Responsible Sourcing for North Carolina High School Sports Journalism
Varsity NC is committed to ethical reporting and responsible sourcing.
Our sourcing policy explains how we gather information, evaluate sources, use attribution, handle anonymous sources, verify social media content, and protect sensitive information.
Reliable sourcing is essential to accurate high school sports coverage, particularly when stories involve student-athletes, minors, personnel decisions, investigations, disputes, injuries, discipline, or other sensitive issues.
Varsity NC seeks firsthand, primary, and authoritative sources whenever possible. Preferred sources may include:
Third-party reports may be used when appropriate, but important information should be independently confirmed whenever reasonably possible.
Varsity NC generally prefers to identify sources by name and explain their connection to the story.
Named sources allow readers to better evaluate the credibility, knowledge, motivation, and perspective of the person providing information.
Sources should understand whether a conversation is on the record, not for attribution, on background, or off the record before sensitive information is shared.
Varsity NC may grant anonymity when a source has credible information and faces a legitimate risk of retaliation, job consequences, personal harm, loss of access, or another serious consequence for speaking publicly.
Anonymity will not be granted merely because a source wants to avoid criticism, embarrassment, or accountability.
Before relying on an anonymous source, Varsity NC will consider:
Anonymous sourcing should be used cautiously, especially when the information is damaging to another person or organization.
Varsity NC may require an editor or publisher to know the identity of an anonymous source before the information is published.
Terms such as "off the record," "on background," and "not for attribution" should be agreed upon before information is provided. In general:
Varsity NC is not bound by conditions that a source attempts to impose after information has already been provided on the record.
Varsity NC may use school records, government documents, meeting minutes, contracts, court filings, emails, policies, financial records, public databases, and other documents in its reporting.
We will make reasonable efforts to confirm that documents are authentic and accurately interpreted.
The existence of a document does not automatically prove that every statement within it is true. Documents will be evaluated in context and, when appropriate, compared with other evidence.
Social media posts may provide news tips, announcements, images, video, public statements, and eyewitness information. Varsity NC will consider:
A post being public does not automatically make it accurate or ethically appropriate to republish.
Screenshots should not be treated as conclusive evidence without additional verification when the original post or account cannot be confirmed.
Varsity NC may cite reporting from newspapers, television stations, radio stations, websites, newsletters, podcasts, school publications, and other media organizations.
When another organization first reported information, Varsity NC will provide appropriate attribution.
We will not copy another publication's reporting, photographs, graphics, or exclusive material and present it as our own.
Whenever practical, Varsity NC will independently confirm important information before publishing a separate report.
Coaches, athletic directors, schools, parents, athletes, fans, historians, photographers, and media partners may submit information to Varsity NC. Submitted information may include:
Varsity NC may verify submitted information before publication. The person submitting material is responsible for ensuring that the information is accurate and that they have permission to provide any photos, video, audio, documents, or other copyrighted material.
Varsity NC does not publish rumors as confirmed fact.
When unconfirmed information is itself newsworthy, we will clearly explain what is known, what is alleged, what remains unverified, and where the information originated.
Personnel changes, coaching hires, transfers, disciplinary actions, deaths, injuries, investigations, and eligibility decisions require particular care.
An allegation is not proof that misconduct occurred. When reporting allegations, Varsity NC will:
We will distinguish between an allegation, complaint, investigation, arrest, charge, disciplinary finding, civil judgment, guilty plea, and conviction.
Varsity NC will not publish confidential or private information solely because it has been obtained. Before publishing sensitive information, we will consider:
Private phone numbers, home addresses, personal email addresses, medical records, academic records, passwords, and similar information generally will not be published.
Varsity NC does not pay sources for news interviews, confidential tips, allegations, documents, or access to information.
Varsity NC may pay independent photographers, writers, videographers, researchers, data providers, or other contributors for legitimate professional work.
Any payment for professional services does not guarantee publication or favorable coverage.
Varsity NC personnel should not accept money, valuable gifts, travel, services, or special treatment in exchange for coverage.
Reasonable accommodations routinely provided to working media — such as credentials, parking, press-box access, event programs, or meals — may be accepted when they do not influence editorial decisions.
Varsity NC will take reasonable steps to protect the identity of sources who have been promised confidentiality.
However, confidentiality may have legal, technical, or practical limits. Sources should not assume that electronic communication is completely private or that Varsity NC can ignore a valid legal order.
Promises of confidentiality should be made carefully and only when justified.
A source does not have the right to approve a story before publication.
Varsity NC may verify quotations, technical details, statistics, or complicated factual information with a source when doing so improves accuracy.
After publication, sources may request a factual correction, but disagreement with the tone, emphasis, headline, or editorial conclusion does not necessarily establish that an error occurred.
Correction requests are handled under the Varsity NC Corrections Policy.
Varsity NC's responsibility is to its readers and to the communities we cover.
We seek to report important information without unnecessary harm, protect editorial independence, disclose relevant sourcing limitations, and provide readers with enough context to evaluate the credibility of our reporting.
Questions about the Varsity NC Ethics and Sourcing Policy may be submitted through the contact information published on our website.