Corrections and standards
We work hard to get every fact right. When we get one wrong, we fix it and tell you.
See something wrong?
Email hello@easthamptonmercury.com with the link and what's wrong. If you have a document that shows the right answer, send it or tell us where it is. We read every message and check it against the record.
How we fix mistakes
We correct the story and add a dated note at the bottom saying what we got wrong, like this:
Correction, Oct. 28, 2026: An earlier version of this story misidentified a commission alternate.
If the mistake was a big one, like the outcome of a vote, the note goes at the top. If the story ran on more than one of our sites, every copy gets the same note.
Typos get fixed as soon as we see them. If a typo changed a fact, like a misspelled name, it gets a correction note too.
An "update" means we added something new, not that we got something wrong.
We don't change a story because someone wishes it had been told differently. But if you disagree with our coverage, write to us anyway. We read those too.
Where our facts come from
Every fact comes from something we can point to: a meeting recording, minutes, a public record, an official release, a box score, a court filing or an interview. Where we can, we link to it so you can check it yourself.
Quotes are checked word for word against the recording or document. Names are checked against the official roster.
We don't report a score or a result until we have the official document.
We don't cite other news outlets. If another outlet's story points us to something, we go to the original record and report from that.
AI
We use AI tools in our newsroom: to transcribe public meetings, organize records, check facts against sources and draft stories. Every story is checked against its sources before it runs, and a person decides what gets published.
Sponsors
Some of our coverage is supported by local businesses. When it is, the page says so.
Who publishes The East Hampton Mercury
The East Hampton Mercury is published by Mercury Local. Our privacy page explains what we collect and what we don't: Privacy.