in the public interest. Access to records and meetings may be subject to legal exemptions and restrictions.
Community submissions and coverage
We welcome community news and submissions, including information about schools, sports, local events, obituaries, weddings and anniversaries. Submission does not guarantee publication. We may edit or decline material for accuracy, space, relevance, clarity or other editorial reasons.
Submitted material must be accurate and must not violate another person’s rights. We may contact the contributor to verify details and may require permission to publish submitted text, photographs or other material.
Obituaries and death notices
A news obituary is editorial content. The Free Press determines whether to publish it and may edit it for accuracy, clarity, length and style.
A paid death notice is an advertisement submitted for publication. It is distinct from a news obituary and is subject to the newspaper’s advertising terms and available space.
Comments and social media
We encourage constructive discussion on Free Press platforms. We may remove or restrict content that includes threats, unlawful material, harassment, hate speech, personal information that creates a safety risk, spam, impersonation or repeated off-topic disruption. We may also moderate content that violates posted platform rules.
We do not remove comments simply because they criticize the Free Press, a story, an advertiser or a public official. Moderation decisions do not change our responsibility to correct errors in our own reporting.
Complaints and accountability
Readers may raise concerns about a story, correction, staff conduct or editorial decision by contacting the editor at joe@barroncountyfreepress.com or 715-558-5612. Please identify the article or issue and explain the concern.
We retain relevant complaints and correspondence under our records-retention practices and may preserve records when required by law or in anticipation of a legal matter.