These are difficult times for journalism and journalists. And yet the need for straightforward, accurate information is more important than ever.
So we come to this venture with some simple guiding principles:
1. We will be fair.
No journalist can ever be 100% objective — we’re all human. What we can promise is this: we will use our collective decades of professional journalism experience to be fair and do our best to tell both or all sides of the story. We will fail from time to time and expect you to tell us about it. We may not always agree, but we will always listen. We will admit mistakes when we make them. Period.
2. Facts will drive our coverage, not emotion
The media is full of anger and angry people. We will try not to add to that number. First and foremost, we will focus on fact, tell the story and let the reader make the moral judgments — with the exception of commentary, which will be clearly labeled as such. And even there we will do our level best to be civil, intelligent and thought-provoking, rather than seek to incite.
3. This is our hometown, too.
The boroughs, cities and townships that make up Chester County are diverse — but we call them home. We live here, work here, educate our children here and are part of the daily community. If there is a time we will show bias, it will be in favor of our hometown people, places and events.
4. You are part of the process.
We want to cover the things that matter to you — and we want you to participate in this site, give us feedback and hopefully, become part of an ongoing community dialog that leaves us all better informed and enriched. In the coming weeks, look for new features and opportunities to join in the conversation.
