STAFFORD FREE PRESS

Keep Stafford Informed, Not Just Opinionated

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Why

 

Strong local news organizations have the ability to educate citizens, hold governments accountable, and remind us of the ties that bind us as a community. Unfortunately, like many small communities across the country, Stafford is in a news desert. In fact, Tolland is the only county in Connecticut without a newspaper. The Stafford Free Press aims to remedy this problem.

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What

 

The Stafford Free Press’s goal is to educate and inform the citizenry, bring transparency to the inner workings of our government, and tell the stories that make Stafford special. Of course, as a lean, start-up news organization, we have to make some calls about what we can cover. So, we focus on the Selectboard, Board of Education, and Board of Finance, and Planning & Zoning meetings. We believe these bodies have the greatest impact on our town's future. We’ll include other coverage as we can and are happy to entertain submissions from community members.

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How

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We report on public meetings. This is not an investigative outlet, and we do not have the resources to do more than report on what is being said and done in public forums. While we occasionally follow up with officials for clarity, it would be impossible for one person to independently verify every claim made by public officials. Rather, Stafford Free Press seeks to keep readers informed of what is being said and done on the public stage so they can ask better questions. 

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Who

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Theresa Cramer is our editor, reporter, and jack-of-all-trades. She is a resident of Stafford with two decades of experience as a writer. She began her career as a local news reporter and today is the co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications. Stafford is a small town, and it is inevitable that she will know some of the people she reports on. Stafford Free Press strives to keep commentary out of the news and, in doing so, make personal relationships irrelevant. 

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Accuracy & Fairness

• Verification: We report on publicly available information. On rare occasions when this is not the case, we will make efforts to verify the information, clarify the process for readers, and point out any potential shortcomings. Resources are limited, so we try to keep things simple. 

• Corrections: We welcome corrections. Errors will be corrected promptly and transparently.

• Fairness: We strive for balanced reporting, provide minimal commentary, and make an attempt to let those who are criticized an opportunity to respond.

• Bias: All news organizations should guard against personal, implicit, or structural biases in our reporting. In local news, the challenge is different. Local reporters are often members of the community they serve and are directly impacted by the news at hand. Still, we will make every effort to provide facts and let the public make up their own minds.

Independence & Conflicts of Interest

• Gifts & Compensation: We do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those we cover. We are, however, part of the community we serve, and we have relationships with its members. Simply put, we live here too, and it is inevitable that we have friends and require services.  

• Conflicts: Generally, journalists must disclose any personal, financial, or political connections that could create a conflict of interest. In a small town, that might get tiresome. Please know that SFP has no financial (other than those that can be seen via our website advertising) or political relationship with any of the people it covers. After two years of covering local news, SFP has many friendly and/or working relationships with the people we cover. This is why we feel the best solution is to simply keep the journalist out of the story and instead focus on what is said and done in public forums without comment.

Integrity & Transparency

• Methods: We identify ourselves as journalists when seeking information.

• Sources: Anonymous sources are used only as a last resort when crucial information cannot be obtained otherwise. Given that we report mostly on public meetings, this is rarely an issue.

• Plagiarism: We never present the work of others as our own. 

Respect & Community

• Compassion: We approach stories involving tragedy, trauma, or vulnerable individuals with sensitivity. In fact, we try to avoid those stories unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise, as our mission is to keep Stafford informed about the news they need to make decisions in their own lives, not peek into others’ lives.

• Diversity: We aim to reflect the full diversity of our community, but given that this is a one-person operation that can be tough. So, we encourage the public to engage through Letters to the Editor and other contributions. 

AI Policy

• AI Usage: Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) are never used to create or publish news content. We do use Grammarly to help catch our typos and poor grammar because, as you may have noticed, SFP does not have the resources for a copyeditor. Even the biggest teams make mistakes. When digital tools inevitably fail, we are happy to have the public help us make the product better (e.g., by sending corrections).

Accountability

• Accessibility: We are accessible to the public and welcome constructive criticism. Head over to our Contact Page to send us a note.

• Transparency: We will explain our journalistic processes when necessary. Again, please keep in mind our limited resources and scope (and feel free to pitch in).