Ethics

Essex Media Group abides by the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics available here, meaning it is our goal to seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, as well as to be accountable and transparent.

Corrections policy

If we become aware of a mistake or inaccurate information published in an article, photo caption, headline, graphic, or other material, it is our responsibility to promptly correct the error and explain the change.

The correction will appear at the top of each article with the correction and will be published in print on the front page the following day. If incorrect information was posted to Essex Media Group’s social media accounts, the post will be edited to correct the information and explain the error.

During breaking news, there might be times when incomplete information is included in an article on our website that does not require a correction. For example, if public officials correct an earlier statement, we will typically explain the change in the updated article without adding a formal correction.

If you have reason to believe we should file a correction we have not, please voice your concerns in writing to the appropriate reporter and editor via email.

Police Log

In an effort to reduce harm, it is our policy to not publish the names of those arrested if they are a minor and to not publish identifying information about someone who has experienced a drug overdose. We do not include police reports that fit the following categories: “medical,” “alarms,” “motor vehicle repossession,” “well-being checks,” “suicides,” “mental health calls,” “assist citizen,” “area/property checks,” “assist other community,” “witness summons,” “nightwalker,” or “drunk.”

Takedown requests

In an era of an unforgetting internet, in which our content can be easily found online, even years after publication, we have seen an increase in takedown requests asking us to “unpublish” articles from our website.

Requests regarding the police log

All address information, particularly arrests, reflects police records. In the event of a perceived inaccuracy, it is the sole responsibility of the concerned party to contact the relevant police department and have the department issue a notice of correction to The Daily Item.

Requests regarding photos

Approval of a photo takedown request is at the discretion of EMG.

Requests regarding editorial content

Requests can be submitted to [email protected] and may be granted at the discretion of EMG. These highly unusual requests are rarely granted.

Obituaries

Memorial notices and obituaries are paid submissions from funeral homes and families. We do not edit nor do we verify details beyond confirmation of the person’s death. Any requests for changes to an obituary will only be honored if made by the funeral home or family member who submitted the notice.

Editorials

News reporters are not involved in the production of editorials published in print and online. Editorials represent the views of Essex Media Group’s editorial board.

Daily Item Editorial Board

• Ted Grant
• Spenser Hasak
• Stuart Foster

Opinion

We work to ensure a clear separation of news articles from opinion content should be clear in print and online. In order to best serve our readers, opinion content is always associated with one of the following labels:

Local Commentary: Discussion of news topics with a point of view, submitted by a local writer whom
Essex Media Group does not employ full-time.

Item Commentary: A column with a point of view written by a full-time Essex Media Group employee.

Wire Op-Ed: An article discussing news topics with a point of view written by a writer not directly affiliated with Essex Media Group but belonging to an organization in a syndicated relationship with the company, including the Associated Press and Tribune News Service.

Wire Editorial: An opinion article written by a newspaper editorial board not affiliated with Essex Media Group.

Letters to the Editor: A letter written by a reader or someone in the general public submitted to an editor for review before publication.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor can be submitted via email to [email protected]. Submitted letter must be of high quality e.g., proper grammar and punctuation, writing quality, and language use. Letters to the Editor should ideally be no more than 300 words.

Photos

Our policy is only to make minor adjustments to photos including cropping, adjusting brightness/contrast, conversion into grayscale, elimination of dust/scratches on scanned prints/negatives, and normal color adjustments. We do not make any changes that jeopardize the accurate representation of the authentic nature of the photo.

Any photos combined with other photos or assets such as logos will be designated as a graphic.

Licensing staff photos

Licenses can be obtained for commercial use by visiting our photo store at photos.essexmediagroup.com. Licensing fees are on a per-photo basis.

Data

Statistics used in stories and data used to generate graphs/charts will be attributed if available.

Credit

Staff photos will carry the designation Item Photo, Staff Photo, Item File Photo, or Staff File Photo followed by the photographer’s name. Submitted photos will carry the designation Courtesy Photo followed by who submitted the photo or where it was obtained from.