HyperLocal Loop was built on the belief that community journalism is only as strong as the trust that community places in it. These standards are not legal fine print — they are the promise we make to every reader, every source, and every city we serve.
Last Updated: May 2026
HyperLocal Loop is a joint venture of OBBM Network and Spreely Media, operating as a hyperlocal community news platform serving cities across the country. We are grounded in Christian faith, the strength of traditional families, and the conviction that individual liberty depends on an informed citizenry.
Those values do not exist in spite of our journalism standards — they demand them. Honest reporting, transparent sourcing, and editorial independence are not just professional best practices. They are moral obligations to the neighbors we serve. Every editor, reporter, contributor, and partner associated with HyperLocal Loop is expected to uphold the standards set forth in this document.
Questions about this code or its application should be directed to the Editorial Director.
HyperLocal Loop retains full and sole authority over all editorial content. No advertiser, donor, sponsor, partner organization, or platform investor — including OBBM Network and Spreely Media — shall direct, influence, or approve news coverage decisions. This is an unconditional firewall.
Acceptance of financial support through advertising, sponsorship, or partnership does not constitute endorsement of any product, service, opinion, or political position held by that supporter. Our news judgments are made on the basis of journalistic merit and public interest alone.
We may accept support to fund coverage of specific topics or communities, but editorial control of that coverage belongs exclusively to HyperLocal Loop. No funder may review, edit, approve, suppress, or redirect any article, headline, or editorial decision.
Our faith-based values inform the character of how we operate — our honesty, our care for people, our commitment to truth. They do not dictate coverage outcomes, suppress inconvenient facts, or shield any individual or institution from fair and accurate reporting.
HyperLocal Loop is supported through advertising revenue, sponsorships, and partnerships coordinated through AdRevv. We are committed to being transparent about how the organization is funded and how those funding relationships are — and are not — related to editorial decisions.
Any article that mentions an individual or organization that has an active advertising or sponsorship relationship with HyperLocal Loop will include a disclosure notice at the bottom of the article. This disclosure will be clear, prominent, and written in plain language.
HyperLocal Loop does not accept funding from:
We will make our primary revenue sources publicly known. Major advertising partners and sponsors whose support materially funds our operations will be acknowledged on our site. Reader-submitted tips and story ideas are not financial transactions and carry no weight in editorial priority decisions.
A conflict of interest — real or perceived — undermines public trust. Staff members and contributors must identify and disclose any relationship, financial interest, or personal connection that could reasonably appear to influence their work.
No staff member may contribute to coverage involving a family member, close friend, or personal associate. This applies equally to favorable and unfavorable stories. When a conflict is identified, the staff member must recuse themselves and notify their editor.
Reporters and editors must not cover companies, sectors, or local institutions in which they or their immediate family members hold a financial interest. When recusal is impractical, a second editor must make the relevant decisions and the conflict must be disclosed.
Staff members must avoid membership in organizations — civic, political, religious, or commercial — whose coverage they may be responsible for, when that membership could create an appearance of bias. Any potential conflict must be disclosed to the Editorial Director before the membership is accepted.
No editorial staff member may accept gifts, event tickets, travel, meals of more than nominal value, discounts, or any other benefit given because of their journalistic role. Items received unsolicited must be returned with a written explanation. Reasonably priced working meals with sources are permitted. Staff members not covering an event may not accept complimentary entry to that event.
Staff members may not use their title, credentials, press credentials, business cards, or contact network for personal benefit — including securing discounts, resolving personal disputes, or obtaining preferential access to goods or services.
Outside professional activities must not compete with, conflict with, or interfere with a staff member's responsibilities to HyperLocal Loop. All outside employment or consulting relationships that touch on areas a staff member covers must be disclosed to and approved by the Editorial Director.
Accuracy is the foundation of trust. We make every reasonable effort to verify facts before publication. When errors occur — and they will — we correct them promptly, transparently, and without defensiveness.
Fabrication of quotes, events, sources, data, or any element of a news report is grounds for immediate termination. There are no exceptions. Satire and opinion must be clearly labeled as such so that no reader could reasonably mistake them for factual reporting.
All original reporting, quotes, data, analysis, or distinctive language borrowed from another source must be attributed. Wire service content used in a report must be credited in the text or in a standard shirttail credit. Presenting another person's or organization's work as original HyperLocal Loop content is prohibited.
When an error is identified after publication, we will correct it as quickly as possible. A correction notice will be added to the article indicating what was changed and when. We do not silently alter published articles. Significant corrections involving matters of fact or fairness will be noted prominently within the article body, not buried in metadata.
Readers may report potential errors to: [email protected]
News photographs may not be staged, directed, or digitally altered beyond standard technical adjustments (brightness, contrast, cropping). Composite images or photo illustrations must be clearly labeled and approved by an editor. Misleading use of imagery — including file photos presented as current — is prohibited.
A dateline may only appear on a story when the bylined reporter physically gathered information at that location. Datelines must never create a false impression of on-the-ground reporting.
HyperLocal Loop expects all sources to be identified by name. Named attribution allows readers to evaluate the credibility and potential bias of information for themselves. We do not use anonymous sources as a matter of routine practice.
In rare and extraordinary circumstances, information from an anonymous source may be used if: the information is critical to the public interest, it cannot be obtained by any other means, and the source's identity and reliability have been verified by an editor. Anonymous source use requires explicit approval from the Editorial Director. The reasons for granting anonymity must be documented internally.
We never grant anonymity merely to allow a source to make personal attacks, lodge unverifiable accusations, or advance a political agenda.
Information and identity may be used and published without restriction.
Information may be used but the source may not be identified by name. General identification (e.g., "a city official") may be used.
Information may be used but no attribution — even general — is attached. May only serve as the basis for additional verified reporting.
Information may not be published or used in any form. It may only serve to guide further reporting through other means.
We do not attribute claims to vague collectives such as "experts say," "officials believe," "sources indicate," or "observers note" without naming specific, identifiable people. When a singular anonymous source exists, that source must not be referred to in the plural. Passive constructions like "it is believed that" or "it is expected that" are not acceptable substitutes for named attribution.
Wire service stories and reports from other news organizations must meet the same standards of accuracy and attribution as original HyperLocal Loop reporting. Wire content that relies heavily on anonymous sourcing must be scrutinized before use and, when published, must clearly credit its origin.
Any individual or organization that is the subject of a critical or potentially damaging report must be given a reasonable, good-faith opportunity to respond before publication. A genuine effort to reach the subject must be documented. If a subject declines to comment, the story should reflect that with neutral language: "did not respond to a request for comment" or "declined to comment." The phrase "refused to comment" is reserved for situations in which a subject actively rejected an opportunity that was clearly presented.
Reporting on minors requires heightened care. Wherever possible, parental or guardian consent must be obtained before interviewing, photographing, or naming a child — particularly in sensitive contexts. Children are not held to the same standard of accountability as adults in news coverage, and their inexperience must be considered before publishing their words or images.
HyperLocal Loop does not publish the names or identifying information of sexual assault victims without their explicit, informed consent. Any exception requires approval from the Editorial Director and must be accompanied by a compelling public interest justification.
Adult criminal suspects are generally identified only after formal charges have been filed. Juvenile suspects are identified only when they have been formally charged as adults. Exceptions to either standard require Editorial Director approval.
Images or descriptions of death, severe injury, or other graphic content are published only when they serve a clear and significant journalistic purpose that cannot be achieved another way. Such decisions require editor approval and, where practical, advance consideration of impact on victims' families and community members.
A person's race, religion, national origin, gender, or other identity characteristic is referenced in a story only when its relevance to the story can be clearly justified. These details are never included as a matter of habit or for editorial color.
Quotes must be accurate. They may be condensed using ellipses or edited for clarity, but no edit may alter the speaker's intended meaning. Quotes that contain profanity or slurs are published only when the precise language is directly relevant to the story's newsworthiness. All such decisions require editor approval.
Ambush interviews — catching a source off guard without prior contact — are avoided as a general matter. Audio or video recording of interviews must comply with applicable state law. Any use of concealed recording equipment requires advance legal review and approval from the Editorial Director.
We do not lower our standards of verification simply because another publication has already reported something. The fact that a claim has been published elsewhere does not make it true, and we verify independently before publishing information that could damage a person's reputation.
The separation between HyperLocal Loop's editorial operations and its advertising and revenue functions is absolute. Advertisers do not receive advance knowledge of news coverage, the ability to review or approve articles, or any guarantee of favorable treatment in editorial content.
Sponsored content — articles or features produced in partnership with an advertiser — must be clearly and prominently labeled as sponsored. No sponsored content may be designed or formatted to be mistaken for original news reporting.
Business spotlight features, event promotions, and advertiser profiles are commercial products, not editorial endorsements. Their publication does not represent HyperLocal Loop's journalistic judgment about the advertiser's quality, value, or character.
Editorial staff may collaborate with advertising and marketing departments on audience-building initiatives, but no such collaboration may result in editorial content being shaped, delayed, or suppressed to protect a revenue relationship.
If an advertiser's business becomes the subject of a news story, that story will be reported and published under the same standards as any other story. Advertising revenue does not purchase editorial immunity.
Staff members must identify themselves honestly as journalists when gathering information. Misrepresentation of identity to obtain information is prohibited except in extraordinary circumstances — such as when a matter of significant public concern cannot be documented any other way — and requires prior Editorial Director approval.
No staff member may engage in illegal activity in pursuit of a story. Editors will not authorize or condone illegal news-gathering methods, and will not knowingly publish material obtained through illegal means.
Staff members may accept freelance assignments on personal time, provided those assignments do not create conflicts with their HyperLocal Loop responsibilities. All freelance work must be approved in advance by the Editorial Director. Approved freelance assignments must not:
When conducting freelance work, staff members must make clear to sources which publication they are working for at the time of any given interaction.
Appearances on television, radio, podcasts, or other media platforms not affiliated with HyperLocal Loop must be approved in advance by the Editorial Director. All freelancing standards apply. Staff members must avoid statements in public forums that would undermine their credibility as impartial journalists.
Staff members have access to unpublished reporting, source identities, financial records, personnel information, and other sensitive organizational data. This information must not be shared outside the organization without authorization. The obligation to protect source confidentiality continues after employment ends.
Confidential information includes but is not limited to:
Materials sent to HyperLocal Loop for review — books, products, event tickets, or similar items — are the property of the organization. Items not retained for editorial purposes should be donated to libraries or charitable organizations rather than kept by individual staff members.
Staff members should not independently enter their work in contests or competitions run by trade associations, advocacy groups, or other organizations whose coverage they are responsible for. Participation in journalism awards programs must be approved by the Editorial Director.
A staff member's online presence reflects on HyperLocal Loop. The same professional standards that govern our published work govern our conduct on social media, personal websites, and any other public digital platforms.
Information gathered in the course of reporting for HyperLocal Loop must not be posted on personal blogs, social accounts, or websites before it is published by HyperLocal Loop. Staff members should not post opinions, statements, or commentary that would undermine their ability to cover topics fairly or that would be inconsistent with a published news report.
A useful test: if you would not include it in a news story under your byline, do not post it publicly.
Staff members must not share or amplify unverified claims, rumors, or breaking news reports from other outlets before independently confirming accuracy — even in a personal capacity. Speed does not supersede accuracy.
HyperLocal Loop staff engaging with readers, sources, or community members online must do so with the same respect, professionalism, and fairness expected in person. Hostile, dismissive, or retaliatory online exchanges are prohibited.
Hyperlocal journalism serves tight-knit communities where news coverage can have profound personal consequences. We take seriously our obligation to handle the privacy of individuals — especially those in vulnerable circumstances — with care and respect consistent with our Christian values.
Private individuals who become subjects of news coverage through no choice of their own are entitled to greater privacy protections than public officials and public figures who have voluntarily entered public life. The public interest threshold for publishing private information is proportionally higher when the subject is a private individual.
Pseudonyms may only be used to protect a subject's identity when doing so serves a legitimate protective purpose and when full disclosure would cause the subject serious harm disproportionate to the public benefit. Any use of a pseudonym must be disclosed to readers in the article and approved by the Editorial Director.
Reporting on suicide, self-harm, and mental health crises follows established safe messaging guidelines. We do not publish detailed methods, romanticize or sensationalize these subjects, or report on them in ways that could cause harm. We include crisis resources where appropriate.
Individuals who have experienced loss, violence, or trauma deserve to be approached with sensitivity and genuine human respect. We do not pressure grieving or traumatized subjects for comments, and we give careful consideration to the timing, method, and purpose of any contact.
All reporting, writing, photography, notes, research, and other work product created by staff members in the course of their work for HyperLocal Loop is the intellectual property of HyperLocal Loop. This includes work created using organizational time, tools, resources, or access.
This content may not be sold, licensed, republished, or syndicated to any outside publication or news service without prior written approval from the Publisher or Editorial Director. Books, columns, or other long-form projects developed using information or access gathered for HyperLocal Loop also require prior approval.
The use of brief excerpts from published works in reviews or news stories — with proper attribution — is permitted. Use of copyrighted material beyond brief excerpts requires written permission from the rights holder.
This Code of Ethics is a living document. It will be reviewed and updated as our platform grows, as our community's needs evolve, and as the journalism industry navigates new challenges. Staff members will be notified of material changes.
Violations of this code are taken seriously. Depending on severity, consequences may include formal counseling, reassignment, suspension, or termination of employment or contributor status. No retaliation against any person who in good faith reports a potential ethics violation is permitted.
Factual errors, missing context, or outdated information in published articles.
Questions about our reporting practices, sourcing decisions, or staff conduct.