Corrections & posting rules
What we post
- MDOT / Mi Drive closures and official traffic events
- National Weather Service watches, warnings, advisories, and the official Gaylord forecast
- School closings or delays only after the district itself confirms them
- Official Sheriff, Michigan State Police, Gaylord Police, or Emergency Management releases
- City, county, and chamber events from their own calendars or alerts
What we don’t post
- Anything without an official source — not a scanner, a comment, a share, or a rumor
- Copies or close rewrites of other outlets’ articles (we link with short credit instead)
- Private addresses, victim or witness names, juveniles’ names, or medical details
- Accusations that are not in an official release
- School closings we are not sure about — we wait. Wrong school news is worse than late school news
- Invented scenes, quotes, or photorealistic images. Our cards are cartoons
Every post
- Names its source in plain language and links to it
- Is reviewed by a person before it goes up
- Is signed by the Otsego Town Square team
- Any paid post is clearly labeled “Sponsored”
Corrections
- If a fact is wrong, we post a clear follow-up quickly. We say what was wrong, what is correct, and name the source again.
- We don’t silently delete posts. If we must remove one for safety or privacy, we post a short note saying it was removed and why, without repeating the private details.
- We keep a log of corrections so the same mistake is less likely next time.
- A wrong school closing or a misidentified incident is a serious error. We correct it first, then pause similar posts until we know how it happened.
Spotted a mistake? Email team@otsegotownsquare.com.
— the Otsego Town Square team