Corrections, Updates & Complaints

The Westphalia Gazette aims to report accurately, explain uncertainty, and correct mistakes openly. We review concerns about factual accuracy, fairness, attribution, disclosures, and the way our work is presented.

Published corrections

No corrections have been published to date.

When the Gazette publishes a material correction, it will appear with the affected article and be recorded on this page.

Tell us about a concern

To report a possible error or raise an editorial concern, visit our Contact page or email tips@westphaliagazette.com.

Please include:

• The article title or link
• The specific passage, image, caption, or issue you are concerned about
• What you believe should be corrected or reviewed
• Any records, links, or other supporting information available

You do not need to be an advertiser, subscriber, source, or subject of the story to raise a concern. We consider sufficiently specific anonymous reports, although providing a way to contact you can help us ask questions and explain the outcome.

Please do not send unnecessary sensitive personal information.

How we review requests

Blake Hemphill, Founder & Publisher, is responsible for editorial decisions. We examine the available evidence before deciding whether a change is needed.

For routine submissions, we aim to:

• Acknowledge receipt within two business days
• Provide an initial decision or meaningful status update within five business days

Business days are Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Complex reviews may take longer. These are service targets, not guarantees, and our contact channels are not continuously monitored.

Confirmed material errors will be corrected promptly. When a material conflict prevents a fair assessment, the Gazette will seek appropriate outside review. The Gazette does not currently have an ombudsman, appeals panel, or standing independent review body.

How changes appear

A correction fixes inaccurate information and explains a material error.

A clarification explains wording or context that was incomplete or reasonably misleading, even when the underlying fact was not false.

An update adds verified information or developments that became available after publication.

We do not disguise a material correction as a routine update or hide it behind a new publication date. Material notices are dated and displayed with the affected article. The original publication date remains visible.

When an error also appeared in a Gazette-controlled newsletter, social media post, graphic, or other distribution channel, we will address that version when appropriate.

Routine spelling, formatting, grammar, or link repairs that do not change the factual meaning of an article may be made without a formal correction notice.

Complaints and disagreements

Editorial complaints may involve fairness, attribution, omitted context, conflicts of interest, opinion labeling, disclosures, source treatment, or other questions about how the Gazette's work was produced or presented.

A disagreement with accurate reporting does not, by itself, justify changing or removing it. Raising a concern does not guarantee publication of a response or the specific remedy requested, but the concern will be considered on its merits.

If no change is warranted, the Gazette may explain the basis for that decision without disclosing confidential sources, private correspondence, or protected reporting material.

Reconsideration

A request for reconsideration should identify:

• New evidence
• A material fact that may have been overlooked
• A significant problem with the review process

Repeated requests that provide no new evidence or substantive information may be closed after the Gazette explains its decision.

Removal, withdrawal, and retraction

Removing published material is exceptional. We consider serious factual-integrity, safety, privacy, confidentiality, and legal concerns individually.

Depending on the circumstances, a correction, clarification, update, editor's note, limited redaction, replacement image, or temporary withdrawal may be more appropriate than removing an entire article.

When the Gazette withdraws or retracts a significant piece of reporting, it will explain the action publicly to the extent possible without unnecessarily repeating private information or harmful allegations.

The Westphalia Gazette does not charge anyone to request or receive a correction, review, redaction, or removal decision.

Ownership

The Westphalia Gazette is owned and published by GovernUp Solutions, LLC.