Effective date: July 15, 2026 · Last updated: July 15, 2026
The Dallas Dispatch is committed to accurate, fair, and independent local reporting for the Dallas–Fort Worth metro. Our mission is to give North Texans the practical information they need to navigate daily life, presented clearly and sourced to the public record. These standards govern how we report, write, and correct our work.
1. Our editorial mission
We cover the news that affects North Texas households: local government and City Hall, growth and development, transit, schools, weather and the electric grid, cost of living, money and benefits, scams and consumer safety, and getting around the metro. Our focus is service journalism, explaining how rules, deadlines, and decisions actually affect your week and your wallet.
2. Accuracy and fact-checking
Every article is reviewed before publication. Our accuracy standards include:
- Verifying facts, figures, deadlines, and dollar amounts against primary and official sources, including the Texas Comptroller, the Dallas and Tarrant appraisal districts, ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Texas Health and Human Services, TxDMV and the Texas Department of Public Safety, DART and the North Texas Tollway Authority, the National Weather Service, and federal agencies such as the IRS, Social Security Administration, and CMS.
- Linking to the original source whenever a fact, figure, or rule is cited, so readers can verify it for themselves.
- Keeping links to mainstream news sources to a minimum and preferring the official record.
- Distinguishing clearly between factual reporting and analysis.
- Saying so plainly when something cannot be confirmed from the public record, rather than guessing.
3. Editorial independence
Our newsroom operates independently of our business and advertising functions. Advertisers, sponsors, and affiliate partners do not see articles before they publish and cannot request, edit, delay, or kill a story. A company being an advertiser earns it no softer and no harsher coverage. Any paid or sponsored content is clearly labeled as such.
4. Sourcing and attribution
We attribute information to named agencies, documents, and officials. We do not publish fabricated, composite, or invented people, quotes, or scenarios. When we rely on a report, filing, or data release, we identify and link it.
5. Corrections
We fix errors promptly and in the open. When a factual mistake changes what a reader understood, we correct the article and add a dated note explaining what changed. See our corrections policy for how to flag something and how we respond.
6. Fairness and accountability
When our reporting reflects on a person, company, or agency, we represent the relevant facts in context and, where a response matters, we seek to represent their position accurately. Our writers do not accept payment, gifts, or trips from the people and institutions they cover, and they disclose any personal stake to an editor.
7. Images
Every image we publish is credited to its source and used under its license. We do not present illustrations or stock images as documentary evidence of a specific local event.
8. Contact
Questions about these standards, or a story you think we should cover? Reach the newsroom through our contact page.