About Dirt Road Ledger

Dirt Road Ledger is an independent network of local news sites for small towns that lost their newspaper. Each town gets its own site, built from that town's public records.

Where our stories come from

Every story is built from public records: agendas, minutes, meeting packets, budgets, and official notices, from the governments that publish them. Every fact is checked against those records, and every story links its sources. We do not rewrite other news outlets.

Questions about how our stories are produced? Email [email protected].

Photos

Story photos are real photographs of our towns, used under free licenses and credited on each story. They show the place or the kind of thing a story is about, never a staged or generated scene. Have a photo of a local meeting, park, or landmark you'd like to share? Email [email protected]; we credit every photographer.

How we name people

Elected and appointed officials are named when they act in their public role. Residents who speak at meetings, applicants, and other private individuals are described by role, not name. We never name juveniles or crime victims.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it and say so on the story, with the date and what changed. Email[email protected] with the story and the error. We read every message.

Sponsors

Local sponsors keep these sites free. Sponsor messages are labeled "Sponsor" and never appear inside a story. Sponsors have no say in what we cover.