Murray Bridge News editorial policy

Murray Bridge News aims to:

  • Create community by sharing local stories

  • Empower people to engage with community groups, events and opportunities

  • Be positive about our region and its future

  • Be local: collaborate with and advocate for local people, and be present in the community

  • Guarantee a local news service that is ethical, accessible and sustainable

As a member of the Local and Independent News Association, Murray Bridge News is also committed to upholding LINA’s editorial standards.

Values

Murray Bridge News will prefer local stories, sources and angles to others. Murray Bridge News will contribute to Murray Bridge’s development into a prouder, more engaged, more welcoming, more sustainable and more equal community. Murray Bridge News will be accessible and visible to local people wherever possible.

Ethics

Murray Bridge News is committed to ethical journalism, as detailed in the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s code of ethics. This includes a commitment to honesty, accuracy, fairness and disclosure of relevant information; emphasising a person’s characteristics only when relevant; attributing information to its source wherever possible; disclosing conflicts of interest; using fair, honest and responsible means to obtain information; not plagiarising; respecting people’s right to privacy; and correcting factual errors.

The paywall

Murray Bridge News publishes a mix of stories which are free to all and those which are accessible only to paying subscribers. Articles will generally be accessible to all if they have been supplied in a substantially complete form, or if they concern:

  • upcoming events

  • public health and safety

  • police investigations

  • public consultations

  • elections

  • charitable causes, fundraisers, or help for people who are unlikely to be able to afford a subscription (community causes), or

  • public sentiments to be expressed to decision-makers (advocacy)

Stories may also be brought out from behind the paywall at the discretion of the managing editor. All paywalled stories will be made available to the public four weeks after publication.

Attribution

The name of an article’s creator or collator, and credits for photos or images, will be attached to each article, photo or image. Articles which are sponsored by third parties will be labelled accordingly.

Editorial decision-making

Story ideas or angles may or may not be pursued at Murray Bridge News’ discretion, with regard to available resources and the news values of impact, proximity, timeliness, currency, conflict, prominence and abnormality. Advertising clients will not be permitted to influence editorial decision-making.

Proof-reading

Sources will not typically be permitted to preview stories before publication. However, upon request, Murray Bridge News will give a verbal run-down of what a source has been quoted as saying, to guard against factual errors.

Corrections, clarifications and disclosures

Corrections, clarifications and disclosures of any actual or perceived conflicts of interest will be included at the bottom of the relevant story. For more information, see Murray Bridge News’ complaints policy.

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