Editorial standards and corrections policy

Choosing what to cover

We write about an incident when officials have released information and we can add something useful, like safety data or an explanation of the law. We don’t cover every incident, and we don’t publish just to fill a schedule. For airline and passenger rail accidents, we wait at least 45 days, the period federal law sets.

Getting the facts

Facts come from official statements and releases, and each one says who reported it, for example “police said.”

• We stick to what officials have said. No rumors, no anonymous claims, no guessing.
• We go to the original source when we can. If we’re relying on a news outlet’s account of an official statement, we say so.
• If something isn’t known yet, we say that plainly.
• Early reports can change, so each article shows when it was published and last updated.

Writing it

• In our own words. We never copy, closely paraphrase or repost another outlet’s article, photos or video.
• No names. Not in the headline, and not anywhere else.
• Nothing that points to a person. We keep details like exact ages and house numbers out.
• Injuries. We describe them only in the words officials used.
• Children. We don’t identify them, interview them, or repeat what a child told someone.
• Sexual assault. We never identify someone who reports one.
• Suspects. We don’t name people suspected or charged, and we don’t use booking photos.
• Crash reports. We never use personal information from them.
• Your name and image. We never use anyone’s name or picture to promote the firm.
• Photos and video. Only our own or properly licensed, never crash scenes or injured people. Images have text descriptions, and videos have captions.
• Facts first, then our view of the law. What officials said comes first, then any data or background. Our explanation of the law sits in its own section, “Legal context from Larson Law.” It’s general information: it doesn’t assign blame, predict outcomes, put a dollar figure on claims, or promise anything.
• Tone. Calm and respectful. No sensational details, and no portraying people as tragic figures. Headlines say plainly what officials reported.
• Accessibility. We aim to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA. If anything is hard to read or use, email marketing@dlarsonlaw.com and we’ll help.

Checking before it goes live

A person checks every fact against its source before an article is published, including figures and statements of law. We don’t skip this to be faster.

Sharing it

We share articles under the firm’s real name, without graphic images or personal details. We don’t run ads tied to a specific incident, buy search ads on an incident’s keywords, or run ads asking whether someone was hurt in a particular incident. Paid promotion is labeled as each platform requires.

Updates

When officials release new information, we update the article and add a dated note at the end.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it as soon as we confirm the error. We add a note at the end of the article saying what was wrong, what it says now, and when we changed it. We never quietly change facts.

Spotted an error? Email marketing@dlarsonlaw.com with the article’s link and what you think is wrong. We read every report.