Editorial policy

Badger News Media strives to provide readers with a professional, timely and accurate source of information and entertainment and as such, certain industry-wide standards are in place to protect the integrity of the company, its sources and its readers.

1. Articles will not be provided to any source, entity or individual for reading prior to publication. Interviews are recorded to ensure accuracy of quotations and the subsequent information contained therein.
2. Opinion columns and letters do not reflect the opinions or beliefs held by Badger News Media or its employees, readers or contributors.
3. Badger News Media subscribes to the best practice guidelines for fact-checking and background protocol.
4. As many sides or viewpoints as possible will be included in news articles if not in a single article, than in a follow-up article or through a series of articles as the topic warrants.
5. Badger News Media will photograph accident scenes and fires. However, law enforcement and rescue teams will be respected and their wishes adhered to. In case of a on-the-scene fatality, Badger News Media will take due care to ensure photos of the deceased are not published in any way, in any medium. If a fatality occurs after a photo has been published, we sympathize with the family and will remove any photos from our website which display the individual(s) in question.
6. Badger News Media will protect its sources, unless subpoenaed by a Canadian court of law. In such an instance, media lawyers will be consulted before a decision is made and the source will be notified.
7. Badger News Media will work with all Canadian law enforcement agencies to uphold the law and to provide information upon request if the information will help law enforcement apprehend a suspect in a violent crime.
8. Badger News Media adheres to the Canadian Association of Journalists Statement of Principles for Investigative Journalism.
9. Badger News Media adheres to the laws pertaining to the protection of young people under The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) and will take due care and caution not to violate any court-ordered publication ban in the interest of youth at risk.
10. Badger News Media assumes any party charged with any offense in Canada is not guilty until proven otherwise in a court of law.
11. Badger News Media will publish the names of individuals charged with a criminal offense when the knowledge becomes public by way of the court system, provincial or federal unless the individual falls under the protection of the YCJA.
12. Badger News Media will not assume any press release or contributed copy as its own in any circumstance. In the instance of published press releases, the organization or company that wrote the piece will receive credit.
13. Articles written with the explicit purpose of promoting a business, or an article which is paid for by an advertiser, including politicians and non-profit organizations, will be referred to as an ‘advetorial.’
14. Advertisers do not receive any implied or perceived offer of free editorial content nor can they influence Badger News Media’s content in any way, with exception of its own paid ads.
15. Badger News Media uses content only with permission and fully pays for or receives permission for all content, graphics, design, advertisements, photos and materials used online or in the newspaper.
16. In case of an error, Badger News Media will publish a correction or clarification in the next issue after which the error was noticed and brought to the company’s attention. As well, a permanent record of all corrections will be housed on the company’s website in a visible location.
17. Badger News Media conforms to Canadian Press standards and has the right to edit any material, contributions or letters to the editor to ensure uniform compliance.
18. Letters to the editor may be rejected or edited to ensure all content abides by the law and by Badger News Media’s acceptable guidelines. Slander or libel, in any form will not be tolerated.