Who We Are and How We Work

Marengo Weekly has run without our names on it, on purpose. The idea was that the reporting should stand on its facts and not on who wrote it. We still believe that. But being straight with the people who read us matters too, so here is who we are and how this paper works.

From Justin

I'm Justin Bounds, and I started Marengo Weekly. I kept noticing there wasn't one place that just told you what was going on in town, so I made one. Local government, schools, business, community life, covered straight, without pushing anything.

Travis Coudal offered to help with the website early on, and it grew from there. He writes some of our stories now too.

The rest of this note is from Travis.

From Travis

I'm Travis Coudal. I build websites around town. I have done work for the Marengo Makers Market and Beautify Marengo, and when Justin launched Marengo Weekly I offered to help the same way. The more we worked together, the more I pitched in, and eventually I volunteered to write some pieces too. So you know exactly who does what: Justin edits this paper and has the final say on everything that runs. I handle the web side and write some stories, and everything I write goes to Justin for approval before it publishes. I don't run our social media, and I don't set the paper's direction.

Here is why this note matters now. I am running for alderman in Ward 4.

A paper connected to someone seeking office raises a fair question about its coverage of the city. You deserve a straight answer, so here is how we handle it, in writing, where you can hold us to it:

• Marengo Weekly does not cover my race, my opponents, or local campaigns. That has not changed.
• Anything I write that touches the city, or anything I have a stake in, is edited and approved by Justin before it runs. I do not have the final say on it, and that has been true of everything I write from the start.
• Any story where I have a personal interest carries a clear disclosure, so you can weigh it.

What Does Not Change

None of our standards change with this note. We report what the records show, we aim at the facts and not the people, we correct our mistakes in the open, and we tell you when we do not know something. That has been the deal since the first issue, and it still is. You can read all of it, including our conflict-of-interest policy, on our editorial standards page.

Thanks for reading, and for holding us to it.

Justin Bounds and Travis Coudal
Marengo Weekly