Last Updated: August 10, 2026
Crimes of the Week is an independent crime-news publication committed to accurate, clearly sourced, and responsible reporting about criminal investigations, arrests, prosecutions, court proceedings, convictions, sentencing, and significant developments in criminal cases.
These Editorial Standards explain the principles we use when researching, writing, reviewing, updating, and correcting our coverage.
1. Accuracy Comes First
Our primary editorial goal is to publish information that accurately reflects the best reliable information available at the time of publication.
Crime stories can change quickly. Initial police statements may be followed by amended charges, new evidence, indictments, plea agreements, dismissals, verdicts, sentencing decisions, appeals, or other developments.
We therefore distinguish between what is known at the time of publication and what may later change.
When reliable new information materially changes a case, we may update an existing article or publish additional coverage.
We do not knowingly publish information that we believe to be false or materially misleading.
2. Source Standards
Crimes of the Week relies on publicly available and lawfully obtained information.
Whenever reasonably available, we prioritize primary and official sources, including:
- Police departments
- Sheriff’s offices
- Prosecutors and district attorneys
- State attorneys general
- Courts and publicly available court records
- Corrections departments
- The U.S. Department of Justice
- Federal law-enforcement agencies
- State and local government agencies
- Official public statements and press releases
We may also rely on established local and national news organizations, particularly when they provide direct reporting, interviews, courtroom coverage, documents, or information not yet available through an official source.
Whenever possible, we use multiple case-specific sources to verify significant facts and developments.
We do not increase a source count merely for appearance. A smaller number of strong, directly relevant sources may be more useful than numerous sources that repeat the same information.
3. Verification
Before publishing significant factual claims, we attempt to verify them through reliable sources appropriate to the case.
Important details may include:
- Identity of the accused
- Age
- Location
- Date and time
- Criminal charges
- Alleged conduct
- Victim information
- Arrest status
- Bond or bail
- Court status
- Pleas
- Verdicts
- Convictions
- Sentences
- Dismissals
- Appeals
- Other significant procedural developments
When a fact cannot be reliably established, we prefer to omit it or explain that the available public information does not establish it.
We do not fill missing information with speculation.
4. Allegations Are Not Convictions
An arrest, criminal charge, complaint, or indictment is not proof that a person committed a crime.
When a case remains unresolved, Crimes of the Week describes accusations as allegations, charges, claims, or statements attributed to the appropriate authorities or sources.
We distinguish between:
- An allegation
- An arrest
- A criminal charge
- An indictment
- A guilty plea
- A verdict
- A conviction
- A sentence
We do not intentionally describe an accused person as having committed a crime as an established fact when the matter remains an allegation.
Charges can also be amended, reduced, dismissed, or otherwise changed. When we learn of a material change, we may update our reporting accordingly.
5. Latest Case Developments
Crime reporting should not stop at the initial arrest when significant later developments are available.
When researching a case, we may review whether later developments have occurred, including:
- Additional or amended charges
- Bond changes
- Indictments
- Plea agreements
- Guilty pleas
- Trials
- Verdicts
- Dismissals
- Sentencing
- Appeals
- Release or incarceration status
- Deaths of defendants or other parties
- Other court or procedural developments
When newer verified information conflicts with an older report, the newer verified information should take priority.
Older information may remain in an article when necessary to explain the chronology of the case, but it should not be presented as the current case status when a later development is known.
6. Headlines
Headlines should accurately represent the substance of the story.
We aim to write headlines that are informative and engaging without materially exaggerating the underlying facts.
When a criminal case is unresolved, headlines should not improperly convert allegations into established guilt.
Sensational details may be included when genuinely central to the story, but we do not believe shocking language should replace accurate reporting.
7. Original Value and Context
Crimes of the Week frequently reports on events that have already been described by law-enforcement agencies, courts, prosecutors, or other news organizations.
Our goal is not merely to reproduce or rearrange another source’s wording.
Whenever the available information permits, our coverage aims to add useful value through:
- Clear case chronology
- Comparison of multiple sources
- Identification of later case developments
- Explanation of relevant procedural status
- Reconciliation of conflicting information
- Organization of scattered case information
- Relevant background specific to the case
- Links or references to useful primary sources
We avoid unnecessary filler that does not help readers understand the individual case.
Generic explanations should not replace case-specific reporting.
8. Attribution
Information obtained from another organization, public agency, document, statement, or news report should be attributed when appropriate.
Articles may contain links to the principal sources used in preparing the report.
When information comes from police, prosecutors, court documents, attorneys, witnesses, family members, government agencies, or other identifiable sources, we aim to make the origin of significant claims clear to readers.
Attribution does not necessarily mean that Crimes of the Week independently confirms every allegation contained in an official statement. It identifies who made the claim and allows readers to understand the source of the information.
9. Conflicting Information
Different sources sometimes provide conflicting details, particularly during the early stages of a criminal investigation.
When credible sources disagree about a material fact, we may:
- Identify the disagreement
- Prefer a later or more authoritative source
- Explain that the information remains uncertain
- Omit a disputed detail until it can be verified
We do not knowingly select a disputed version merely because it creates a more dramatic story.
10. Victims
Crime reporting sometimes requires identifying victims to accurately report a case.
We consider the public availability, news value, sensitivity, and circumstances surrounding victim information.
We may limit unnecessary personal information about victims when it does not materially contribute to understanding the case.
In cases involving sexual offenses, children, domestic violence, or other particularly sensitive circumstances, additional care may be appropriate.
The fact that information is publicly available does not automatically mean every available detail needs to be republished.
11. Minors
We exercise additional caution when reporting about minors.
Depending on the circumstances, applicable law, public availability of the information, seriousness of the case, and legitimate public interest, we may withhold or limit identifying information about juveniles.
When authorities publicly identify a minor because of unusual circumstances, serious charges, transfer to adult court, or another significant public-interest reason, we may consider that information as part of our editorial decision.
12. Graphic and Disturbing Material
Crime stories may involve violence, death, serious injury, sexual offenses, abuse, or other disturbing subjects.
We report relevant facts when they are necessary to explain what occurred, but we do not seek to include graphic detail solely for shock value.
Photographs, descriptions, video, or other material that is unnecessarily graphic may be omitted even when publicly available.
13. Images and Illustrations
Crimes of the Week may use:
- Official law-enforcement photographs
- Booking photographs
- Government-provided images
- Publicly available case-related images
- Screenshots
- Maps
- Licensed photographs
- Original graphics
- Representative illustrations
When an image is an illustration rather than an authentic photograph of the person, location, or event being reported, we aim to identify it appropriately.
An illustrative image should not be interpreted as evidence that the depicted scene literally occurred in the manner shown.
Images should be relevant to the article and should not intentionally misrepresent the facts of the case.
14. Booking Photographs and Defendant Images
Booking photographs and other official images may be used when they are relevant to reporting a criminal case and are lawfully available for publication.
The appearance of a booking photograph does not indicate guilt.
When charges are later dismissed, a defendant is acquitted, or another significant development changes the context of an earlier arrest, we may update the article to reflect that development.
15. Corrections
Crimes of the Week welcomes credible reports of factual errors.
When we determine that a published article contains a material factual error, we may correct the article.
Depending on the circumstances, a correction may involve:
- Correcting inaccurate information
- Clarifying ambiguous wording
- Updating outdated case status
- Correcting a name, age, charge, date, or location
- Replacing an inaccurate image
- Repairing or replacing a source
- Adding a significant later procedural development
Minor spelling, grammar, formatting, or stylistic changes may be corrected without a formal correction notice.
Significant corrections may be disclosed when appropriate.
Additional information is available in our Corrections Policy.
16. Article Updates
An article may be updated after publication when new information becomes available.
Updates may include new charges, court proceedings, plea agreements, verdicts, sentencing information, corrections, additional official statements, or other significant developments.
An update does not necessarily mean the original article was inaccurate. Criminal cases naturally develop over time.
When possible, we seek to ensure that the current version of an article does not leave readers with a materially outdated impression of the case.
17. Duplicate Coverage
When multiple sources report the same criminal case, Crimes of the Week generally seeks to maintain one primary article or a coherent sequence of meaningful updates rather than publishing unnecessary duplicate stories.
Later developments may be incorporated into an existing article when appropriate.
A separate follow-up article may be warranted when a later event is independently newsworthy, such as:
- A guilty plea
- A major indictment
- A verdict
- Sentencing
- Dismissal
- Capture of a fugitive
- Significant appeal decision
- Another major change in the case
18. Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Editorial Technology
Crimes of the Week may use software, automated systems, artificial intelligence, research tools, or other technology to assist with parts of the editorial process.
Technology may be used for purposes such as:
- Organizing research
- Reviewing source material
- Identifying potential case updates
- Drafting or restructuring text
- Formatting articles
- Managing publication workflows
- Detecting duplicate coverage
- Preparing metadata or other technical elements
The use of technology does not change our editorial standards.
Published material should still be based on identifiable sources and should not present invented facts, unsupported claims, or speculation as established information.
Automation should not be used as a substitute for case-specific research.
We do not consider artificially increasing article length or producing repetitive text to be a substitute for useful reporting.
19. Generated or Representative Images
When artificial intelligence or other digital tools are used to create a representative image or illustration, the image should not be presented in a way that falsely implies it is an authentic photograph of the actual event.
Appropriate labeling or context should be provided when necessary to prevent confusion.
Generated imagery should not be treated as evidence concerning the guilt, innocence, behavior, appearance, or actions of a person involved in a case.
20. Opinion and Analysis
Most Crimes of the Week coverage is intended to report factual developments.
When an article contains commentary, opinion, or analysis, we aim to distinguish that material from factual claims.
Opinion does not permit the invention or distortion of underlying facts.
21. Anonymous and Unverified Claims
Crimes of the Week generally favors information that can be attributed to identifiable public records, agencies, documents, officials, or established reporting.
Anonymous claims, social-media posts, rumors, and unsupported statements are treated cautiously.
We do not consider widespread repetition of an unsupported claim to be independent verification.
Social-media material may be reported when the post itself is newsworthy, relevant, authentic, and appropriately attributed.
22. Public Records
Public records are an important part of crime reporting.
We may rely on court records, arrest information, government databases, public agency releases, and other records that are legally available.
However, a public record may later become outdated.
For example, an arrest record does not necessarily reflect whether charges were subsequently dismissed or whether the person was later acquitted.
Whenever reasonably possible, we seek to consider significant later developments before presenting an older public record as the current status of a case.
23. Removal Requests
Crimes of the Week does not automatically remove accurate news coverage merely because a subject would prefer that information no longer appear online.
However, we may review requests involving circumstances such as:
- Material factual errors
- Mistaken identity
- Dismissed or materially changed charges
- Expungement or sealing issues
- Safety concerns
- Improper disclosure of sensitive information
- Identification of a protected victim or minor
- Legal requirements
- Other exceptional circumstances
Each request may be considered according to its particular facts, applicable law, newsworthiness, accuracy, public interest, and our editorial responsibilities.
A request for removal is not a guarantee that content will be removed.
In some cases, updating or correcting an article may be more appropriate than deletion.
24. Advertising and Editorial Independence
Advertising does not determine the factual conclusions of Crimes of the Week articles.
Advertisers do not receive authority to alter our crime reporting merely because advertising appears on the Site.
The appearance of an advertisement next to an article does not mean that the advertiser endorses the article.
Likewise, the appearance of an advertisement does not mean Crimes of the Week endorses the advertiser.
25. Conflicts of Interest
Writers, editors, or contributors should avoid allowing personal, financial, or commercial interests to materially distort factual reporting.
When a significant conflict of interest exists and is relevant to readers’ understanding of a story, appropriate disclosure may be made.
26. Sponsored and Paid Material
If Crimes of the Week publishes sponsored, paid, promotional, or affiliate material, it should be identified appropriately so readers can distinguish commercial material from ordinary editorial reporting.
Payment should not be presented as independent editorial judgment.
27. Changes to These Standards
Crimes of the Week may update these Editorial Standards as our publication, technology, coverage practices, or legal obligations evolve.
The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page will be revised when material changes are made.
28. Contact Us
Questions about these Editorial Standards, concerns about a published article, or information about a potential correction may be submitted through the Crimes of the Week Contact page.
For questions involving a specific article, please include the article title or URL and enough information for us to identify and evaluate the issue.
For factual corrections, documentation or a reliable source supporting the requested change is helpful.
Crimes of the Week is committed to improving its reporting when credible information demonstrates that a correction or clarification is warranted.