The Boston Report is an independent, ad-supported news site covering Boston, New England and the world. This page explains who is responsible for what we publish, how our stories are produced, and the standards we hold them to.
Who is responsible
Peter Sinclaire is the Editor & Publisher of The Boston Report and is responsible for all content on this site. He sets our editorial standards, decides what we cover, and is accountable for every story we publish, whatever byline it carries. See our Masthead & Ownership page for details.
How our stories are produced (AI use)
We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools openly, and we want readers to know exactly how:
- We start from published reporting and official sources. Stories are built from information that is already public: reporting by established news organizations and official sources such as government agencies, police and court records, public meetings and documents, team and company announcements, weather services and published research.
- AI assists with research and drafting. AI tools help us gather and summarize that material and write drafts in our house style.
- Stories are reviewed and published under editorial direction. Drafts are checked against their sources for names, numbers, dates, places and quotes, and anything we cannot support with a source is cut. Stories are published under the editorial direction of Peter Sinclaire, Editor & Publisher.
- We do not claim reporting we did not do. We do not do independent on-the-ground reporting unless a story says so. We do not claim to have attended events, interviewed people or visited places. Quotes come from the cited source, public record or official statement, and we say where they came from.
Bylines
Peter Sinclaire, our Editor & Publisher, also writes under his own name. All other stories are published under staff pen names: Avery Quest, Jenna Caldwell, Michael Haverford, Olivia Westbrook and Thomas Redfield. These pen names help organize our coverage by beat. They are not the names of individual reporters, and each one covers stories produced through the AI-assisted process described above. Each pen-name author page says so. Stories under any byline, including Peter Sinclaire’s, are produced with the same AI-assisted process. The Boston Report and its Editor & Publisher stand behind every story, whatever byline it carries.
Sourcing and attribution
- We link to our sources. When a fact comes from another news organization, we credit that organization by name and link to its original story. When information comes from an official source, we link to it when it is online.
- Primary sources first. We prefer agency statements, court filings, public data and official announcements over secondhand accounts.
- Confirmed versus claimed. We make clear whether something is officially confirmed, reported by other outlets, or claimed by one side. Casualty figures and allegations are attributed to whoever made them.
- No invented details. We do not make up quotes, sources, statistics or scenes.
- Crime coverage. People charged with crimes are presumed innocent. Arrests and charges are reported as allegations.
News and opinion are kept separate
Our news coverage aims to be accurate and neutral. Some business stories end with a section headed “Our Take”, which is labeled as analysis and opinion from The Boston Report. Opinion appears only in those labeled sections. Our politics, government and city coverage is written to be neutral and does not include “Our Take” sections.
Images
Unless a credit says otherwise, featured images on The Boston Report are original computer-generated illustrations made for the story. They illustrate a story’s topic. They are not photographs of real events, people or places in the news, and should not be read as such. When we use a photo from a third party, we credit it.
Restaurant coverage
Our restaurant spotlights are based on public information, such as the restaurant’s own website and menus, published reviews and news coverage. They are not first-hand reviews. Restaurants do not pay to be featured.
Independence and conflicts of interest
- The Boston Report is independently owned by its publisher and is not affiliated with any political party, campaign, government agency or advocacy group.
- The site is supported by advertising served by third-party networks. Advertisers have no say over what we cover or how.
- We do not accept payment for news coverage, and no one we write about gets to approve a story before it is published.
- Some pages may include affiliate links, which may earn us a commission. Any sponsored content will be clearly labeled as sponsored.
- If The Boston Report or its Editor & Publisher has a financial or personal connection to the subject of a story, we will disclose it in that story.
Corrections
We correct errors promptly and note what changed. See our Corrections Policy for how to report a mistake.
Contact
News tips and corrections: stories@thebostonreport.com. Advertising: ads@thebostonreport.com. Everything else: info@thebostonreport.com or our Contact page.
See also: About · Masthead · Corrections · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy