Sources, Attribution & Corrections

Living Rochester Suburbs is independent local media for Greater Rochester. This page explains where our information comes from, how we credit it, what belongs to whom, and how to ask for a correction.

How we source information

Our stories, guides and newsletters draw on publicly available information: government and municipal records, official announcements, public filings, planning and development documents, public meetings and agendas, businesses and organizations, event organizers, universities and other institutions, and the reporting of other local outlets. We read, check and summarize that material in our own words, and we say where it came from.

We are a guide to what is changing around Rochester, not a substitute for the sources we cite. When a detail matters to you, read the original.

Attribution

When another outlet or organization contributes materially to our understanding of a story, we name it, and we link to the original where a link exists and is appropriate. Attribution is part of how we work. It is not a claim that we own the underlying material, or that we have been given it, and naming a source does not mean the source endorses us, works with us or reviewed the story.

Public records and official sources

We prefer first-party sources: the town, city or county, the agency, the developer or business, the institution, the filing itself. Where a public body has published something, we cite it and link to it when we can. Publicly available does not mean free to reuse. Public bodies, their contractors and the people who appear in their documents can hold rights in text, photographs, maps and graphics, and we treat that material with the same care as any other.

Third-party reporting

Other local outlets do original reporting that we could not do ourselves, and when it informs a story we say so. We write the facts independently in our own words. We do not reproduce substantial portions of anyone’s article, we avoid copying distinctive wording, and we keep direct quotations short, purposeful and clearly attributed. Where an official document also exists we cite it alongside the outlet, not instead of it: the outlet’s work is still part of where the story came from.

Photos, graphics and other media

Photographs, graphics, illustrations, maps, video and other creative work are a separate question from facts. A credit line is not a permission. On this site you will find our own photography, covers, thumbnails and graphics; images supplied or authorized by a business or organization; material published under a licence that allows reuse, credited and linked to that licence; and plain links to material that stays where it is. We do not reproduce another outlet’s photos or graphics, and we do not embed what we have no basis to show.

What is ours, and what is not

Except where otherwise indicated, original Living Rochester Suburbs text, design, photography and other original media are protected by copyright. The facts themselves, and public records as records, are not ours; our words about them are. Third-party names, trademarks, photographs, graphics, video, written works and other protected materials remain the property of their respective owners.

Independence

Living Rochester Suburbs is independent. Citing a town, an agency, a business or another outlet does not make us its partner, sponsor or official channel, and it does not mean that source endorses or has reviewed our work. Sponsored placements are labelled and kept apart from coverage.

Corrections and updates

If we get something wrong, we fix it and say so on the story. A corrected story carries a dated note describing the change, and a story that has been materially updated says when and why. We do not quietly rewrite the record.

Rights and attribution concerns

If you believe a story contains a factual error, incomplete or incorrect attribution, a missing source, or material that needs a rights review, tell us. We will review reasonable correction, attribution and rights concerns promptly, and we make corrections or attribution updates when they are warranted.

Contact

Email livingrochestersuburbs@gmail.com or use the contact form, where the first topic is a story tip or correction. Please include the page or story URL, what you believe is wrong or missing, any supporting source or documentation, and how to reach you.