Editorial policy

Coverage is selected for its usefulness and relevance to local readers. A business suggestion, press release or commercial enquiry does not guarantee a listing, favourable treatment or editorial coverage.

The directory is an edited selection, not a complete record of every local business.

We use relevant official records, direct information from organisations and businesses, and other identifiable sources. For development news, this includes Willoughby Council application records, meeting papers and decisions, the NSW Planning Portal and relevant planning authority documents.

We check the document date and planning stage, and distinguish an application or proposal from an approval, construction or completion. A developer announcement is attributed to the developer; it is not treated as proof of a planning decision or a completed project.

We make uncertainty clear and provide source links where they help readers verify material facts. Information such as prices, opening hours and project schedules can change.

Research-based guides must not suggest we personally visited a place, tasted a dish or tested a service unless that experience is documented. Personal observations and reported facts should be distinguishable.

AI tools may assist research, organisation or drafting. Sources, factual claims and final copy still require editorial review; generated text is not evidence.

If something is wrong or out of date, send the page link, the specific detail and a source we can check. We compare the report with the underlying records and seek clarification where needed. Confirmed factual errors are corrected; material corrections should carry a dated note explaining what changed. New information about an ongoing story is an update rather than necessarily a correction.

Disagreeing with an editorial judgement is different from identifying a factual error; feedback about either is welcome. You can also email chatswoodedit@gmail.com.

Paid or sponsored content should be clearly labelled. Advertising and digital-service arrangements are separate from independent editorial selection. Any relationship that materially affects how a reader should assess a recommendation should be disclosed.

A business can request a factual correction without purchasing any service.

Tips and suggestions are reviewed before publication. Sending information does not publish it automatically or guarantee coverage. We may ask for supporting details, and material selected for publication may be edited and fact-checked.

Please do not send material you are not entitled to share, or private information that is unnecessary to the story.