Editorial Standards and Transparency

Tri-Lakes Town Square is an independently operated local news platform serving Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, and Tupper Lake, New York. We operate without advertisers, investors, or corporate ownership. This page explains how we work.

Editorial Methodology

Every story published on this platform is based on primary sources — official records, direct statements, government documents, or firsthand reporting. We do not publish rumors or unverified claims. When a fact cannot be confirmed from a primary source, we say so explicitly in the story.

We confirm significant claims with at least two independent sources before publishing. For breaking news where a second source is not immediately available, we publish what is confirmed and update the story as additional information becomes available.

Corrections Policy

When we make an error, we correct it in place and note the correction at the bottom of the story with the date it was made. We do not delete or silently edit published stories. If a correction is significant, we note it prominently at the top of the story.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

We use AI tools in specific, limited ways that do not affect the reporting itself.

Search engine optimization — AI generates meta titles and descriptions for each story to improve discoverability. These are not shown to readers and do not affect story content.

Document summarization — AI generates one-sentence summaries of government documents in our archive. These summaries are labeled and are intended to help readers decide whether a document is worth reading in full. They do not replace the original document.

AI is never used to write, edit, or fact-check stories. All reporting is done by human editors.

Source Protection

We take source protection seriously. We do not log IP addresses. We do not use tracking cookies. Our infrastructure is designed so that we cannot identify individual readers. Sources who contact us via email are encouraged to use anonymous email services. We operate under New York Civil Rights Law §79-h, which provides legal protection for journalist sources in New York State.

Government Documents

Every document in our archive is a publicly available government record obtained from official agency websites. We do not publish leaked, stolen, or confidential documents. When a government website removes a document, our archive preserves the public record.

Separation of AI Summarization and Reporting

AI-generated document summaries in our archive are clearly distinct from reported stories. A summary tells you what a document contains. A story tells you what it means, why it matters, and how it affects residents. These are different things and we treat them differently.

Independence

We have no financial relationships with any government entity, political party, business, or advertiser. We accept no money for coverage. We cannot be bought, pressured, or silenced by any entity we cover.

Contact

editors@trilakestownsquare.com