Ethics & Correction Policy

County News Service (“we”, or “our”) produces and publishes local breaking news including, without limitation, across the Southern California region. County News Service is owned and operated by County News Service, LLC whose principal is Miles Madison. CountyNews.TV is a subsidiary of County News Service, LLC.

Our credibility and accuracy of reporting is our most valuable asset. This policy establishes the ethical standards that govern our editorial work and the procedures we follow when we make a mistake. It applies to all our staff, contributors, freelancers, interns, and editorial leadership, across every platform on which we exercise control over.

Core Principles

We are guided by four foundational principles:

  1. Seek Truth and Report It. We take responsibility for the accuracy of our work. We verify information before releasing it, identify sources whenever possible, and provide proper context.
  2. Minimize Harm. We treat sources, subjects, and the public with respect and weigh the public’s need for information against potential harm.
  3. Independence. Our journalists are free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know. We avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
  4. Accountability. We explain our editorial decisions, engage with the public about our journalism, and correct our mistakes promptly and openly.

Accuracy and Verification

All our journalists are required to verify facts, names, dates, addresses, titles, and quotations before publication using primary sources or documentation whenever possible.

Information from law enforcement scanners, public safety radio traffic, or unconfirmed reports must be labeled as as such and independently confirmed with an official source to the extent possible.

At least one editor must review a story prior to publication for factual accuracy, fairness, and clarity, to the extent possible. In fast-moving breaking-news situations, where prior editorial review is impracticable, post-publication editorial review is required as soon as reasonably possible.

Anonymous sources are used only when the information cannot be obtained on the record, the source faces genuine risk of harm, and use of the source is approved by an editor. The reason for anonymity is disclosed to the audience wherever possible.

Fairness and Independence

Any individuals and organizations that are the subject of critical coverage are given a genuine opportunity to respond prior to publication. Such responses, to the extent they are provided, will be included in any coverage.

Our journalists must disclose to editorial leadership any financial interest, personal relationship, or affiliation that could reasonably be seen to compromise their independence on a story, and shall be recused from coverage where a conflict exists.

We do not accept payment, gifts, or favors in exchange for coverage, and maintain a clear separation between editorial content and any sponsored or promotional material, which is labeled as such.

Editorial decisions are made independently of advertisers, sponsors, sources, and any political, governmental, or commercial interest.

Sourcing and Attribution

Information taken from other news organizations, agencies, or public records is attributed clearly.

Direct quotations are not altered in substance; minor edits for clarity (e.g., removing filler words) do not change meaning.

We do not fabricate or stage quotes, sources, scenes, or images, and clearly labels illustrations, reenactments, file footage, or archival material as such.

Corrections and Clarifications

Journalists, like our staff, are human and will occasionally make mistakes. When we get something wrong, we aim to provide a clear, concise, and prompt correction or clarification.

When a factual error is brought to our attention we will correct it by issuing updating our article, news story, or social media post to the extent possible with a clear notice indicating what was updated and why it was updated. Minor errors, such as typographical errors, that do not affect the substance of a story may be fixed without a notice indicating the change.

If any doubt exists as to whether a error is substantive, we will err on the side of caution and issue a notice reflecting what was updated and why it was updated in any given article, news story, or social media post to the extent possible.

Any individual may request a correction or clarification. Requests may be submitted in writing to Info@CountyNews.TV.

Upon receipt of any request for a correction or clarification, we will investigate the request. If we determine a correction or clarification is needed, we will issue such a correction as soon as possible in a manner consistent with this policy.

Questions

If you have any questions about our Ethics & Corrections Policy, please contact us.

Last updated: July 14, 2026